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The Monkey Paw
Horror
Role: Lead Game Designer
Engine: Unity
Platform(s): PC (Windows)
Development Time: 4 months
Genre(s): Prototype(s) – Horror, Decision Based Outcomes, Short Story
Mode(s): Single-Player
Release: December 2022
Theme and Setting
The Monkey Paw is a single-player, narrative-driven horror game developed in Unity for PC. Inspired by the classic short story by W.W. Jacobs, the game explores the chilling consequences of tampering with fate through a cursed artifact that grants three wishes—with devastating results. Designed as a playable short story prototype, the experience is compact, emotionally intense, and morally complex.
“Three wishes. One paw. Endless regret.”
Players are handed power over fate in the form of a monkey’s paw—but every desire comes with a cost. As the story unfolds, each choice drags the player deeper into supernatural dread, emotional grief, and irreversible consequence.
Core Gameplay
Choice-Driven Narrative: Dialogue and actions shape the story’s outcome.
Exploration: Investigate a haunted household rich with history and mystery.
Moral Dilemmas: Choose to use or resist the paw’s power. Each wish reshapes the world—with consequences.
Psychological Horror: Tension builds through silence, suggestion, and sorrow rather than jumpscares.
Conceptual Development:
Led the ideation and thematic foundation of the game, establishing its focus on dark desires, consequence, and moral ambiguity.
Chose and adapted the short story The Monkey's Paw into a branching interactive narrative, translating a linear literary work into a replayable, choice-driven experience.
Defined the core emotional tone (regret, dread, unease) and horror elements, emphasizing psychological over visual horror.
Gameplay Systems Design:
Developed a voice command mechanic (via Resemble.ai integration) to allow speech-based decision-making, improving immersion and accessibility.
Led implementation of non-linear progression, choice consequence systems, and scene transitions based on wish paths.
Designed interactive elements like chess gameplay, dialogue gating, and scene-specific outcomes for replay value.
User Experience & Onboarding:
Designed tutorial flow and scene-based onboarding (e.g., chess match as metaphor/introduction).
Balanced player guidance vs. freedom, ensuring choices are meaningful but never overwhelming.
Artistic Direction & Environment Design:
Directed the Victorian-era setting, guiding asset selection to match the thematic tone (e.g., environment, furniture, props).
Curated asset libraries and managed art team contributions, including characters and interiors from the Unity Asset Store.
Collaboration & Management:
Led a multidisciplinary team:
Managed a narrative designer, developer, and animator.
Coordinated story integration, art alignment, and QA/testing phases.
Used Miro and Box Drive for project organization and milestone tracking
Quality Assurance:
Conducted playtesting and iteration based on narrative pacing, emotional beats, and technical flow.
Adjusted dialogue flow, scene logic, and wish consequences based on player feedback to ensure engagement and emotional payoff.