joe frye
Portfolio Contents
Portfolio showcasing some of my work in games, comics, and prose. Use the portfolio contents section here to navigate this page quickly.
Cinematics
Animated shorts, motion graphics, and in-game cinematics.
GRENDEL Animated Short
This trailer introduces GRENDEL, the seventh playable character in Airship Syndicate's ARPG Wayfinder.
Created in collaboration with 5 Count Productions, I worked alongside one other writer and the project's creative director to outline and finalize the trailer's script as the talented animation team completed the storyboarding process and moved onto initial illustration and animation. Because Grendel, a rage-fueled berserker, is a man of action over words, the team worked toward a creative vision that showcased the fear this unstoppable brute instilled in his enemies, while limiting his own presence until the climatic moments.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and The Legend of Korra) and Barry J. Kelly (Star Trek: Lower Decks, Venture Bros), this explosive short by 5 Count Productions, illustrates why it's best to stay on Grendel's good side.
RAVEN REVEALED Mograph
This motion graphic marks the half-way point of Wayfinder's Crucible questline as the story's final antagonist, Teryssa the Silence, reveals herself in an effort to coerce you into aiding her against a common foe.
This cinematic provided a particular challenge as studio priority shifts forced substantial changes to the entire questline's narrative. Because the art for the cinematic was already nearly finished, I was tasked with writing new dialogue that fit the overhauled storyline while still using the existing illustrations to ensure timely VO recording and completion of the project.
In addition to writing the dialogue, as I was also the Narrative, VO, and Localization producer for the project, I shepherded its production from pitch to delivery, including organization of the various artists, voice talent, and subtitling in twelve languages.
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Layouts by Ludo Lullabi, illustration by Mooncolony, and animation by Powerhouse Animation.
Quest Content
Questlines from Airship Syndicate's ARPG Wayfinder showcasing longer form story content.
Despair and Hope Questline
Despair and Hope is the capstone to the first three chapters of Wayfinder's story. Comprising of two climatic quests, Omen and the player character finally return to the site of their great failure in the game's introduction to destroy the Precursor and save their city, once and for all.
Written as part of the Wayfinder Echoes update, this questline, at the time of its writing, was intended to serve as a quick end to the game's narrative because of shifting studio priorities. This provided a particular challenge as limited resources and a short timeline meant coming up with a satisfying ending to a story that had initially been planned to continue for many years to come.
Rather than attempt to tie up every loose end, I instead turned to the most prominent character in the story (sans the player), Omen, who served as the Wayfinder's mentor and primary point of contact. By shifting the final moments to focus on her emotional journey and resolve the guilt and anger she'd felt since the story's onset at her inability to save those close to her, I believe we were able to end the questline in a way that emotionally resonated with the players, and paved a strong road for any content that might've come after.
To accomplish this I worked alongside a talented team of artists and designers to tightly weave story and gameplay together for an epic final encounter, culminating in the cinematic featured at the end of the storyline, where Omen vanquishes the Precursor and relights the Beacon.
The Crucible Questline
The Crucible is the final area of Wayfinder and the quests here are the actual culmination of the game's story. In collaboration with a talented team of narrative designers who worked passionately to bring these last moments in Evenor to life, I wrote every quest featured in this final region. The video above features the main storyline specifically.
Similarly to the Despair and Hope questline above, I felt the best approach to this capstone story was to focus on the characters at its heart. In this case, the game's final antagonist, Teryssa the Silence, working to save her people from a dark fate, and the quick witted smuggler Kestrel, out to avenge those Teryssa took from her. Though the external stakes of the story's ending very literally become to stop the end of the world, I sought to use the character conflict between Kestrel and Teryssa to provide a strong and personal driving force to the game's finale.
Wayfinder Memories
Wayfinders are echoes of fallen heroes reborn within the Gloom. When they return, they carry only fragments of their former selves. Within Wayfinder, the player may discover their character's lost memories, featured as small vignettes showcasing visual echoes of the past.
Being a rare opportunity to write content completely centered on the game's eclectic cast of playable characters, I tried to envision the moments most crucial to forging the damaged heroes they each became (within the scope of our resources), writing dialogue that championed each Wayfinder's unique voice.
Branching Storytelling
Writing and narrative design for branching and non-linear stories in games.
Project Dust
Project Dust is a dark sci-fi cRPG/ARPG with a focus on branching narrative choices and a deep faction system.
Featured here is a short section of gameplay where the player can choose between a multitude of outcomes when interacting with an NPC they've encountered. Having shepherded this portion of the project from ideation to completion (see Script & Prose section for a look at the pitch doc for the larger sequence this encounter takes place in), I was responsible for all narrative aspects involved, including:
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Initial pitch doc for the larger regional story, factions, and narrative outline.
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Writing the script for all dialogue and encounters; implementing the dialogue via the studio's propriety dialogue system.
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Entirety of the project's narrative design, including scripting the branching narrative via visual scripting (UE5 blueprints).
Below, I've broken down this encounter's narrative design.
Character Barks
One-liners and banter spoken by NPCs when walking into their proximity, eavesdropping on them, or various other triggers.
Kestrel
The Smuggler
"So, how lucrative is Wayfinding exactly...? We talking six, seven figures?"
"Of all the people to leave... why'd it have to be you..."
The Huntmaster
"Blood on the wind. It is nearly time."
"Before the Fall, it was my kin who were called monsters. We have not forgotten."
Venge
The Scavenger
"Those Geartooth are all murder and no fun. Giving goblinkind a bad name! Who murders without fun? Honestly."
"Ignore any bloodstains. My scavengers just got back from a run in the Highlands and we haven't had time to spray off the inventory! Heh."
The Engineer
"You are newly returned, yes? You may find my appearance unsettling. But trust me; no one knows more about the interaction of magic and metal than I."
"Do you hear the singing? Arcane energies converge upon my workshop."
Magan
Former Archon
"Some mourn the Imperium's fall. I mourn the people."
"Every day we wear a mask, the person beneath bleeds, Ven."
Ruby
"Let's see... Fourteen steel beams... Three-hundred bricks... Black paint... Black paint? Seems a bit dreary, no?"
"Back in the Maze, construction was never as straightforward as it is here. My first job I had to build a lodging while suspended over a chasm. Wasn't too bad until the constructs started shooting."
The Foreman
Corbin
The Chronicler
"Another Wayfinder emerges from the Gloom. (sighs) Where is my log? It seems I will have to make yet another entry."
"In the event of your death, the Archives will not waive any outstanding book fees."
Wolf
"When I was first stationed here, the army told me I was being shipped out to the greatest city in the West. ‘Course, that was before it was the ONLY city in the West…"
"I still dream about the day they came. The sharp scent of Eldren magic mixed into the smoke. The darkness spreading. I passed a girl in the street left impaled on a sign post. She was far too young..."
The Commander
Ranger Davyn
"Lots of gorgeous critters in these hills. Wish you could have seen it, kiddo..."
"What'd you say, Silo? Shooting contest. You and me."
Warden Hass
"I hope you're not the type to want for medals. Something tells me we can't spare that much tin."
"Ahem. Is... your weapon supposed to be glowing like that?"
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The First Scribe
"Deconstructing, reassembling. Chaos and Order. (Laughs) How my blood boils watching you work! Go—bring violence to the unraveled heart of this place!"
"So hostile. I'm merely curious, dear. These so called 'arcanists' are little more than children playing at the primordial elements."
Shrike Enemies (Various)
"It's always kill this, steal that. (sigh) How many caravans does a guy gotta raid before he gets a cushy job for once?"
"Why does she call herself the Raven? Should I get a moniker...? The... Blood... Hound. The... Highlands... Bandit. Hrm. Needs work."
The Shrike Syndicate
"You ever notice how these Wayfinders move? How am I supposed to hit them while they're dashing around like that!?"
"Where's that machinist!? Damned catalyst keeps jamming."
Flavor Text
Snippets of lore to accompany in-game weapons, armor, items, etc.
Wayfinder | Weapon Lore
Flavor text for Wayfinder, be it for weapons, accessories, etc., was always completed near the end of the production pipeline. Therefore I took existing visual concepts from art and weapon abilities from design, elevating them with text that ensured they both fit in the world of Evenor and expanded on the game's world building goals.
Bloodsong
Greatscythe
All those who hear the Bloodsong are called to quench its thirst. To deny the sanguine song, is to be consumed in turn.
Queen's Pyre
Greatscythe
For her triumphs they named the orphaned Varya, The Morning Flame. For her madness they erected a pyre—a final gambit to end her reign.
Portent
Greatsword
The Father of Swords foresaw a dark fate written in the night sky. He forged his children a Portent so that they might cleave their ties to the coming end.
Covetous
Shotgun
Covetous are those who walk the gilded path.
Draken Maw
Breaker
The Draken Maw knew many masters, but it was the mercenary Grendel who assured its infamy, filling its alchemical valves with volatile dragonkin blood.
God Bleeder
Dual Daggers
In his final days of captivity, the Rook engineered a menagerie of deadly weapons for the Raven and her Shrikes. They were not enough to earn his life.
Kamifuda | Card Lore
Kamifuda was an indie deck builder and visual novel. Think Persona meets Yu-Gi-Oh in an academy plagued by lovecraftian nightmares. Flavor text for the cards in Kamifuda had to serve a few purposes. Preferably more than one at a time.
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Expand the lore related to whichever of the nine schools of eldritch magic the card belonged to.
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Build on the larger world building and characters featured in the main story.
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Build or comment on that particular card's effect or abilities.
Arcane Explosion
“Oh, and don’t touch that silver box in the library. I’m still unsure if it’s a curio or an eldritch bomb.” – Shara Aenfel
Eldritch Gate
“Dost thou hear them? Scratching at the door?” – Ralo Orthead
Chromatic Bolt
Named once the sorcery of a thousand colors. The Chromatic Bolt fell into vogue after its use in the culling of the Astral Spire.
Fireball
Tried and true.
Inner Peace
“Breathe now. Your pain can wait.” – Telfyre, Seeker of Verity
Parasite
“I do wonder sometimes. Are they the parasites or we?” – Richard T. Yharam, Hand of the Host
Magic Missiles
The foremost spell in the Hand of the Host’s arsenal. Simple yet deadly.
They Who Devour
“Has anyone seen my horse about? Admittedly, he is not actually a horse, but an eldritch construct. He may or may not desire the incineration of the other students.” – Shara Aenfel
The Enchanter
The Pale Host’s first enforcers were known as Enchanter Knights. The order was disbanded in the late 18th century after the majority of its ranks disappeared investigating reported sightings of a ghost ship in the Black Sea.
Unsettling Descent
“Do you see it? A light beneath the lake?” – Mira Orthead
Charge
“Well, of course. Zeus was a pact-sworn, you know.” – Shara Aenfel
Warding
A prototype of Aenfel’s earliest wards. Even long dead, the eldritch energies yearn to protect their late master.
Blood Rites
Common practice of Sacromancy has been heavily restricted for nearly two centuries. The official justification within The Pale Host’s records are only the words: “Clovencall Village.”
Forethought
The Pale Host employs a division of diviners called Augurs of Ruin. Their sole duty is to divine any prospect futures which might spell the Host’s end.
Oblivion
“So help me, Mathias, if you ask me to marry you one more time, I will not rest until I have invented and then subsequently inflicted upon you a ritual with the sole purpose of casting your soul into oblivion.” – Shara Aenfel
Otherworldly Seed
Mira Orthead, daughter of Ralo, was the first to institute the Theory of Mortal Seeds. While today our understanding of the eldritch wills has become somewhat agnostic, there are still many who revere her teachings.
Labyrinthine Curse
The histories note worshipers of The Famished One favored labyrinthian temples. A trial intended to strand heretics in the gluttonous dark.
Lifeleech
“I take. You wither.” – Nessa Reed
Planar Block
Rumors told that Ralo Orthead feared the coming of The Pale Star above all. In his twilight years, it is said he founded The Institute of Verity for the sole purpose of developing methods to seal rifts between our world and the eldritch.
Eldritch Roots
“…but I’ve no evidence for my theory. All I can offer is a few parting words. The dead do not kill. What then should we make of The Vacuous Tree, which has taken so many?” – Isla Macallister, Seeker of Verity
The Seventh Plague
None survived The Seventh Sun’s awakening.
The Ninth Plague
Several accounts from the 7th century name the moon as a capricious Lord. Luckily for us, it seems to have fallen into slumber.
Thought Clasp
“…still I wonder why it has not been outlawed. Nearly fifty-three percent of those imprisoned within The Pale Gardens were former practitioners of Eldrmancy. Hardly seems a coincidence.” – Richard T. Yharam, Hand of the Host
Web
“Do I still fear spiders? Young lad, I’ll have you know I’ve stared into the abyss itself… Of course I still fear spiders! They’ve too many legs!” – Shara Aenfel
Script & Prose Excerpts
Excerpts of scripts, prose, and poetry from various projects.