CHRISTINA "PHAZERO" CURLEE Game Designer
  • Overview
  • Game Design
    • Ratchet And Clank: Rift Apart >
      • Glitch Segments
      • Glitch Design
      • Ardolis
    • Level Design Thesis
    • Behind The Scenes
  • Personal Work
    • Game Design...The Game(?)
    • Artifacts II
    • Effigy
    • Breathe
    • Final Flight
    • Artifacts
  • Shows
    • Eyeo Festival
    • Regression Lounge
  • About Me
  • Press
  • Resume
    • Resume
I am a game designer with 4 1/2 years of AAA industry experience and 9 years of experience overall in games. I have a passion for creating emotionally-impactful, narrative-driven game-play that puts player experience as the #1 priority.

Throughout my career, I have worked on a variety of projects ranging from small indie Art games to large-scale AAA titles. I specialize in mission design, level design, and experiential design, and I am proficient in various game engines such as Unity, Unreal, and learning proprietary engines quickly. My last shipped title, was the critically acclaimed Ratchet And Clank, Rift Apart.

I am always striving to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the industry, attending conferences (with a mask :p), listening to podcasts, playing games(!), and collaborating with fellow designers. I believe that being a lifetime student open to learning and experimentation is essential to creating truly innovative and captivating games.

Above all, my goal as a game designer is to create games that resonate with players on a deep level and leave a lasting impact on their lives. I am dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the industry, and I look forward to continuing to create unforgettable gaming experiences for players around the world. At my current company, Insomniac, I am described as a "creative force" that can spin up ideas and execute them quickly while working well and thriving with a team.

Currently, I am a mission designer for Spider-man 2 and Wolverine, respectively.


AAA Development

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart - Insomniac Games

Game Designer - Generalist
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Wolverine - Insomniac Games (Unreleased)

Game Designer - Generalist

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Spider-man 2 - Insomniac Games (Unreleased)

Game Designer - Generalist

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Independent Work


"Game Design...The Game(?)"

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First-Person Narrative Puzzle Adventure

Game Design...The Game(?) is a game about the steps of game and level design. It's puzzles are designed to tell the story of game development through the game play.
Role: Game designer (sole developer)
Team size: 1
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 4, Maya
Development Time: 6 weeks
Gameplay Duration: 45 min - 1 hr


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Highlights:
  • Narrative supported by game play and game play supported by narrative
  • Designed 4 complex puzzles and many minor puzzles
  • Dynamic dialogue that triggers blueprints scripted game-play events
  • Mission Pacing: designed to temper frustration with reward
  • Levels built around denial and reward
  • Satisfying surprise ending

Artifacts II

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First-Person Narrative

Artifacts II is a surreal narrative game about personal discovery and trauma.
Role: Game designer (sole developer)
Team size: 1
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 4, 3DS Max, Substance Painter, Zbrush
Development Time: 9 Months
Gameplay Duration: 30 min - 45 min


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Highlights:
  • Multi-award winning game (Indiecade, SAAM, IGDA...)
  • Original genre-defying game design, combination of RPG, walking sim, horror, and survival
  • Emotional storytelling through game play
  • Compelling, imaginative environments and level design

REAL Immersive System VR

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Medical VR

Role: Game designer and Level Designer
Team size: 20
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 4, Maya, Word, Photoshop, Illustrator
Development time: 3 Months (my portions of the project)


Highlights:
  • Designed, pitched, and created level that introduced players to the game's world
  • Created design tools for artists, animators, and designers in UE4
  • Wrote, distributed, and archived extensive design documentation
  • Playtested in hospital setting and recorded notes for sharing with team
  • Built friendly, motion responsive AI
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Tool Doc
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Design Research Doc
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Level Pitch Doc

Platformer Level Design Study

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Third-Person Traversal/Platformer

Level design study focused on fast paced exciting traversal, scenic overlooks, and scripted action.
Role: Level Designer
Team size:
1
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 4, Maya
Development Time: 1 week
Gameplay Duration: 15 min


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Highlights:
  • Expressive, imaginative blockmesh
  • Fast-paced, thrilling, combat level that ends in boss battle
  • 6 scripted action areas
  • Pacing controlled with points of interests, vistas, and combat

Effigy

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First-Person Narrative Puzzle Horror

Effigy is a walking sim horror game about burning memories.
Role: Game Designer and Sole Developer
Team size: 1
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 4, Maya, Substance Painter
Development Time: 3 weeks
Gameplay Duration: 15 - 30min


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Highlights:
  • Narrative driven game with tight, frequent scripting
  • Pacing that balances unease and fear with the drive to explore
  • Use of complex interfaces and game mode to drive scripted events and game-play interactions
  • Implemented and customized inventory system asset
  • Performed rapid prototyping combined with frequent play-testing in a tight feedback loop for final resulting game

Copyright © 2020
  • Overview
  • Game Design
    • Ratchet And Clank: Rift Apart >
      • Glitch Segments
      • Glitch Design
      • Ardolis
    • Level Design Thesis
    • Behind The Scenes
  • Personal Work
    • Game Design...The Game(?)
    • Artifacts II
    • Effigy
    • Breathe
    • Final Flight
    • Artifacts
  • Shows
    • Eyeo Festival
    • Regression Lounge
  • About Me
  • Press
  • Resume
    • Resume