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SHAMAN'S OATH: SHADOWS OF THE DIVINE

In Shaman's Oath: Shadows of the Divine, you play Tariq, an Amazonian shaman battling ancient gods in a psychedelic jungle, wielding visceral combat and facing emotional dilemmas.

Project info

  • Genres: Hack 'n slash

  • Project duration: March 2024 – December 2024 (10 months)

  • Team size: 15

  • Engine: Unity

  • Distribution platform: Itch.io

  • References: God of War 3 / Bayonetta

My contribution

As project manager, I took over mid-development due to the previous management’s poor performance and the outstanding performance of my team, which had achieved up to 19 % higher efficiency in some deliveries. I completely reorganized the workflow, eliminating time-consuming practices while retaining existing tools to avoid unnecessary adjustments for the team. I faced numerous risks, including the two-month absence of the programming lead and stakeholder demands. I conducted playtesting sessions and advocated for the team, ensuring proper organization and effective collaboration.

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As lead game designer, I managed a team of four in defining the player experience, designing the initial mechanics, and developing the combat system. Unfortunately, this design was not fully implemented in programming, so due to tight deadlines, we had to reorganize and simplify mechanics to deliver the intended experience in a more streamlined form. Due to my role as project manager at that time, I was unable to execute or test the new design.

Experience and lessons learned

Leadership Under Pressure

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The team demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of harsh criticism from stakeholders, and I strengthened my own resilience alongside them. I remained committed to delivering consistent progress and provided tangible evidence, which helped regain the team’s trust—an essential factor for continuing development.

Revitalizing the Project

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This was my first experience taking over the management of a project with existing issues and revitalizing it. The situation was highly risky, as a wrong decision could mean wasting valuable production time. I chose to act differently from the previous management: to listen to the team more than ever and let them guide me in managing in the most comfortable way possible.

Research-Driven Design

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I gained experience in integrating game design with academic and cultural research. Given the Amazonian theme of the game, we conducted studies in museums, specialized literature, and journals to gain a deep understanding of the worldview and culture, thereby obtaining well-founded inspiration for the design.

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