CRIMSON CARDINAL
WORKING ON "CRIMSON CARDINAL"
AS CREATIVE LEAD, WRITER AND PRODUCER
SCRIPT WRITING, WORLD BUILDING, GAME DESIGN, PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
In 2015, I developed the story for Crimson Cardinal from start to finish, including world building and writing the extensive amount of dialogue options. While writing the story, I supported the development team as Creative Director and Producer. I saw a group of students, from all around the world, create something extraordinary. With a stunning visual style and gripping narrative, the game was a real adventure to make.
Thanks to Oulu Game Lab, the team got the opportunity to travel to conferences to promote the game and gather feedback from countless game industry professionals.
*The artwork on this page is created by Jussi Pylkäs, Niko-Petteri Niva, and Jenna Kamilä. Full credit goes out to these fantastic artists. It was a pleasure working together with them.
BORN IN OULU GAME LAB
The production of the game Crimson Cardinal went differently than your average project. It was created at Oulu game lab, in Oulu Finland. OGL is a game incubator, where students and industry veterans are teamed up to develop games, free from financial risk. Each team is granted an office space, essential equipment and most of all connected to team members from all around the world.
OGL works with an extremely iterative process during the first six months of production. With each pitch event, the amount of game projects are cut in half. Starting with 16 teams of two people each, and ending with three teams of roughly ten people.
OGL has been the starting point for many local game studios in Oulu, which are still running today. And each six months Oulu Game Lab launches another generation of future game developers.
CRIMSON CARDINAL
Story Summary
Crimson Cardinal is a point and click adventure with a strong noir aesthetic, taking place in a grim lakeside city. Leo Cardinal, a former detective for the Crimson Lake police force, is drawn back into his former life by a mysterious murder case. The path to answers takes everything from him, tearing open old wounds, from a past Leo hoped he left behind for good.
By investigating the different town districts and its inhabitants, including Leo himself, the player can discover the identity of the serial killer before it strikes again.
