Hi! I'm Surya.
I'm a creative professional with over 5 years of experience in game design and development, drawn to projects that make the world a better place.
Projects
Humbugs
Level and Systems Designer
An innovative adventure game that celebrates the vibrant world of invertebrate life.
Upcoming Steam release from indie studio Gazehound Games. Join Eacus the ant herder on a journey across a lush miniature wetland, where insects act as megafauna to be battled or befriended.
Team Size: 6
Time Spent on Project: 1.5 years
What I worked on:
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Designed and prototyped our Pikmin-inspired game mechanics
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World and level design, environmental puzzles
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Planning and documentation
Sojourn Past
Design Consultant
An enchantingly beautiful pixel-art action-adventure filled with fast-paced bullet hell combat.
Upcoming Steam release from indie studio Redimension Games.
Winner of the India GDC Upcoming Game of the Year Award 2023.
Recipient of the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator investment program.
Team Size: 10
Time Spent on Project: 3 months
What I worked on:
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Rebalanced combat systems and player abilities based on feedback
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Designed 5 new levels with non-linear paths to reward exploration
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Established improved processes for playtesting and design documentation.
Mayu: Last of the Yaksha
Lead Game Designer and Developer
A mythology-inspired pixel-art adventure about a young demigod and his animal sidekicks.
Upcoming Steam release from indie studio Roach Interactive. Set in Ancient India amongst the Himalayan forests, Mayu tells a story about traditions, cultural change, and the conflict between Nature and Humanity.
Team Size: 6
Time Spent on Project: 2.5 years
What I worked on:
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Led design and development, establishing core gameplay.
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Managed a production team of 6 and handled project scope and quality decisions.
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Wrote narrative and dialogue.
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Created pitch material for publishers and handled community management and marketing.
An educational story-driven platformer about a teenage girl trapped in her own smartphone.
Developed for the Goethe-Institut India, in collaboration with the German Games Culture Foundation and Games Bavaria.
Intended for use in school classrooms, to bring more awareness to smartphone addiction and the responsible use of digital media.
Team Size: 4
Project Length: 3 months
Engine: Unity
What I worked on:
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Conceptualized and designed 3 app-themed levels, each with a unique mechanical twist.
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Contributed to gameplay programming and narrative design
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Playtested with the target audience of middle-school students, and used observations and feedback to improve the design
Home Screen Home
Game Designer and Developer
Conform
Game Designer and Developer
4.8
Rated on Google Play
180+
Reviews
Published by CapeTitans Games (Pvt. Ltd.)
A simple yet endlessly engaging puzzle-platformer for Android and iOS.
Nominated for the Student Game of the Year at the India GDC Awards, 2020.
What I worked on:
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Designed 3 player abilities and 50+ innovative puzzles
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Worked with our publisher to implement monetization and use analytics data to improve the difficulty curve.
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Contributed to gameplay and systems programming
Team Size: 2
Project Length: 9 months
Engine: Unity
Check it out on our store page!
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Jam Games
Short games made in 2-7 days for a variety of international jams and competitions.
Other Experience
Living in Bangalore, India, I’ve worked with indie studios around the world for over five years, specialising in gameplay design and rapid prototyping.
As a designer, I think of games as an artistic medium - one that can expose players to unfamiliar ideas and provoke new ways of thinking. I'm fascinated by the impact games have on our society and future, and am drawn to projects that aim to make the world a better place.
Causes that I am passionate about include improving the relationship between Humanity and Nature, and fostering empathy and recognition of cultural diversity. I believe that social impact games can (and should!) appeal to players as artistic, high quality, and incredibly fun.
When I'm not working, I love to play roguelikes and board games, write music, cook, and spend time in the wilderness.
More About Me
Gameplay Design
My primary skill, supported by a strong intuition for mechanics and systems as well as experience with rapid prototyping and iterative design principles.
Level Design
I've worked with level design in a variety of contexts, including platformers, top-down worlds, and 3D landscaped levels.
Unity Programming
Having shipped games as a Unity programmer as well as a designer, I like to get my hands dirty in-engine and work closely with code when needed. I'm skilled with designing code architecture and technical documentation as well.
Project Management
I've taken a leading role on multiple small indie teams, and gained experience with scope and team management, documentation, and iterative development.
Remote Teamwork
With most of my career spent with remote teams, I've developed consistent strategies to communicate and deliver results in a decentralized workspace, and connect on a personal level with colleagues from around the world.
Skills
I've worked with indie studios around the world to provide freelance game design and feature development solutions.
Some of the areas where I've won praise on client projects include:
- Gameplay design and rapid prototyping
- Level and world design
- System design and procedural generation
- Gameplay programming and system architecture in Unity
- End-to-end development of games and game-related applications
- Design and project management consultancy
"Surya went over and above to ensure the design he was recommending was well thought out and researched. He took time to incorporate rounds of feedback, was pleasant and super easy to work with."
Meet Sarvaiya
Senior Product Manager, Daedalus Labs
I take on contract work on request - if you have a project you'd like some help on, do reach out to me and I'd love to have a chat!
"Surya is self-motivated, self-directed, and highly detail-oriented with a creative spark. Our team especially benefited from his passion and comprehensive (yet accessible) documentation style"
James Lonnie Bowler
Founder and Creative Director, Gazehound Games
"Surya is professional, communicative, and attentive to detail. He worked really well with our team on developing and implementing our inventory system, and I'm looking forward to collaborating with him again."
Alessandro Sarritzu
Owner, Hitsu-San Design Services
Contract Work
Let's talk
Feel free to reach out to me anytime - ideas, work requests, or just a chat about your latest projects are all welcome :).
Shoot me an email at suryanaren@gmail.com, or get in touch with me through any of the sites below.
You can check out more of my games on:
