Aquamarine:
Gameplay Programmer,
Writer, &
Narrative Designer
Hello! My name is Aquamarine Schutter.I’ve had a rollercoaster career that’s brought me a unique perspective on the design, programming, and writing of video games.I taught math and science for half a decade and during that time many students shared the video games that excited them. In fact, Roblox and Minecraft were teaching tools we often employed. After those years, I couldn’t ignore that the passion for video game development I’d had as a kid had reignited.I make the sort of games that inspire myself and the students I’ve taught. I design, write, and program games that elicit strong emotions in players, center harmony between story and gameplay mechanics, and showcase polished mechanics–sometimes novel, sometimes tried-and-true–that feel effortless to learn.
If you're looking to hire me, you can contact me by email or through LinkedIn or Cohost at the buttons below. You can also find my projects on my Github.
Gameplay Programming
Treachery in Beatdown City
I have worked on the turn-based beat-em-up Treachery on Beatdown City at NuChallenger from June 2022 to August 2023.I designed and programmed the two most narratively complex enemies, updated the UI, redesigned and programmed enemy behavior, and added over two dozen new enemies to the game.
Unreal Engine 5 Projects
As I learn Unreal Engine 5 through online coursework, I'm releasing my prototype projects here.
In Dungeon Doer, I really got deep into the C++. Grab objects, find their triggers, and unlock secret rooms to escape!
In Quick Step, I used C++ to make moving platforms and obstacles in this 3D platformer.
In Barrel Blast, I used Blueprints to make a physics-based shooting gallery.
Lights Start A Riot
A one-bit game about Alic the Alicanto living a peaceful life in the Chilean mountains... until one dark night, when riot police decide to storm her peaceful existence!A tower defense game made in Godot with C# for the 1-Bit Jam.I designed and programmed our difficulty algorithm.
Narrative Design & Games Writing
Cosmic Co-Op
Grown out of the 2023 Spooktober VN Jam, Cosmic Co-Op is part visual novel, part point & click, all collectivist.I am working as lead narrative designer on this project. I designed the game applying queer theory to the story and game design, created three characters and wrote over twenty thousand words of barks and dialogue.Help to grow and preserve a caring community on a derelict cargo ship. You might just romance a few aliens on the way.Cosmic Co-Op is in progress with an early access release on the horizon!Character Art by Alex Luong.
Background Art by Reese Cilley.
Lights Start A Riot
A one-bit game about Alic the Alicanto living a peaceful life in the Chilean mountains... until one dark night, when riot police decide to storm her peaceful existence!A tower defense game made in Godot with C# for the 1-Bit Jam.I wrote the item descriptions and character barks!
A Night for a Fright!
A haunting multiplayer cat-and-mouse game where up to four players try to thwart a horrifying monster who may or may not just be a rich guy in a mask. Set traps, find clues, utilize your character’s unique abilities, and catch that monster!This isn't a real game but contains a character biography, ability table, and barks.
Low Oxygen
Low Oxygen is an interactive fiction game made in Twine. You play as a lost robot, navigating the halls of a failing starship. You'll see the ship through different perspectives as you rescue and play as your robot buddies (who all deserve pets for being good).I designed the story like a Metroidvania: some paths become accessible only once the player gains a new ability!
Titanborn
Featured in Club Chicxulub, Journal 2 - Thaw!Titanborn is a 300+ page science fiction novel that I wrote and published with New Degree Press! The novel is set on Saturn's smoggy, inhospitable moon Titan. I worked with two planetary scientists who study Titan to bring the setting to life!Titanborn follows astronaut Meera and her improvised crew of artists, activists, and one overachieving scientist as they ventures across the inhospitable moon to find her missing best friend.Just, uhh, ignore my deadname on the cover.
Low Oxygen Narrative Breakdown
At the onset of the game, the player is driven ‘rightward’ along the screen line and towards the big square: the main hub. Other paths marked by red lines are interactable but blocked, for now.Like in a good Metroidvania, I wanted the player to recall spaces they've been through and come back later to surmount obstacles with new tools.
The player is funneled through the spooky, uninhabited spaces within the Seedship Sagan's empty lower decks. At the hub, the player is given their ultimate goal: "restore oxygen to the Sagan." The player is returned to the hub and the world opens to non-linear exploration.
Spoilers Ahead
If you're enjoying this breakdown so far, click the link below to play "Low Oxygen" for free!
Be warned: from here on out, it’s spoiler territory.
Through exploring foggy corridors, peeking beneath broken doors, and walking the empty halls of the powered-down ship, the player will find their first upgrade.Charging their body to 100%, the player gains new insight about themself and the ability to access the spiderbot remotely.
Unfortunately, there isn't room for two AI's in the bot's head. The spiderbot takes over, symbolized by a change in text font, and forces the player to backtrack.Through this action, the spiderbot reminds the player of an early obstacle and how they can surmount obstacles with new tools, like the spiderbot's body. To regain control, and survive, the player must solve a text input puzzle.
After escaping the spiderbot and learning more about themselves, the player's world opens again to non-linear exploration. With the spiderbot now docile, the player can use it to help explore new spaces.
With the spiderbot's (and some other spiderbots') help and some clever exploration, the player can finally retrieve the ultracapacitors, seal the breach, and restore oxygen to the Seedship Sagan! You (they) did it!!
This game is also a short prequel to my novel Titanborn. Chetan is, in a word, a jerk. He does confirm what the gameplay has taught the player: they aren't just an amnesiac android, they're part of the ship's artificial intelligence, AVA!The final scene has the last of three moments where the player's android gives another robot a supportive pat. I love the idea of an AI that's empathetic towards its fellow bots.
I hope you enjoyed reading this walkthrough of how I made Low Oxygen and found it as fun to play as it was to make!Feel free to try the game out or reach out to me thru email or twitter at the links below.