Welcome to my arcade!
Click a game to learn more about what I did!
*game thumbnails by Vince Weiss
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Buddy simulator 1984 (2021)
GALLERY
Primary responsibilities:
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Established a cohesive evolution of game styles from pixelated 2D to 3D using Aseprite, Photoshop, and Maya that correlates strongly with our game’s unique storytelling
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Created expressive sprites using Aseprite for over 250 different in-game assets that are simple, iconic, and appealing to the audience in a cute way, despite the game’s dark overtones
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Directed and crafted memorable animations for over 60 Characters, including directional movement animations, dialogue, combat, and extra touches for flair
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Modeled a 3D house in Maya exterior and rigged character for the game’s ending using a model-replacement framework similar to the one used in Crash Bandicoot
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Developed 13 fleshed-out and expressive character portraits expanding on the game’s pixelated designs and utilized for Steam Trading Card art as well as promotional art
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Conducted a combination of 80+ internal and external playtests and compiled an organized bug report for our programmer consisting of 1600+ findings
SUMMARY
Buddy Simulator 1984 tells the story of an obsessive computer AI that is programmed to be your best friend. This horror game constantly evolves as you play it. From a text adventure to eventually a messy 3D hellscape, the game’s visual style “improves” the further you progress as well as the level of attachment from your best buddy. The game’s unique storytelling paired with memorable visuals has strongly resonated with fans, leading to a 94% Very Positive score on Steam with over 130,000 downloads across all platforms.
APPROACH
My approach to design with this game was to share a story deeply personal that explores unhealthy friendships and insecurities. With the characters I designed, I wanted them to be simple, yet memorable, with my favorite being a bunny-like creature named Bean (who is now a marketable plushie), who is an adorable, yet irresponsible father. This project is my first fully completed release for purchase, and I’m really proud to have worked with such an amazing team of friends to make it happen.
TRAILER
Secondary responsibilities:
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Collaborated and interacted with content creators to promote a strong company image and spread awareness to our project
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Provided continued customer support on Steam to help answer any questions or bug reports our players might have come across
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Designed a turnaround sheet for a physical plushie of a fan-favorite character, Bean!
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Contributed to engaging community events for our company’s Discord server such as contests, game nights, and Q&A’s
BENEATH THE FROST
(2025)
GALLERY
Primary responsibilities:
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3D Modeled, rigged, and animated a robot main character using Maya and collaborated by utilizing procedural Unity animations
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Animated 4 engaging first-person animated cutscenes, including a theatrical and action-packed introduction to the game
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Modified the game’s lighting, post-processing, and particle effects to coincide with the game’s Unity shaders, as well as assisting in assembling the ship’s interior design
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Rigged and remixed several external assets using Maya and Substance Painter to fit our game’s style
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Created and occasionally animated 60+ sprites using Aseprite for several “cutaway games” utilized in Beneath the Frost, ensuring that the game had an extra unique touch to it
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Prototyped several pieces of concept art in Photoshop, establishing a strong sense of style, color palette, and interesting sci-fi elements
SUMMARY
Beneath the Frost is a horror game that tells the chilling tale of a crashed spacecraft, and a determined survivor, Corvus, desperately trying to obtain the proper components to send a distress signal for his rescue. He must use his robot companion to explore the wreckage and uncover hidden meanings behind his situation while also keeping an unknown threat out of his ship.
APPROACH
This game is my first primarily 3D title, which was a very fun challenge for me and the team, and I especially loved working with first-person animations. However, despite the game primarily being in 3D, I also wanted to add a fun touch to the game through spritework which is explored through cutaway events and an obtainable Gameboy. Beneath the Frost is set to release in 2025, with a majority of my work almost completed and will be Not a Sailor’s second official paid release title.
TRAILER
Secondary responsibilities:
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Compiled and organized external assets, making sure to stick with a core design plan and remain in scope
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Proofed the game’s story, offering revisions and clarity to ensure the game’s vision was properly captured
Mulligan [CONCEPT]
(2023)
GALLERY
Primary responsibilities:
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Directed and conceptualized the game’s rugged, yet endearing visual style, ensuring that it was both eye-catching, and practical to work with
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Created 3 captivating, puppeted characters from the ground-up using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Unity’s animation and rigging pipeline
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Modeled and UV-Mapped over 60 stylized 3D environment assets ranging from architecture, vehicles, nature, and furniture, using Maya and working closely in Unity to assist in implementing the assets
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Textured 10 of the models using Substance Painter using my drawing tablet to create an authentic “brush stroke” feel
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Prototyped a series of conceptual images using Photoshop to showcase the game’s colorful, yet disturbing art style that I envisioned
Secondary responsibilities:
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Created 2 fully modeled and animated shots for a promotional game trailer, using Illustrator, Photoshop, Maya and the Unity Animation pipeline
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Assisted in compiling and proofing a cohesive GDD, complete with conceptual and promotional artwork to give ourselves a strong foundation to work off of
SUMMARY
Mulligan is a multiplayer stealth horror that explores the afterlife of “Zeroes,” people who were neither good nor bad, and pushes them to their mental and physical limits as they fight for survival from brutal monsters. With nothing but a car and whatever they can scavenge, they must continue to endlessly explore haunting recreations of key moments in their lives, along with the people they’ve hurt along the way.
APPROACH
Due to an unfortunately large scope, this project had to be cancelled to focus on something smaller, but I am still so incredibly proud of the work that the team and I created for this title. I absolutely loved working on the characters, 3D models, concept art, and puppeted animations, having complete creative control to mold the style into what it started to become. The game has a very unique “sketchy” style to it which is even reflected in the 3D models that I helped develop. Despite how it came to an unfortunate close, some of my proudest work came from this project.
TRAILER
Ram & Oodles
(2022)
GALLERY
Primary responsibilities:
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Developed a series of concept art sketches that showcased the game’s playful style and feel
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Created a series of 7 eye-popping characters, along with simple animations
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Collaborated on the game’s main background, and established a blueprint to work off of, passing the file back and forth
Secondary responsibilities:
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Hosted a Game jam which included this game as well as 4 other games from members of our company’s dedicated community
SUMMARY
Blast! The world is being overrun by overgrown bugs! It’s up to Ram and Oodles of the Ramen Noodles shop to work together and use their brains AND their broth to save the day in this endless roguelike bullet hell title. Shoot, upgrade, and dodge a series of 5 unique bugs and their unique properties… some more explosive than others…
APPROACH
This game was made in 48 hours during a second game Jam hosted by Not a Sailor Studios which encouraged participation from our amazing community. My responsibilities might have been rushed, but I’m really proud of the work that came out of this game and shows just how great work can come from a concept so simple in such a short amount of time!
a game about literally doing your taxeS (2019)
GALLERY
Primary responsibilities:
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Prototyped a cohesive layout that showcased how the gameplay would look
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Created 2 stylized backgrounds in Photoshop
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Illustrated in Photoshop to design and render the pair of arms and several of the interactable documents
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Worked alongside our Unity programmer to ensure the game’s animations met a set standard
Secondary responsibilities:
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Established a Game Studio Partnership LLC with three other friends and educated myself on proper business practices
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Followed download analytics and kept up with content creator trends, discovering correlations between views and downloads/sales
SUMMARY
A Game About Literally Doing Your Taxes is much more than a game about literally doing your taxes. What starts as a chipper and quirky tax sorting game (made by college students who didn’t yet have a grasp on how taxes worked), slowly devolves into a psychological horror-filled nightmare. Do you have what it takes to… sort paperwork?
APPROACH
A Game About Literally Doing Your Taxes came to me in a dream prior to the 48 hour game jam that paved the way to me and my friends starting an LLC together. The original concept was supposed to be a multiplayer competitive tax sorting game, but turned into a short, memorable, psychological horror that eventually became the flavor of our company. With the game’s unexpected success, we were able to cultivate a following and nurture Buddy Simulator 1984 for its eventual release. This project was a blast to work on, especially with such talented friends, and taught me a lot about the process of creating game-ready assets, as well as following metrics and gameplay trends.