sands of aura
narrative design and voice direction
“Sands of Aura is an open-world action adventure with a fantasy setting of a realm in its twilight--a world buried beneath a sea of sand. Sail across the sandseas to return life to a dying world in an unforgettable experience that is equal parts engaging story and unrelenting, souls-like combat.”
ZACHARY FLYNN IS A NARRATIVE DESIGNER WITH A BACKGROUND IN TRADITIONAL FICTION WRITING AND A PASSION FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, COMPELLING DIALOGUE, AND QUEST DESIGN. HIS EXPERIENCE FOCUSES ON BOLSTERING GAMEPLAY WITH CHARACTER DRIVEN STORY ARCS, WHILE BALANCING PLAYER CHOICE AND FEASIBLE IMPLEMENTATION STANDARDS. ZACHARY COMBINES HIS UNDERSTANDING OF SHAPE LANGUAGE, PLAYER ACTIONS AND POSSIBILITY SPACE, WITH CONTEMPORARY NARRATIVE PRINCIPLES TO DESIGN LEVELS THAT ARE BOTH NARRATIVELY AND ARTISTICALLY CAPTIVATING. HIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES LEVEL DESIGN, 3D MODELING, QUEST DESIGN, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, BRANCHING DIALOGUE, WORLD BUILDING AND VOICE DIRECTION.
EDUCATION
B.A. Creative Writing, Fiction
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
experience
Chashu Entertainment - January 2022 - Present
Narrative Designer
Created compelling dialogue scripts, character concepts and dynamic world building
Implemented dialogue and in-game text (items and lore descriptions) in engine (Unreal)
Revised concepts, wireframes, scripts and worldbuilding based on feedback from team members and creative director
Assisted with copywriting and game trailer concepting
Level Designer
Created high quality level content from block out phase to polish (Unreal)
Combined the use of modular kits and various toolsets to design levels with a focus on environmental storytelling
Play-tested levels consistently during design process to provide feedback and ensure design goals
Created high quality assets using 3D modeling software (Blender)
Made required bug fixes
id Software - July 2019 - December 2021
Doom Eternal - QA Tester
Run test requests and identify game issues (bugs)
Provide detailed feedback on gameplay related issues in written and verbal form
Collaborate with peers and assist senior team members to assess game issues and concerns
Write and update test plans
University of Illinois - 2016 - July 2019
Preservation Services
IA digital support and preservation services
Woodward Archiving Project
awards
Senior Quinn, Creative Writing
Junior Quinn, Creative Writing
WRITING AND DESIGN SAMPLES
quest design
SANDS OF AURA - SIDE QUEST SAMPLE - SCRIPT FORMAT
FALLOUT 4 - QUEST DESIGN SAMPLE
INTERACTIVE FICTION
FOR A FUTURE TAKEN - WITHIN THE WITCHER 3 UNIVERSE - BRANCHING (TWINE)
skills
writing
Creative
Narrative Design
Lore and World Building
Quest Concepting
Interactive/Branching
Scriptwriting
Copy
Trailer Concepting
Marketing and Promotional
Technical
Grant
Game Design
Quest Design
Voice Direction
Casting
Character Concepting
Software
Unreal
Miro
Twine
Final Draft
JIRA
Zachary Flynn is a published writer and narrative designer with a background in fiction, non-fiction and academic writing. Zachary has a degree in creative writing from the University of Illinois where he focused on literary fiction, world building, magical realism and fantasy writing.