Projects
I began designing this game long before I started preparing my portfolio. Whether in films, literature, or games, I have always been deeply impressed by strong storytelling. Influenced by this, I often create stories in my mind and record ideas that I find compelling. In fact, much of the game’s narrative had already taken shape before I began development. The game draws inspiration from films such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell. Its title is influenced by the song In the Still of the Night (1956) and the organization “Nega Nebulus” from the anime Accel World. The initial idea for the game emerged after I experienced the indie game To the Moon, which also influenced my choice of game engine and narrative-driven structure. Additionally, the worldbuilding takes inspiration from VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. Other major influences include Blade Runner, The Matrix, and the anime Psycho-Pass, all of which share the defining characteristics of the cyberpunk genre. As a fan of cyberpunk, I wanted to challenge myself by creating a story within this space. At the same time, I noticed that relatively few indie games fully explore cyberpunk themes, which further motivated me to pursue this direction. To effectively tell a story through gameplay, I needed to carefully consider pacing, character development, and worldbuilding. Before production, I wrote scripts for each chapter of the game, ensuring that narrative progression aligns with player interaction. Rather than presenting the story directly, I designed the game so that it unfolds gradually through exploration. To support this, I incorporated stage-based objectives and puzzle elements. Compared to film, the interactive nature of games allows players to experience the story more immersively. For example, I designed a scenario in which the player must attempt to save a robot within a limited time. However, regardless of the player’s efforts, success is impossible. In this way, the player’s failure mirrors the character’s fate, creating a shared emotional experience. To enhance the game’s atmosphere, I created character portraits, environmental textures, and simple animations. These elements work together to support the narrative and establish the overall tone. I also plan to compose original music for the game. In addition, I have incorporated philosophical concepts, such as the Ship of Theseus and Donald Davidson’s thought experiment “Swampman,” to add depth to the story. This project was not originally created for a portfolio, but is intended to be my first official release as a game developer.
While preparing to include a 3D project in my portfolio, I became interested in translating one of my existing 2D designs into a 3D space. This led me to develop a 3D map based on my tabletop game Ocean Escape. The original map design of Ocean Escape was inspired by games such as Resident Evil and Dark Souls. Following this direction, I adopted a dark and atmospheric style, where the player’s objective is to navigate the environment and ultimately escape. As I had not previously designed a maze of this kind, I decided not to construct one entirely from intuition. Instead, I looked for an underlying structural logic and chose to reference the Hilbert curve, a concept from fractal geometry. Based on this, I designed the player’s path through the maze, creating a more coherent and mathematically structured layout. After completing the overall layout and visual design, I focused on enhancing gameplay details. This included adding lighting cues to guide player movement, interactive elements to provide feedback, sound and music to build atmosphere, and props to enrich the experience and maintain engagement. Drawing on my experience playing and studying video games, I was able to implement these features with relative confidence. Although this project is still in progress, the full vision of the game continues to develop, and I plan to further expand and refine it in the future.
When I realized that my portfolio lacked a project with action-adventure elements, I decided to create one to make it more complete. To develop it efficiently, I chose to build a 2D pixel-style adventure game demo. The project draws inspiration from Stardew Valley, a game I greatly admire. Created by a single developer and continuously expanded over the years, it combines elements of simulation, role-playing, and action-adventure gameplay. While I admire this level of dedication, for this project I focused specifically on studying and implementing its combat system. In my view, the most important aspects of a 2D action-adventure game are map design, character movement feedback, and numerical balance. A compelling combat experience is essential to engaging players. Unlike 3D games, which often rely on visual effects for immersion, 2D games depend more heavily on interaction feedback. This includes elements such as destructible environments, sound design, screen shake, character and enemy animations, and knockback effects when the player is hit. These details are crucial in creating a satisfying combat experience. At the same time, because both the visual presentation and combat mechanics in 2D games are relatively simplified, I enriched the game environment by incorporating more complex map elements and physics interactions, such as Rigidbody-based collision effects.
Maps and rules are, in my view, the two most fundamental and essential elements of game design. This idea has been with me for a long time. When I was in middle school, I often found myself revisiting the movies, animations, or novels I had experienced, mapping out their settings and imagining how characters might explore or fight within those spaces based on certain rules. I truly enjoyed this process; at the time, it was far more engaging to me than doing homework. When I began preparing my first game for my portfolio, it felt natural to start with tabletop games, which existed long before video games. Tabletop games, such as Warhammer, are excellent examples of designs built around the core elements of maps and rules. In the past, I tended to design large-scale world maps, as I found it more challenging to construct smaller, enclosed spaces, such as the interior of a castle with complex structures. For this project, I decided to challenge myself by designing a compact, enclosed environment. I drew inspiration from games such as Resident Evil 2 and Dark Souls, both of which feature some of my favorite map designs, particularly their intricate interiors and interconnected pathways. In addition, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, a masterpiece by game director Kotaro Uchikoshi, inspired me to set the game on a terrifying cruise ship. To enhance player immersion and support the game master in storytelling, I developed a background narrative along with preliminary guidance. To reinforce the tension typical of horror puzzle games, I introduced a time limit: player actions cause time to pass, and if the player fails to reach an ending within the allotted time, there is only one outcome: death. In terms of gameplay, I incorporated a variety of props and exploration opportunities, as well as a hidden special ending to encourage replayability. During the design process, as I deepened my understanding of the history of board games, I came to realize that although board games may seem less visually striking than video games, many core concepts of modern game design originate from them. As a result, I chose a retro visual style as a tribute to the board games that came before my time.
Before I decided to focus on game development, my passion for games was primarily expressed through creating game-related videos. In high school, I often watched gaming content, which sparked my interest in video editing. I taught myself editing in my spare time and gradually became a content creator. On my channel, I mainly produce gameplay guides and story-driven videos, while occasionally creating mashups that combine footage from different games. Creating mashups is a particularly engaging process for me. It allows me to freely combine visuals from my favorite games, select music that fits the tone, and carefully consider how to align rhythm, imagery, and emotion within a short format, typically under three minutes. Because of my interest in film, I pay special attention to pacing, transitions, and emotional tone. I focus on whether scene transitions feel impactful, and whether the overall atmosphere matches the intended style, whether fast-paced and intense, or slower and more emotionally driven. This piece is a recent work. While it was created within a relatively short timeframe, I approached it with careful attention to detail and emotional expression. Video editing is a skill I developed early on, and although my current focus is on game design, I continue to create videos as a way to express my ongoing passion for games.
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This project was inspired by my interest in LEGO and its modular approach to design. I was particularly drawn to how complex structures can be built from simple, repeatable elements. Based on this idea, I first created a digital 3D model and rendered it on the computer. I then translated the design into a physical model, assembling and hand-painting it to explore how the structure and visual style could be realized in real space. Through this process, I was able to experiment with the relationship between digital modeling and physical construction, as well as the role of material and color in shaping the final form.
When I decided to include character design in my portfolio, I realized that I had not yet explored a fantasy theme in my work. As someone deeply interested in fantasy, I wanted to address this by creating a character that could exist within a fantasy game world. Fantasy has been shaped by many well-known works, such as The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Warcraft, and The Witcher, all of which have influenced me greatly. However, when developing this character, I was particularly drawn to the visual style of Bloodborne, one of my favorite games. The dark gothic aesthetic of Bloodborne, combined with its setting inspired by the 19th-century industrial era, where tradition and progress coexist, left a strong impression on me. Elements such as mysterious plagues, monstrous creatures, and subtle references to Lovecraftian themes further inspired my approach. Based on these influences, I developed a character with a dark, gothic tone. I designed long leather garments and wide-brimmed hats to enhance a sense of mystery, and incorporated both cold weapons and flintlock firearms to reflect the setting. Inspired by characters like Ciri from The Witcher, I envisioned this character as a confident and capable female hunter. In addition, I considered how the character might function in animation. Although this is a 2D design, I separated the character into different layers at key joints. As shown in the GIF, this structure allows for simple motion animation using software such as After Effects. Alongside this project, I continue to develop my drawing skills through additional painting studies, some of which are included here as practice work.