https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co 2026-03-09 daily 1.0 https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image01.jpg Write Me An E-Mail ! https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery05/959a634d.jpg "The Growth" (2024) https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery05/29bd9198.jpg "Boo-Boo" (2026) https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery05/b7de98fa.jpg "In Stars and Silence" (2025) https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image06.jpg Fairview Slipstream: A Lynchian JRPG. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery02/bb59c27a.jpg Jess is basically Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward mixed with the Log Lady. Jane is basically Dana Scully if she'd been played by Patti Harrison. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery02/2f6fec02.gif I utilized David Lynch's method of literally following my dreams to conceive of the game's story, as a way to honor him and his work. This was one of the first visions I had. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery02/1a231ff9.jpg Working with the pixel artists to help them understand not just the looks, but the personalities and histories of these characters was a true delight. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery02/4cb1d3cd.jpg I used the narrative design tool Arcweave to plot out the three-act structure and major story beats of the game. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image04.jpg DracOS™: A Horror Text Adventure with a Twist https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery03/9145dca3.jpg Because the themes were insidiousness and the occult, I planted so many little clues and symbols throughout the game. I spent far too long on the opening splash text, of course. But that stuff brings me joy. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery03/58e1400e.jpg We didn't follow the brief closely enough, but I am still proud how retro this vintage browser window mechanic looks and feels. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery03/1646b7d4.jpg Inscryption inspired me to bring this text (2D) adventure back out into a three-dimensional flat in London so that the player character is actually playing a different game, and it's the method by which Dracula is cursing them and usurping their body. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery03/b833d0a4.jpg The maps I conceived for the various areas of Sighișoara (Transylvania) were inspired by the maps from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. I loved how that game allowed branching paths, as we explored here. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image05.jpg The Growth: A Sci-Fi Metroidvania. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery04/51be5c05.jpg I came up with the concept of a daughter using her smarts and tenacity to save her mother from cancer. This created emotional stakes and a strong goal, and the mechanic to meet the GMTK game jam theme of "Scale" by having our player character shrink and ex https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery04/f443f69a.jpg An excellent opportunity to practice Narrative Design came when I had the team hooked on my idea to balance the gameplay by imbuing our protagonist with different stats when she's big versus small. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery04/4f9f51bf.jpg It was thrilling and humbling to see my name side-by-side with so many other devs. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery04/5d4b1e16.jpg I used my background in Graphic Design to do some Art Direction on the project and seeing the pixel artist and illustrator bring my ideas to life was very satisfying. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image02.jpg ILLUMINATIONAL DEBT: An Eldritch RPG https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery01/5bd704f2.jpg This game ended up being very queer not on purpose as a goal, but that's just part of who I am and the way I experienced my playthrough of Haven by The Game Bakers. Fran and Younah were really fun to write. https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery01/f46ed46e.jpg In retrospect, I'm very proud of creating such a strong story with only three characters (not really considering the Eldritch Horrors characters because they didn't have dialogue. Sorry, R'han Tegoth! https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery01/ccaf8684.jpg There ended up being some dialogue and UI text written by Isabel because not everything made sense immediately in playthroughs. While the shiny, flowery dialogue and set pieces excited my ego, this taught me the lesson that THAT is where the game writing r https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/gallery01/1501a654.jpg It was my idea to turn this into more of an Adventure RPG a Chrono Trigger with the active mechanic of the Lantern helping us meet the brief of "Light in the Dark" for the game jam theme. We mused on what Eldritch horror means, and a big piece is that it's https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image03.jpg The Lenses of Game Design: Balancing Imagination with Elegance with J. Isaac Gadient https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image08.jpg David Lynch x RPG Maker? "Fairview Slipstream" by Indie Game Clinic on YouTube https://jisaacgadient.carrd.co/assets/images/image07.jpg J. Isaac Gadient - Headshot