Combat Director (Unreal Engine 5)

Location: On-site in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, Monday through Friday

Salary: $15,000–$20,000 USD per month for the duration of the temporary assignment.

Company

Level Up Games is a game development studio behind Kyzen, a kid-focused dynamic open-world survival crafting game combining Minecraft- and Palworld-inspired gameplay with Shonen anime energy.

What you will do

• Audit Kyzen’s combat and deliver a prioritized plan covering readability, feedback, pacing, risk and reward, simplicity, and player agency.
• Define the game’s attack-type framework, including telegraphs, timing windows, counterplay options, and readable tells.
• Design distinct attack patterns and encounter roles for the full mob roster, including engagement ranges, aggression, cooldowns, and repositioning.
• Implement and tune combat directly in Unreal Engine 5 using animation systems, hitboxes, input buffering, cancel timing, hit-stop, camera shake, and related tools.
• Iterate through playtesting and collaborate closely with engineering and animation teams to establish a cohesive combat style.
• Document the combat framework, mob specifications, tuning rationale, completed work, open items, and recommended next steps for handoff.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional game design experience, including 3+ years owning combat systems or enemy design.
• At least one shipped title where combat was a core pillar of the role.
• Demonstrated experience designing enemy attack patterns, telegraphs, frame timing, and counterplay.
• Deep current Unreal Engine 5 experience, including Blueprints, behavior trees, animation blueprints, and gameplay ability systems.
• Ability to prototype, implement, diagnose, and tune combat directly in-engine rather than only documenting specifications.
• Availability for the full temporary assignment and on-site work Monday through Friday in West Hollywood.

Culture & Benefits

• Temporary full-time assignment expected to last approximately three to four months, with possible extension when justified.
• Hands-on environment where team members are expected to execute directly as well as set direction.
• Opportunity to use AI tools to accelerate creativity and project development.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, and flexible PTO policy.