NZ is an innovative writer and narrative designer, specialized in crafting realistic and believable dialogue for any subgenre. They are a lifelong storyteller, and use their deep passion for all forms of entertainment to create compelling stories that leave a lasting impression on players.
PORTFOLIO
GAS STATION STORY
Achievements: Nominated for an Indie Game Award (Innovation), featured in the Melbourne Queer Games Festival Shortlist
Story Details: Taking place in the not-so-distant future, Gas Station Story puts players in the shoes of the Clerk during the advent of a major planetwide crisis: the Update Virus. Players learn about the state of the world by talking to their customers, interacting with their coworker (Sam), and experiencing a small taste of the Update Virus’ power through interactions with their infected Point-of-Sale system. As the Clerk and Sam go through these perils, they’ll grow closer or further apart based on players’ choices, leading to 30 different endings (ranging from the Clerk dying alone at work, to Sam and the Clerk escaping poverty together).
Word Count: 45,000 | Characters: 45
Pierrot à la Mode
Achievements: Placed in top 5% of two categories (Presentation and Originality) out of >500 entries
Story Details: Originally created in a span of 2 weeks for the Big Mode Game Jam, Pierrot à la Mode is a short slice-of-life story about a new employee at a clown-themed ice cream parlor. This story is a companion piece to Gas Station Story, a sort of spiritual prequel, and was created with the intention of giving players a glimpse at what life was like in Divinity City before the Update Virus.
Word Count: 3,000 | Characters: 10
Radio Waves from outer space
Story Details: NZ’s first solo venture, an experimental orchestral-synth album. The album itself is solely instrumental, but the track notes detail an episodic narrative about a bounty hunter planet-hopping across the galaxy to get to his next mission. Readers are taken on a journey across multiple different planets, each with their own unique environment and locale, culminating in a cliffhanger finale that has yet to be resolved.
Word Count: 1,700 | Characters: 5
The Hunters’ Lodge
Story Details: The Hunters’ Lodge - Chapter 1 is a 1-hour pilot for a noir/thriller monster-of-the-week TV show, set in the state of Oregon. The screenplay follows a trio of monster hunters as they track the mysterious disappearances of local children, discovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire world. This was NZ’s first completed full script (coming in at 70 pages total), but was set to the side so they could focus on making video games.
Word Count: 12,500 | Characters: 50