DEADBOOT - ULTRAKAOS Games
Game Design | Narrative Design
DEADBOOT is a fast-paced retro roguelike FPS. Blast through randomized levels, scavenge weapons and upgrades along the way, and see how far you can make it in this neon death zone.
JOINING
I first came across DEADBOOT during a playtesting event in Stockholm. Out of all the projects there, DEADBOOT immediately stood out to me. I sat down with one of the developers, played through the build, and shared feedback on the experience while we spoke more broadly about the project and its production.
As we spoke, it became clear that the narrative was still an underdeveloped part of the project. The team had a strong gameplay foundation, but little internal experience in shaping its narrative layer. Seeing both the game’s potential and a clear area where I could contribute, I offered my support.
We exchanged contact details, and after I had shared my portfolio and previous work, we arranged a call to explore the possibility of working together. Not long after, I joined ULTRAKAOS Games as a Game Designer, with a primary focus on strengthening the game’s narrative fidelity and helping shape a clearer, more cohesive world around its action-driven core.
Since then, I have contributed to the project through cinematics, lore, worldbuilding, character work, narrative exposition, and hub development, while also taking part in broader game design sessions and production discussions.
NARRATIVE & CINEMATICS
A central narrative challenge in DEADBOOT was finding ways to bring clarity and meaning to a game that places most of its emphasis on fast, action-packed gameplay. Because the player’s agency and momentum are so important to the experience, the space for exposition was very limited. My task was to find an efficient balance between narrative clarity, visual interest, and pacing, so that the game could establish its world and conflict without overstaying its welcome.
The team had already built a simple introduction around the perspective of a computer interface scanning the city, locating Novacore infrastructure, and identifying a valid subject for the Deadboot protocol. Even in its rougher form, I felt the concept had potential. I chose to preserve that perspective, but rework it into a more developed 3D cinematic that could better deliver atmosphere, narrative value, and visual identity.
In shaping the sequence, I worked around three main narrative goals: to establish the player’s rival, to clearly identify their target and objective, and to communicate the meaning of the Deadboot protocol and, by extension, who the player is. By building the cinematic around those pillars, I aimed to create an exposition sequence that remains efficient and readable, while still giving the player enough context to make the action ahead feel motivated and purposeful.
THE MISSION BOARD
The bulletin board was originally envisioned as a supporting narrative device. Because the introduction cinematic had limited room for exposition, we explored the idea of using a large board in the hub to give players a place to return to for deeper lore, worldbuilding, and context around the conflict.
Over time, that concept had to be rethought. As the project placed greater emphasis on gameplay-focused features, a board filled with text risked disrupting pacing and becoming more distracting than useful. On top of that, the game’s pixelated art direction made diegetic documents difficult to present in a readable way without compromising texel density or visual consistency.
To solve this, I reimagined the board as a diegetic progression overview system. Retaining the original bulletin board format, I used pinned notes, photographs, simple documents, and other visual markers to track the player’s journey through the game. Sections of the board update to reflect discovered enemies, unlocked floors, repeated attempts, and selected pieces of mission-critical information.
This shift allowed the board to remain grounded in the world while serving a clearer gameplay purpose. Rather than slowing the player down with dense exposition, it reinforces the mission, reflects progression, and reminds the player that there is still more ahead to uncover.
