I created “Silent Echoes,” a psychological horror environment featuring an abandoned roadside gas station shrouded in perpetual fog. Inspired by Silent Hill’s mastery of liminal spaces, I explored that uniquely unsettling feeling of isolated roadside stops—places suspended between destinations.
The environment centers on rusted fuel pumps with flickering displays showing impossible numbers, while the convenience store interior tells a story of sudden abandonment through scattered magazines, decayed shelves and empty abandoned cars.
This project became deeply personal, drawing from childhood memories of late-night family road trips and those eerily quiet gas station stops. I transformed nostalgic comfort into creeping dread through meticulous attention to atmospheric detail—every oil stain, rust bloom, and weathered surface was crafted to suggest years of slow decay.
Technically, I pushed myself with dynamic lighting systems and volumetric fog that responds to player movement. Working in Unreal Engine 5, I learned that the most effective horror environments transform ordinary, familiar places into something menacing through careful psychological storytelling.
“Silent Echoes” solidified my passion for environment art and taught me the power of atmospheric narrative in 3D spaces.
Created using Unreal Engine 5, Substance Suite, and Maya | Summer 2025
Games 
Sarah Harrison | Games
