Shadows of Them

Shadows of Them was a group development project for my school’s ‘Hello World’ project. From a longlist of eight concepts for a first-person walking sim, we pitched three ideas to tutors and the psychological horror story set on the London Underground won.

My primary role on this project was as a 3D modeller and texture artist, although I also had input on the narrative design (I’m a big fan of survival horror games, so had a strong knowledge of genre tropes and conventions and how we might subvert them). I made a range of hero and interior assets, from the train players ride in, to the flashing timetable, to animated objects like the gate shutters that slam behind the player. For my first ever game project, let alone my first time 3D modelling, texturing, and placing assets in a 3D space, I’m very pleased with the final product. If I could have done anything differently, I would have devoted more polygons to the train model and not been as precious about lowering my poly count – the train is a major asset in the game; it deserved more polygons.

My secondary role was as QA Lead, a role I immediately found very satisfying. Applying my skills as a player and game critic to a game I was working on felt natural, thinking about game feel and how to best guide our players. My own playthroughs weren’t half as illuminating as the external playtesting sessions I organised, however. Below are the questionnaire and bug database I created to inform the team of improvements that had to be made. The result was a tight, polished experience that came second place in the Develop Indie Showcase People’s Choice Awards and featured in Edge Magazine.