Wizard of Legend 2 - Video Game Writing Sample

For the fast-paced roguelite Wizard of Legend 2, I was asked to design a series of endgame dialogs that would show how the characters of the game responded to the player’s victory. As the game can be cleared multiple times, I was also asked to show how the characters might grow over time.

To accomplish this, I established a number of subplots so that different characters would have different things to talk about. It wasn’t enough to have them simply congratulate the player. They also needed to have their own priorities and show glimpses of how their own lives were changing and evolving.

For example, the characters Hasher and Farren were established as exes, so I chose to show Hasher gradually getting over the break-up and deciding he’s happy with the direction of his life. Meanwhile, Farren becomes more convinced that striking out on her own was the right decision from watching the player’s achievements. The reclusive Doctor Song begins to resent the player for dragging her to so many celebrations. Azul and Prince Viridis, the game’s two frog merchant characters, begin to date.

All of these factors needed to be conveyed without visual cues, as the game had limited animations to work with. As such, I had to convey to the voice actors the intended tone and make sure the scene worked with the visuals that were available.

Endgame #1

• Hasher: They’ll be telling stories about you… and my relics! Don’t forget to mention me.

• Farren: I knew you had what it takes. Your story is inspiring, and I’ll carry it with me wherever I go.

• Prince Viridis: Ribbit! If you ever want to trade glory for something tangible, I know just the relics for you.

• Azul: You’ve inspired me more than you know. Maybe I’ll paint an Arcana in your honor!

• Doctor Song: Perhaps you’ll lend your name to a relic or Arcana one day. I’d be honored to study it.

• Nox: Curses and legends walk hand in hand, don’t they? Perhaps you’ll learn that someday.

• Esme: You’ve colored the trials with your brilliance. Lanova’s skies couldn’t shine brighter!

• Taffy: Congratulatory: You are now a legend. Taffy permits you to celebrate.

Endgame #2

• Hasher: Let me make a note of what relics carried you to your second victory. I’ll promote them especially hard to up and coming wizards.

• Farren: I can’t believe you did it again! I’ll have to wander even further and spread your tale wider.

• Prince Viridis: I bet you can’t do it a third time. Ribbit.

• Azul: You cleared the trials a second time? That’s incredible. And I almost strung together two words in front of Prince Viridis! That’s incredible, too.

• Doctor Song: Dragging me out of my lab once was acceptable, but a second time? Such celebrations are too bright for the likes of me.

• Nox: The further you walk in the light, the darker your shadow. It is so very tempting to curse you while you’re at the top of the world…

• Esme: Two victories are like a double rainbow all the way across the sky. It reminds me of the celebrations thrown for me when I was your age!

• Taffy: Jubilant: You are now a legend twiceover. Congratulations, congratulations. Taffy permits you to whoop and punch the air.

• Hieronymus: You’ve taken your second step to becoming a Chaos Master. But this path is far from over! If you truly want to be my heir, you must collect all of my Chaos Arcana.

• Serjik: Watching you cast is reminding of my street performer days. I love to see magic bringing joy as well as massive damage.

• Madame Moulin: True magic is fading from the world, slowly and steadily. It’s a terrible truth, but one I thought immutable… until I found you.

• Nazradin: I thought I re-calibrated the trials to provide a better challenge than last time, but you still eked out a victory. Clearly I must push myself the way you’re pushing yourself.

• Aletheia: That was amazing to witness! I’m getting all hyped up to try and replicate those Arcana with machinery now.

Endgame #3

• Hasher: Sometimes I wonder what happened to my father’s heirloom relic. The one he gave me and I sold. I don’t regret selling it! I just wonder what it could have done in your hands.

• Farren: I’m so glad I can start my own journey soon. I was made to be free as a bird, not tied down with a house… or children.

• Prince Viridis: You actually did it? Damn! I mean, ribbit!

• Azul: I’ll make you a deal. You clear the trials a fourth time, and I’ll have a real conversation with Prince Viridis. We’ll both overcome our fears.

• Doctor Song: You have dragged me out of my dark, cozy lair for a third time and forced me to participate in a victory party. Please stop. I am not built for sunlight… or socializing.

• Nox: Your legend continues to grow. I was a legend once myself, you know… before I blew up my reputation and my face in one curse.

• Esme: The parties thrown for my achievements were so much more irritating and draining than the ones thrown for yours. Hieronymus knows how to throw a good bash!

• Taffy: Rejoicing: Congratulations on clearing the trials a third time. Taffy encourages you to run in excited circles.

• Hieronymus: Your path to becoming a Chaos Master continues! You’re doing acceptably, I suppose, but when I was your age, I’d already beaten the trials the required seven times by now.

• Serjik: That spellwork made my jaw drop! It reminds me of the kind of spells I crafted when I was younger while trying to impress the dancing girl busking down the street.

• Madame Moulin: You can protect the remaining true magic in this world. As long as you are here, it will burn brightly inside your heart.

• Nazradin: More calibrations. More traps. More in general! Self-improvement is the real magic here.

• Aletheia: Maybe if I use steam power, I can imitate water Arcana… and enough electricity is basically a lightning Arcana already…

Endgame #4

• Hasher: Okay, maybe I have a few regrets about how things have turned out. Selling off my father’s gift… pushing things too fast with Farren… I’ve made mistakes. You’d better learn from my example, all right?

• Farren: I’m too young to be tied down with a family. I want to see as much of the world as I can before I get too old to travel. That’s my ambition, like clearing the trials a fifth time is yours.

• Prince Viridis: If you do it again, I’ll… I’ll… I swear I’ll ask Azul out.

• Azul: You did it! And I did it, too. Prince Viridis is so cool… [dreamy sigh]

• Doctor Song: Social interaction is my kryptonite. If you clear the trials a fifth time, I shall reluctantly conclude you are doing this purely to make me suffer.

• Nox: With each victory, you grow bolder. But hopefully not too bold. Take care not to fall into the same trap I did. It would be a pity if you lost that face.

• Esme: Popularity is its own price for artists. I disappear onto the road when I need to be alone. When it’s your turn, it seems like you disappear into the trials for another round!

• Taffy: Gleeful: Taffy always knew you were legendary material. Taffy supported you from the start.

• Hieronymus: You beat me four times? Bah, that’s nothing! To become a true Chaos Master, you’ll have to drag three more Chaos Arcana from my stiff, cold fingers.

• Serjik: That dancing girl used some of the same relics as you have, I think. And she was so graceful with them! Maybe the two of you are related?

• Madame Moulin: You stand as a reminder of the heights that true magic can reach. A living wonder of the world.

• Nazradin: I must re-calibrate the trials again to accommodate your growing skill. No, don’t apologize. This is the greatest joy of an engineer!

• Aletheia: I bet I could imitate what you do with fire Arcana if I had a big enough torch. Ooo, and a fireproof ballista!

Endgame #5

• Hasher: Even if I’ve made mistakes, I’ve also come a long way from where I was once. You have, too. Remember what a little brat you were when we first met? [chuckles]

• Farren: Hasher says I would be a good mother. Maybe he’s right, but I wanted to be more than that. You understand the weight of ambition, right, five-time winner of the Trials of Legend?

• Prince Viridis: Whoa… you did it. Okay, okay, I’ll ask her out right away.

• Azul: Congratulations on your fifth victory! Prince Viridis has been spending more time with me. D-do you think he likes me?

• Doctor Song: I see. So you have declared yourself my enemy, and done so in a manner that makes it socially unacceptable to exact revenge. Well played.

• Nox: If you get bored, talk to Nazradin. Do not try to curse yourself to add artificial difficulty to your endeavors. That’s what I suspect I tried.

• Esme: Five celebrations! Goodness, you’ve got a lot of patience for this kind of nonsense. If it were me, I’d have run off to Chaos realm so I could paint in peace by now.

• Taffy: Triumphantly: You have come so far. You would never have made it without Taffy’s support.

• Hieronymus: Chaos is the most unpredictable element. This is personified by its corresponding Elemental, Surax, never being there when you need him. If you become Chaos Master, you’ll be the one who has to deal with his terrible communication skills. I will be free. [Laughs]

• Serjik: I think I still have that dancing girl’s number somewhere. I’ll have to call her up on my magic mirror and tell her about the new magical records you’re making.

• Madame Moulin: Everywhere you go, you carry the heart of true magic with you. As long as you believe in it, it will never fade.

• Nazradin: You’ve cleared the trials five times? Truly? Hm. Can I really craft a fitting challenge for you after such a string of victories?

• Aletheia: Remind me to show you my plans for a mechanical lightning wand after your victory lap!

Endgame #6

• Hasher: I may have lost Farren, but I’ve achieved the goal I set out to pursue as a child. Security is what matters most to me. Even humble dreams are worth achieving, though there’s certainly nothing humble about your dreams.

• Farren: One can’t cage the wind. You and I were born to range free, following our dreams.

• Prince Viridis: Congratulations on your sixth victory. I asked Azul out, like I promised. She was so happy she almost fainted.

• Azul: I w-went on a date with Prince Viridis… no matter how happy you are about your sixth victory, I’m definitely having a better day than you are!

• Doctor Song: Mark my words, I will make you rue the day you decided to make dragging me out of my nice, cozy lab your hobby.

• Nox: Perhaps it’s the curse of growing older to see your younger self in those around you. Seriously though, cursed relics are fine, but do not fool around with curse rituals.

• Esme: All of your colors sing in harmony. You’ll do much better in the spotlight than I did.

• Taffy: Heartfelt: You are magnificent. Taffy is glad to have watched your legend from the very beginning.

• Hieronymus: Closer… closer… one more Chaos Arcana and I will finally have a minion to delegate my Chaos-related responsibilities to. Get to work, chop chop!

• Serjik: If there’s one thing I learned from my street magician days, it’s that magic is a performance. And you’re killing this performance!

• Madame Moulin: True magic burns in your soul. Therefore, you are a torch lighting the way to a brighter future for all.

• Nazradin: Is it… impossible for me to challenge you anymore? No. I refuse to believe it.

• Aletheia: I’m getting really pumped about my mechanical alternatives for Arcana! Maybe I’ll try and enter the trials myself when they’re ready.

Endgame #7

• Hasher: You’ve reached unbelievable heights—and so have I, in my own way. Congratulations to us both!

• Farren: When I leave for my own journey, I’ll tell everyone I meet tales of your adventures!

• Prince Viridis: It turns out that Azul and I have a lot in common. Beyond both being froggy traders, I mean.

• Azul: Viridis is so passionate about relics, but he still listens to me ramble about Arcana! What a gentlefrog.

• Doctor Song: I yearn for the sweet embrace of the crypt. Yet I suppose being surrounded by joy and laughter isn’t ALL bad.

• Nox: Seven victories and you’ve handily avoided repeating my mistakes! Shall I give you a small curse to mark the happy occasion? [Laughs] I jest, I jest.

• Esme: The clear sky above us represents your future. You can paint this canvas however you wish, just as I did at your age.

• Taffy: Joyful: Taffy has identified the best wizard. It is you.

• Hieronymus: All right, all right! I accept it. You’ve bested me. More than that, you’re better than me. I hope you’re happy with all that you’ve accomplished, Wizard of Legend… Chaos Master.

• Serjik: You’ve come so far… [sniffles] I’m not crying! I’ve just got something in my eye.

• Madame Moulin: I feel at ease. I shall entrust the future of true magic to you.

• Nazradin: Your seventh victory will not discourage me! I will continue to craft you challenging levels as long as you keep coming back.

• Aletheia: Whether I have magic or not, I want to live as boldly as you do.

I also wrote and edited a variety of other dialogs throughout the game. Here's an example of how it looks implemented: