​Seaside Studios

Lead Writer and Narrative Designer

 

Overview​

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​The Otter Side is a cozy townbuilder and action adventure game following Otis, an intrepid young otter on a quest to save his riverside hometown of Willowbrook after a devastating storm sweeps the town and its otterfolk away. Explore the winding Hollow River, gather resources, and reunite the scattered otterfolk as you rebuild the community from the ground up.

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Experience:​

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​As a lead writer and narrative designer for The Otter Side, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a small indie team to help shape a character-driven story from the ground up. As a writer, I’ve contributed dialogue scripts, scenes, and narrative outlines, creating distinctive character personalities and barks, while delivering on deadline alongside a talented writing, art, and dev team. As a narrative designer, I've led the development of the game’s economy and building systems, defining the town’s tiered building progression and the economic structure that integrates core gameplay with the unfolding story. I also authored design documents that articulated the core progression loop and provided a comprehensive development roadmap for the team. We still have work to do, but it's been a fantastic experience to collaborate closely with designers, artists, and programmers to create narrative while adapting to meet our evolving production and team needs.

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My Work on The Otter Side

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• Co-led narrative development, shaping story structure, lore, and character arcs from concept to implementation.

• Wrote dialogue scripts, character barks, cinematics, and in-game events, defined tone and worldbuilding.

• Designed narrative systems that integrate with core building, resource, and progression mechanics.

• Created and maintained unique character voices; collaborated with art/3D in designing game's characters. 

• Developed interactive dialogue and quests to support player-driven storytelling with communal and environmental themes.

• Collaborated closely with designers, artists, and programmers to align narrative with gameplay systems and production timelines, particularly on game economy and building systems.

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