Agenda

This session shares the development journey of Aelwater, a narrative-driven exploration game, created by a two-person team over six months to reach a playable demo and early vertical slice. The speaker presents the practical tools, workflows, and decision-making frameworks that enabled rapid, playable-first development within tight time and scope constraints. The talk explores how those constraints shaped key design choices—from the game's memory-driven narrative about grief and acceptance to the symbolic glyph puzzle mechanics that reinforce themes of memory, loss, and reflection. It also examines a narrative-first production approach, where gameplay systems, exploration structure, and puzzle design were built to support emotional pacing and environmental storytelling. Through concrete examples of implementation in Unreal Engine, including modular narrative systems, data-driven localization pipelines, and rapid iteration practices, the session highlights how a very small team can build a cohesive narrative experience efficiently.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain a practical framework for rapid indie game development, including scope management techniques, narrative-driven design workflows, and prioritization strategies that enabled a playable demo and early vertical slice within six months. The session highlights replicable workflows for balancing creative vision with production constraints while building a cohesive narrative experience with a very small team.

Intended Audience

This session targets solo developers, small indie teams, and producers interested in efficient game development processes. It particularly benefits developers working with limited time or resources who need practical strategies for shipping complete games.