Game Designer + Programmer

Role

Worked as a game designer and programmer on ‘Tales of Kenzara: Zau’, a grief-inspired metroidvania based on Bantu mythology.

Core Responsibilities:

Researched and prototyped potential gameplay mechanics, progression systems, and economies.
Designed and implemented tutorial levels.
Designed quests that adhered to the world’s lore and encouraged the player’s exploration of the environment.
Assisted in transitioning the project from a prototype in Unity to Unreal.
Gathered and documented feature requirements for enemy designs and mechanics.
Implemented AI mechanics and behaviour trees in Unreal.
Built custom blueprints in C++ to meet the project's needs.
Used Jira to track and resolve gameplay bugs.

Wield the dance of the shaman. Reclaim your father’s spirit. Brave the beautiful and treacherous land of Kenzera with the God of Death in Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU, a metroidvania-style adventure crafted by Surgent Studios.

Website

Steam