Alien Arena
Alien Arena is a browser-based FPS with cryptocurrency integration, set in a futuristic universe where elite pilots — the Neo Gladiators — compete in intense arena battles aboard their personal starships.
I joined the project mid-development as a freelance consultant, taking on a broad scope of responsibilities: game design, narrative, UX, economy balancing, and documentation. The project had already pivoted from mobile to browser before my arrival, and my role was to help stabilize and shape the game through its remaining development phases.
Mid-development onboarding: Joining an active project without prior context meant quickly mapping existing systems, understanding the team's vision, and contributing meaningfully from day one — without a ramp-up period.
Scope across multiple disciplines: Simultaneously covering game design, narrative, UX, and economy balancing required constant context switching and clear prioritization of what would have the most impact at each stage.
Client-driven iteration: Requirements shifted frequently based on client decisions. This demanded a flexible documentation approach — being ready to rework or rebuild design artifacts on short notice.
I worked directly with the Product Owner and UI Artist. My responsibilities covered documentation, economy and combat balancing, UX logic for core flows, and narrative elements.
Despite the lean team structure, this close collaboration allowed for fast feedback loops and quick iteration — essential in a project where priorities could change between sessions.
World-building
Although narrative was secondary to mechanics in Alien Arena, I treated it as a foundation for player immersion. I developed the lore layer — naming factions and races, designing the weapon roster with thematic consistency, and establishing the tone of the game's universe.
This creative groundwork also fed directly into balance decisions: understanding what each faction "felt like" helped shape their stat profiles and in-game roles.
Economy & Platform Adaptation
One of my core tasks was re-balancing the game's economy and combat systems after the pivot from mobile to browser — and accounting for cryptocurrency as a transactional layer. Mobile-tuned economies behave differently when players interact through a browser with real monetary stakes, so the balancing required careful rethinking of pacing, reward loops, and progression curves.
UX & Store Flow
Working with the UI Artist, I mapped out the full logic of the in-game store — from entry point to purchase confirmation. The goal was to reduce friction: fewer taps, clearer visual hierarchy, and a flow that felt natural even for players unfamiliar with crypto transactions.
We iterated on screen layouts, navigation patterns, and the relationship between different store sections until the experience felt intuitive rather than transactional.
Adaptability: Entering mid-development sharpened my ability to get up to speed fast — reading existing systems, identifying gaps, and deciding where to focus without disrupting ongoing work.
Multi-role clarity: Covering several disciplines at once taught me how to separate concerns clearly in documentation, so that design decisions in one area didn't create confusion in another.
Iteration under pressure: Frequent client-driven changes reinforced the value of modular, easy-to-update documentation — and the mindset of treating each revision as refinement rather than failure.
