Zakumba: Astraia

As a Senior Gameplay Programmer at AfroDuck Studios, I’ve played a pivotal role in bringing the vibrant world of Zakumba: Astraia to life. This action-RPG, steeped in West African mythology, follows the journey of Astraia, a 12-year-old inventor navigating a city rife with revolution, ancient technology, and personal discovery. My contributions have spanned a diverse array of gameplay systems and tools, each designed to elevate player experience and streamline the development process.

Key highlights of my work include:

• Player Skill Systems: Led the development of a robust skill creation tool, enabling the design of 20 distinct player abilities, adding depth and versatility to combat and exploration.

• Character Customization: Engineered an intuitive customization system accommodating two player characters and seven unique enemy types, ensuring adaptability and variety in gameplay.

• Dialogue Integration: Built a dialogue conversion tool that seamlessly imports 60 pages of script from Google Docs, dramatically improving the efficiency of our writers’ workflow.

• Cutscene Creation Tool: Developed a user-friendly tool to streamline the production of narrative cutscenes, enabling the team to craft compelling story moments with ease.

• Shop Menu Prototype: Designed and implemented the core functionality for the game’s shop system, allowing players to buy and sell items using in-game currency—a crucial feature showcased in the Vertical Slice demo.

Beyond technical contributions, I’ve been an integral part of the creative process, working closely with the team to refine systems like combat, AI, and inventory. Our Vertical Slice demo not only represents a significant milestone in Zakumba: Astraia’s development but also showcases the ambitious vision and gameplay innovations we’ve achieved together.

Through my role at Afro Duck Studios, I’ve honed my ability to develop gameplay systems that balance technical precision with immersive storytelling. With each tool and system, I aim to empower both players and developers, ensuring Zakumba: Astraia is as engaging and impactful as the story it tells.