Mario Mergola
Game Designer -- Narrative, Systems, Data
Its'a me, Mario!
- Game and Narrative Designer (6+ Years with 7+ Projects with a shipped game)
- Lead Game Designer (11 Team Members)
- Lead Designer (15+ Years and $50M+ in Construction Projects)
- Experience with Unreal Engine 5, Unity, Godot, and Python (25,000+ Lines Written)
- Technical Background (Engineering Degree)
Game Design Portfolio -- Narrative, Systems, Data
Pandora: Chains of Chaos (Shipped) -- Narrative Designer, Game Designer, Content Designer
Feature: Designed mission structures, narrative systems, and character arcs for an open-world action-adventure game.
Benefit: Delivered a cohesive and immersive player experience through storytelling and gameplay.
Value: Enhanced player engagement and emotional connection to the story, contributing to the game's success.
Rationale: Balancing narrative pacing with gameplay allowed players to stay engaged at all times.
Implementation: Worked with Programming and Level Design to align narrative and mechanics for use in Unreal Engine.
Collaboration with Team Impact: Partnered with Creative Director to set and maintain vision, themes, and documentation.
Mass Effect 2: Mission Logic Recreation (Portfolio Piece) -- Game Designer, Narrative Designer, Programmer
Feature: Recreated the logic of the iconic Mass Effect 2 final mission using Articy Draft 3 and Unreal Engine 5.
Benefit: Delivered a playable simulation that highlights how player decisions impact outcomes and character survival.
Value: Showcased problem-solving, game design, narrative integration, and scripting skills.
Rationale: Navigating multiple programs to create an emotionally engaging experience is reflective of in-engine design work.
Implementation: Scripted functions in UE 5 to overcome Articy's limitations, including randomization and dynamic conditions.
Collaboration with Team Impact: Crafted workflows to allow narrative logic and gameplay systems to function seamlessly.
The Tūn-Gāst of Oakshaw (In Progress) -- Lead Game Designer
Feature: Led a team of 11 designers to develop systems, mechanics, and levels for Small Loan Studio’s most ambitious game.
Benefit: Fostered team and skill growth while delivering high-quality gameplay systems.
Value: Improved collaboration and alignment across teams, resulting in a cohesive player-centered experience.
Rationale: Investing in mentorship ensured sustainable team growth and alignment with the project’s creative and technical goals.
Implementation: Performed live-stream design sessions and iterative feedback reviews to refine mechanics and systems.
Collaboration with Team Impact: Shared prototypes through GitHub, conducted multidisciplinary meetings to improve workflows.
Ascend (In Progress) -- Narrative Designer, Game Designer, Content Designer
Feature: Worldbuilding, mission and puzzle design, character backgrounds, and narrative progression.
Benefit: Delivered a seamless gameplay experience where puzzles reinforced the story and player immersion.
Value: Streamlined production timelines by providing concise documentation and clear design goals.
Rationale: Ensuring puzzles aligned with the narrative allowed both mechanics and story to resonate with players.
Implementation: Collaborated with Creative Director to prototype puzzles combining theme with mechanics.
Collaboration with Team Impact: Supported all departments by providing detailed asset needs.
Writing Sample -- Narrative Designer and Game Writer
This cutscene sample would play at the start of a mission in a Mafia/Payday-style open-world crime simulation game. The playable character is Rafael and the player has been briefed about the particulars of the mission, including the presence of glass-break sensors.This scene underwent three iterations based on feedback from professional narrative designers.