Steam Page
Gameplay Teaser Trailer
Updated October 20, 2025
Project Overview
Project Type
Game Genre
Role
Team Size
Duration
Engine
Tools
Personal Project
Narrative Adventure Horror
Production, Design, Programming
6 Core, 30+ Contributors
April 2024 - June 2025
Unreal Engine 5.3
Blueprints, P4V, Miro, Sheets, Docs, JS
Project Description
Kawai’ian Isolation is a first-person narrative adventure (walking simulator), turned survival horror. The story is a tragedy of the beauty and horror of identity.
The player controls Mayumias she explores her memories of Kawai’i and lived-purgatory of Paradise.
The project began as a Pitch Project at the Video Game Development Club at UCI for 2 quarters, and continued development under Burnt Out Games for polish and publishing.
I served as the Technical Director, overseeing Audio, Design, Programming, and Writing. I also worked as a Tools Engineer, Narrative Designer and Writer, and Gameplay Designer.
Responsibilities
Tech Director & Technical Production
- Led Tech Department of 18+ contributors in Audio, Design, Programming, Writing. Managed AWS EC2 Perforce server and authored tutorials and documentation for usage and onbarding.
- I found that generic production tools weren’t easily usable for large teams with countless dependencies... so I made my own! I managed cross-team pipelines using 10 custom Agile tools in Miro and Google Sheets, such as a Scheduling Calendar, Progress Tracking Sheet, and visual KanBan.
Narrative Design & Writing
- Wrote 56 page screenplay of 22 scenes, working closely with another writer and consulting two additional narrative designers. With limited project times, I had to be concise and give every line meaning and value in the game (and also cut the script... a lot... to meet development needs).
- Heres my process! After defining the overarching story and its characters, I (1) design each scene, (2) write screenplay, stage directions, and dialogue, (3) synopsize for the team, (4) table-read for script reviews and repeat 1-4 until satisfied. Then, I get it into engine (see next section: Technical Design).
- I also made my own one-page character sheet template with a focus on concise nuance, using Characterization, Development, Motivation, Need, and Hamartia (Need and Hamartia being the main driver for me making these). I also utilized Jungian Theory, Objective Personality, and The Enneagram to better characterize.
Tools Engineering
- Engineered CSV-to-Wwise tooling pipeline to automate 56 pages of dialogue. I created a Google Sheet with AppScripts to externalize voice overs authorings for VA Director and Wwise Engineer, allowing for dialogue-cued work outside of Engine. The tool intakes this CSV and cashes the AKAudioEvents from their location in the Wwise project, accesses necessary file for each scene, and autoplays based on Wwise Event length and player actions.
Technical Design & Scripting
- Scripted story-driven gameplay mechanics, levels, and sequencing for 22 scenes using Blueprints and project-proprietary tools. These sequences included everything from AI directions, dialogue events, Blackboard checks, player pathing/progression/collisions, save system, coded animations, and calls to Tech Art systems (such as weather).
- Designing for open-world semi-linear storytelling turned out to be very difficult, as I had to guide the player through the story when neither the world nor the story can force the player through. I had to rely on techniques of area design to draw attention, establish objectives, and manipulate fear to move the player along. (and it took a LOT of playtesting).
Steam Page
Gameplay Teaser Trailer
Updated October 20, 2025
Project Overview
Project Type
Game Genre
Role
Team Size
Duration
Engine
Tools
Personal Project
Narrative Adventure Horror
Production, Design, Programming
6 Core, 30+ Contributors
April 2024 - June 2025
Unreal Engine 5.3
Blueprints, P4V, Miro, Sheets, Docs, JS
Project Description
Kawai’ian Isolation is a first-person narrative adventure (walking simulator), turned survival horror. The story is a tragedy of the beauty and horror of identity.
The player controls Mayumias she explores her memories of Kawai’i and lived-purgatory of Paradise.
The project began as a Pitch Project at the Video Game Development Club at UCI for 2 quarters, and continued development under Burnt Out Games for polish and publishing.
I served as the Technical Director, overseeing Audio, Design, Programming, and Writing. I also worked as a Tools Engineer, Narrative Designer and Writer, and Gameplay Designer.
Responsibilities
Tech Director & Technical Production
- Led Tech Department of 18+ contributors in Audio, Design, Programming, Writing. Managed AWS EC2 Perforce server and authored tutorials and documentation for usage and onbarding.
- I found that generic production tools weren’t easily usable for large teams with countless dependencies... so I made my own! I managed cross-team pipelines using 10 custom Agile tools in Miro and Google Sheets, such as a Scheduling Calendar, Progress Tracking Sheet, and visual KanBan.
Narrative Design & Writing
- Wrote 56 page screenplay of 22 scenes, working closely with another writer and consulting two additional narrative designers. With limited project times, I had to be concise and give every line meaning and value in the game (and also cut the script... a lot... to meet development needs).
- Heres my process! After defining the overarching story and its characters, I (1) design each scene, (2) write screenplay, stage directions, and dialogue, (3) synopsize for the team, (4) table-read for script reviews and repeat 1-4 until satisfied. Then, I get it into engine (see next section: Technical Design).
- I also made my own one-page character sheet template with a focus on concise nuance, using Characterization, Development, Motivation, Need, and Hamartia (Need and Hamartia being the main driver for me making these). I also utilized Jungian Theory, Objective Personality, and The Enneagram to better characterize.
Tools Engineering
- Engineered CSV-to-Wwise tooling pipeline to automate 56 pages of dialogue. I created a Google Sheet with AppScripts to externalize voice overs authorings for VA Director and Wwise Engineer, allowing for dialogue-cued work outside of Engine. The tool intakes this CSV and cashes the AKAudioEvents from their location in the Wwise project, accesses necessary file for each scene, and autoplays based on Wwise Event length and player actions.
Technical Design & Scripting
- Scripted story-driven gameplay mechanics, levels, and sequencing for 22 scenes using Blueprints and project-proprietary tools. These sequences included everything from AI directions, dialogue events, Blackboard checks, player pathing/progression/collisions, save system, coded animations, and calls to Tech Art systems (such as weather).
- Designing for open-world semi-linear storytelling turned out to be very difficult, as I had to guide the player through the story when neither the world nor the story can force the player through. I had to rely on techniques of area design to draw attention, establish objectives, and manipulate fear to move the player along. (and it took a LOT of playtesting).
Steam Page
Gameplay Teaser Trailer
Updated October 20, 2025
Project Overview
Project Type
Game Genre
Role
Team Size
Duration
Engine
Tools
Personal Project
Narrative Adventure Horror
Production, Design, Programming
6 Core, 30+ Contributors
April 2024 - June 2025
Unreal Engine 5.3
Blueprints, P4V, Miro, Sheets, Docs, JS
Project Description
Kawai’ian Isolation is a first-person narrative adventure (walking simulator), turned survival horror. The story is a tragedy of the beauty and horror of identity.
The player controls Mayumias she explores her memories of Kawai’i and lived-purgatory of Paradise.
The project began as a Pitch Project at the Video Game Development Club at UCI for 2 quarters, and continued development under Burnt Out Games for polish and publishing.
I served as the Technical Director, overseeing Audio, Design, Programming, and Writing. I also worked as a Tools Engineer, Narrative Designer and Writer, and Gameplay Designer.
Responsibilities
Tech Director & Technical Production
- Led Tech Department of 18+ contributors in Audio, Design, Programming, Writing. Managed AWS EC2 Perforce server and authored tutorials and documentation for usage and onbarding.
- I found that generic production tools weren’t easily usable for large teams with countless dependencies... so I made my own! I managed cross-team pipelines using 10 custom Agile tools in Miro and Google Sheets, such as a Scheduling Calendar, Progress Tracking Sheet, and visual KanBan.
Narrative Design & Writing
- Wrote 56 page screenplay of 22 scenes, working closely with another writer and consulting two additional narrative designers. With limited project times, I had to be concise and give every line meaning and value in the game (and also cut the script... a lot... to meet development needs).
- Heres my process! After defining the overarching story and its characters, I (1) design each scene, (2) write screenplay, stage directions, and dialogue, (3) synopsize for the team, (4) table-read for script reviews and repeat 1-4 until satisfied. Then, I get it into engine (see next section: Technical Design).
- I also made my own one-page character sheet template with a focus on concise nuance, using Characterization, Development, Motivation, Need, and Hamartia (Need and Hamartia being the main driver for me making these). I also utilized Jungian Theory, Objective Personality, and The Enneagram to better characterize.
Tools Engineering
- Engineered CSV-to-Wwise tooling pipeline to automate 56 pages of dialogue. I created a Google Sheet with AppScripts to externalize voice overs authorings for VA Director and Wwise Engineer, allowing for dialogue-cued work outside of Engine. The tool intakes this CSV and cashes the AKAudioEvents from their location in the Wwise project, accesses necessary file for each scene, and autoplays based on Wwise Event length and player actions.
Technical Design & Scripting
- Scripted story-driven gameplay mechanics, levels, and sequencing for 22 scenes using Blueprints and project-proprietary tools. These sequences included everything from AI directions, dialogue events, Blackboard checks, player pathing/progression/collisions, save system, coded animations, and calls to Tech Art systems (such as weather).
- Designing for open-world semi-linear storytelling turned out to be very difficult, as I had to guide the player through the story when neither the world nor the story can force the player through. I had to rely on techniques of area design to draw attention, establish objectives, and manipulate fear to move the player along. (and it took a LOT of playtesting).