The Lost Legends of Redwall: Visual Novels

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Visual Novels

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Visual Novels (working title) is a mobile app featuring three interactive fiction stories developed by Soma Games. These three stories are The Wildcat Scroll, The Flowers of Icetor, and The Caverns of Kotir. Each of these stories is set in the universe of Redwall, a Young Adult book series created by Brian Jacques.

Role: Lead Narrative Designer/Game Writer (2020-2021 [game completion])
Narrative Designer/Game Writer (2020)

I served as a Narrative Designer and Writer on each of the three stories from original concept to completion. I outlined the stories both individually and in a writer’s room, created original characters, storylines, and lore, and wrote the majority of the text for each of the stories. See the descriptions of the stories below to see my specific work and role on each project.

Responsibilities as ND/Game Writer:

  • Design non-linear original stories, characters, lore, etc. that tie directly into the pre-established Redwall universe
  • Write full scripts of the VNs (approx. 340k words), design branching maps, character sheets, inventory items, and any and all other narrative content
  • Lead and collaborate in the writer’s room brainstorming and editing process
  • Write scripting language in Articy Draft 3.0
  • Collaborate with artists, directors, programmers, etc.

Responsibilities as Lead ND/Game Writer:

  • Manage a small team of writers and editors
  • Review and edit the writing work of other team members
  • Work intimately with the other design departments to ensure marriage between narrative and art, audio, and design
  • As well as that listed above

Tools: Articy Draft 3.0, Twine, Google Suite, Discord, Basecamp, Click-Up

TLLOR: Visual Novels has not yet been released, but you can still click here to learn more about the series!

The Three Stories:

The Wildcat Scroll

In The Wildcat Scroll, players take on the role of a young mouse of Redwall Abbey and choose to play as either a Warrior, a Scholar, or a Healer. These paths affect the game’s subplot as well as the various branches the player may pursue, but the overarching narrative remains the same.

Role: I saw the creation of this story from concept to completion. I worked with the former Lead to develop the outline, originally planned to be nine episodes long, and the characters. I wrote the first episode of the story, then, after an unfortunate turn of events, we were forced to condense the remaining eight episodes into just two episodes. We completed writing the first draft of episode two and three in a three-week period. I then became Lead on the project and saw the story revised and edited to completion.

Story Premise: A young, ambitious mouse and his best friend embark on a journey to prove their worth when a dangerous wildcat clan approaches Redwall to reclaim an ancient scroll belonging to their clan.

The Flowers of Icetor

The Flowers of Icetor is an adaptation of Redwall AbbeyCraft: The Corsair’s Last Treasure, a Minecraft map and quest created in Soma Games’ early days. While the story’s concept resembles the quest, most of the story has been entirely reworked.

Role: The original concept and draft of The Flowers of Icetor was written by another of my team’s writers, but I took over the game midway through the process and expanded on the draft to its completion, revising and creating new original characters and storylines to expand the game’s length and create considerable branching.

Story Premise: When the deadly Dryditch Fever returns to Mossflower Woods, a squirrel Healer Initiate of Redwall sets out on a quest to find the flower needed for the cure.

The Caverns of Kotir

The Caverns of Kotir is a direct remake of Escape the Gloomer, a voice-controlled interactive fiction game.

Role: I reworked the narrative of the original game and rewrote the script (expanding it heavily) to completion. In doing so, I created original characters and plots that tie directly into and improve on the original game, as well as tie into the novel it is set during.

Story Premise: During the reign of the cruel wildcat Queen Tsarmina, otter Gillig descends into the system of caverns beneath Castle Kotir on a quest to retrieve a mysterious scroll that may end the queen’s reign.