Otherworld 3: Shades of Fall
Project Description
Pitch work on Otherworld 3 started immediately after Otherworld 2. This was my first time writing a pitch and game design document (GDD) from scratch. After a month in pre-production, Otherworld 3 was formally greenlit, marking the start of development. In Otherworld 3, you (as the main character) now have a concrete plan — to finish the Perpetual Prison — to stop the Shade, rather than simply responding to the threat of the Eternal Winter or exploring the fay world. I conceptualized the Perpetual Prison, envisioning it as a pyramid, a tomb fit for a king, which was meant to foreshadow the reveal of who the Shade truly was in the pantheon of fay creatures in the Otherworld.
Production was smooth for Otherworld 3, given that it was the third game and the team had spent two years together. This resulted in a total development period of only ten months, our fastest development period yet.
Despite process improvements, the Otherworld franchise was cancelled after initial pitch work on the final winter-themed game which would have resolved the story fully. At around that time, other Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) franchises within the company I worked for were wrapped up as well. I was reassigned to write an entirely new story for an existing franchise, which became the game Awakening 7.
My Role and Responsibilities
| My role | Designer / Team Lead |
|---|---|
| Core team size | 10-15 |
| Responsibilities | Design & Writing, Project Management, Production |
| Documentation produced | Pitch, Game Design Document, Tasklist, Prototypes, Publisher Communication, Player Feedback Reports, Bug Reports (JIRA) |
| My tools | Photoshop, Excel (as game data exporter), Google Docs (pitch, feedback, and GDD), Google Sheets (task sheet, walkthrough), Basecamp, as well as proprietary company tools for level, video and UI elements |
| Credits | Mobygames |
- I reprised my role as designer and lead for Otherworld 3, this time writing the pitch and GDD fully, following company and publisher guidelines.
- Additionally, I was able to train and keep a junior designer for much of Otherworld 3's development, who helped greatly in the level design. (Typically trainees "graduated" to own a different project within 3 months.)
- I continued scripting and writing for much of production, transitioning to production / project management when handling client (publisher) feedback and change requests to the game.
Project Specs
| Project | Otherworld 3: Shades of Fall |
|---|---|
| My role | Designer / Team Lead |
| Developer | Boomzap |
| Publisher | Big Fish Games |
| Genre | Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) |
| Release Date | Oct 17, 2013 |
| Online stores | BFG - Steam |
| Platforms | PC, Mac, Android†, iOS† |
| Localization | German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese |
| Let's play* | Kawaii Games on YT |
†Android and iOS builds are no longer available from BFG's Play / App Stores.
*Let's play videos are playthroughs by players / fans. Neither the developer (Boomzap, my employer at the time) nor the publisher have any affiliation with these streamers / youtubers.