https://store.steampowered.com/app/1428090/KreatureKind
I have been the main developer of KreatureKind, meaning I designed the gameplay, the world and the cards, and implemented the design using Unity and C#. I put a lot of time into the games UX, and especially aimed for making a game that’s as accessible and forgiving as possible without using any of its depth.
The game was develop alongside a team of freelancers, primarily artists. The porting for consoles was completed alongside co-publisher Aurora Punks.
My key responsibilities:
- Gameplay design
- Unity/C# implementation
- Narrative design
- Writing
- UX design
- 2D animation
- Character art
In KreatureKind, you take on the role of an activist who debates monsters to save magic! In addition to developing the game, I designed the world and wrote the story – with partial help from a freelancer for some of the dialogues.
The game was developed over 5 years, meaning the early iterations of the narrative were quite far from where it eventually ended up. In the earlier versions, the game took place in a world much like our own, where the cryptids and mythological creatures were getting restless and attacking people due to their habitats being threatened by deforestation. Over time, I decided to change the approach due to the limitations it put upon the story (one of them being that I wanted a faction-based design where you gain influence over groups of people, rather than an end boss to overcome), instead moving the setting to a fictional world.
The backstory I settled on centers around a world in which magic is disappearing, because its inhabitants use too much mana. Riley and her besties Yui and Mitra decide that enough is enough, and head out into the world to try and persuade people to live more mana-sustainable. Along the way, they team up with up to four more young activists. Changing people’s mind is not at easy as it may sound, however, meaning every card-based encounter is a debate where you need to convince the opposition to see your side. Before and after each encounter is a short dialogue in which the theme and arguments are presented, the purpose if which is to, besides advance the story, give the player tools to use in real-life discussions with science deniers.
The cast is at the heart of KreatureKind, since it’s partially inspired by RPGs. Each of the seven characters fits into the “holy trinity” (healing, DPS, tank), meaning each of their decks are unique. I wanted to reflect this individuality in their designs, making each of them visually distinct. Even though it’s only partially visible in-game, each of them have a fleshed-out backstory and personality, because I quite think stories are at their best when you tell them through fresh perspectives. Representation is hugely important to me, since I think games are absolutely amazing and I want as many people as possible to feel seen by and welcomed in by them.
Release trailer: