As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m currently working as a writer and narrative designer on an upcoming video game called Shadows of Dawn, developed by Next Player Games. Well, here’s an update: As of today, the Shadows of Dawn Kickstarter campaign is live! Pledge to the Kickstarter to support the journey, and join the Discord to help shape the game!

In Shadows of Dawn, you wake up in an abandoned lab with no memory and a very opinionated robot companion named B.R.A.D.B.U.R.Y. as your only guide. How did you get there? Who are you? What happened to this lab? What will happen to you if you venture beyond the lab?

I’m afraid I can’t really answer those questions right now. That would be way too spoiler-y. But here’s the official description of the game, from the SoD Kickstarter page:

Welcome to Shadows of Dawn, an innovative sci-fi adventure that combines FPS action and survival gameplay with the open-exploration and customizability of an RPG. Shadows of Dawn isn’t just a game – it’s an epic saga where every choice you make echoes across the planet; where your decisions determine the fate of an entire realm. Will you seek to unify or take advantage of this world in chaos?

The page also includes the following quote from yours truly:

“Few indie studios today are as ambitious, or as capable, as Next Player Games. Their forward-thinking narrative vision appeals to gamers all over the world. Combined with a design-first development approach, this sets them apart. The folks at NPG are a team with the talent and experience to create something unforgettable.”

— Arie Kaplan, writer and narrative designer (LEGO Star Wars, Law & Order: Legacies)

Wow, I really have a way with words, don’t I? BTW, there’s a picture of yours truly at the bottom of the “Meet the Visionary Team Behind Shadows of Dawn” section on the Kickstarter page. I’ve pasted it here as well:

You hear that, Mom and Dad? I’m a Visionary!! The Kickstarter page said so! (And Kickstarter pages never lie!)

But aside from being an overall visionary, you may be wondering exactly what I do in my capacity as writer and narrative designer for Shadows of Dawn. Well, I write the story outlines, quest outlines, scripts, character dialogue, in-game fiction, and other writing deliverables for the game. While I’m doing all of that, I also write, update, and maintain the game’s story bible (a sprawling document chronicling the world of the game), often incorporating notes, edits, and ideas from the other members of the Narrative Team.

To find out more about Shadows of Dawn…

Check out the game’s Kickstarter page HERE.

And check out the Next Player Games site HERE.

You can explore the Next Player Games linktree HERE.

Here’s a story trailer for Shadows of Dawn. I wrote the script for it:

 

And here’s a teaser trailer for the game. I didn’t write the script for the teaser, but a while back, I put a very special list in the story bible. It was a list of themes that we should explore in Shadows of Dawn, narratively speaking. And the narration in this teaser trailer is based on that list:

 

Last but definitely not least, before you go, don’t forget…