Project Overview
Dead Science was the second game I developed with my university game studio, Unknown Outcome for PC. It is a first-person exploration and puzzles game where the player takes on the role of a woman investigating the mysterious disappearance of the Blair family. The story blends science fiction and mystery, with progressively complex puzzles. The game’s core mechanic is a special visor that allows players to explore alternate dimensions layered over reality.
Visually, Dead Science features a hyper-realistic aesthetic, with meticulous attention to detail, lighting, and atmosphere. We aimed to push Unreal Engine to its full potential while keeping the controls simple and the gameplay concise, making it an accessible yet immersive experience.
The idea for the game stemmed from two key factors. First, my friend and collaborator Alberto Guzmán, with whom I had previously worked on Emergency Room, wanted to develop a new project where he could showcase his skills as a 3D generalist and technical artist. Second, we had an assignment in our Level Design course that required us to create a horror-themed level in Unreal Engine.
With these two motivations in mind, we reassembled a team with fresh perspectives and began developing Dead Science, which became the most ambitious personal project I had worked on at the time. Over a year of development, we showcased the game at multiple national events, including Madrid Game Week 2018, Fun&Serious 2018, IndieMAD 2018 and ZeroUno. Additionally, this project became our final university thesis, marking a major milestone in our academic and professional journey.
I primarily worked as a producer and designer. With a larger team and the technical challenges of Unreal Engine, managing the project became a significant challenge—especially while balancing our final year of university, coursework, and exams. Once again, we followed a Scrum-based methodology adapted to our situation.
On the design side, I was responsible for gameplay, level, mechanics, and puzzle design; and story writing and world-building, crafting the universe in which Dead Science takes place.
As a programmer, I worked on gameplay, mechanics, and UI programming; developing internal tools for procedural generation of modular assets; and object interaction systems. All of these tasks were implemented in Unreal Engine 4, using both Blueprints and C++.
Beyond production and programming, I also took on public relations and business development for the team. This involved securing opportunities to present Dead Science at major gaming events; pitching the game to publishers and investors; and leading public presentations and representing the project to potential partners.
Our goal was to use this project as a springboard to establish a professional game studio. While that dream didn't materialize, the experience was invaluable, and Dead Science remains a testament to our ambition and dedication.
For this project, I worked alongside: Alberto Guzmán, 3D generalist and technical artist; Gonzalo Pérez, Lead Programmer; Javier Tiradas, Game Designer; and Alfredo Pérez, 3D Generalist.
