Hi there! I’m Joonatan, and this is my writing portfolio. It holds some of my published projects, ranging from fiction to non-fiction, comics to gaming, and critiques of all kinds.
Here you’ll find testimonials and samples of my work as a writer for mobile and indie games throughout the years.
I would be honored to work with Joonatan again in any project where his skill in storytelling and his care for the audience would bring the life to the virtual world we would be creating.
- Michael Hudson - Founder / Mindhaven
I had the pleasure of working with Joonatan on a few game projects as a coworker and as a mentor.
During this time he worked as a community manager for a game project, but also took on design and QA responsibilities. Joonatan is a very skilled writer and was able to create witty and fun content in no time at all. When training to take over the QA responsibilities from me, Joonatan was a good listener and fast learner so I felt confident handing the task over to him.
I was very impressed with how Joonatan handled being tasked with multiple different roles in one game project and he excelled in all of the tasks given to him. Multitasking was definitely not an obstacle.
Joonatan always brought a touch of humor to the office while still staying professional. I am very happy to have had the chance to work with him and any team would be lucky to have Joonatan as a coworker.
- Elina Laine - Level Designer
Developer: Lume Games Publisher: 505 Games
Hidden Heroes is an iOS mobile game where the player collects vast armies led by mythic heroes of the realm to battle against the forces of darkness in a vast fantasy world that expands as players scan barcodes to grow their armies. I came into the project late in development and was tasked to rewrite character bios, lore, and dialog from existing material to suit the changing vision. These are some of the loading screens showcasing the characters and their worldviews that I worked on.
Dwerve is an independent puzzle-adventure title released in 2021. My application for it consisted of character dialog that emphasized the two branching paths the characters can take (antagonistic and friendly), and writing item, world, and enemy descriptions as flavor text from established material.
I wrote item descriptions and dialog as an application to join the project. While my material wasn’t used in the end, it is here as an example of the work from the prompts provided.
| Character name | Prompt | Dialog |
|---|---|---|
| Moro | Quest: Antagonistic | Oi! Slow down, you blue-haired punk. I’m beat, and my head is throbbing like crazy. That dust viper took a chunk out of me. |
| Moro | Quest: Antagonistic | Look, you want me to move, then you find me some sweet mossy Balair roots, yeah? They grow in damp, cold environments. So this cave or your heart should do just fine. |
| Moro | Quest item delivered: Antagonistic | Well, would you look at that. You actually did somethin’ for me, and all I had to do was be in violent pain. How thoughtful. |
| Moro | Quest complete: Antagonistic | A deal’s a deal, I ain’t forgotten. A one-way trip through The Beggar’s Pit and past the Wolf Delta to Argaeus, where you can get home. But once we’re there, you and I - we’re done, got it? |
| Moro | Quest: Friendly | Wait, please. I can’t… I can’t move. It’s the bite. That dust viper got me good. Urrgh. It’s going to spread faster by the hour, and |
| eventually, I’ll wither to ash. | ||
| Moro | Quest: Friendly | Look, I’ve no right to ask, but will you help me? There’s a root of a bush called Balair that grows in these caves. It counteracts the venom. Find them, please. Whatever happens, I’ll be right here. |
| Moro | Quest item delivered: Friendly | You - you found it! Thank you, truly. I owe you my life. I know such things aren’t given much weight where you’re from, but whatever it’s worth, I’m in your debt. |
| Moro | Quest complete: Friendly | I feel much better already. A little unsteady, but if that’s the extent of it, I consider myself lucky. The waters here grow into the Val River that flows north. We can follow it to the holy mountain Argaeus. From there, it’s only a day’s walk back to your hometown. Lead on. |
| Name | Type | Description |
| Balair root | Item | A mossy and soggy root grown in dark and damp dwellings. Known for its restorative qualities, it’s rarely used anymore due to how hard it is to farm – and how bad it tastes. |
| Dust viper | Enemy | Deadly creatures that flourish in caves. They might be small, but their bite contains a venom that petrifies anything it comes in contact with. Their skin is the color and texture of coarse sand, which makes them ideal hunters in their environment. |
| Beggar’s Pit | Location | Once a bustling trading hub, Beggar’s Pit is now a kingdom of thieves and vagabonds. While crime is technically legal within the city walls, the local watch, formed of former thieves and led by The Fist, maintain order with an iron grip. |
| Wolf Delta | Location | A long stretch of wild land leading to the Argeus steppe and the holy mountains beyond. Pilgrims travel through here on their search for absolution, but most only find the roaming packs of wild beasts and bandits, and never return home. |
| Argeus Mountain | Location | Argeus is the tallest mountain in the realm, and is considered holy by those that follow his teachings. The peak is perpetually covered by a thick blanket of clouds, and it’s said that when a clear day finally arrives, it will herald the return of Argeus himself. |
Nine Parchments is an adventure game developed and released by Frozenbyte. I applied to join the writing team in 2016. The application process included the creation of a character to fit into the world of runaway witches and wizards, and writing dialog and barks for multiple levels.
| Character Name | Amira Lucinda | |
|---|---|---|
| Short Name | Amira | |
| Description | Amira isn't one for academia, and her adamant personality has made it hard to get close to anyone else. Headstrong to the point of callousness, she sees her time at the Academy a necessary evil - a slow and boring one at that. When the opportunity for adventure presents itself, she doesn't hesitate to jump in. Anything is better than staying still for a moment longer. | |
| Staff Name | Amira's Passerine Staff. | |
| Positive Mood | Witty | |
| Positive Neutral Mood | Sarcastic | |
| Negative Neutral Mood | Dismissive | |
| Negative Mood | Cold | |
| Beginning of Level One-Liners | Dialogue (max 130 characters) | Single-player banters are essentially monologues. |
| Level 3: Don’t Forget Beachwear | Life's a beach, and then you fry. | |
| Level 6: Seashells for Luck | This place is making me seriously reconsider going on this quest business. | |
| Level 7: The Nightfall Resort | Not exactly inviting, but what's the alternative? Studying? | |
| Level 10: Dusk Falls on the Tundra | I read about this place once. I never realized it was so... vivid. | |
| Level 11: Shivering Steps | All the magic in the world and they still build stairs. This place must be evil. | |
| Level 14: Endless Snowbanks | How can anything survive in this weather? | |
| Level 15: The Frozen Sea | I ever get back to the Academy, I'm never leaving my bed again. | |
| Level 18: The Loveliness of Trees | It's so beautiful here. I had no idea. | |
| Level 19: Spring Twilight | One can only imagine what it must be like to be forced to leave a place like this and never return. | |
| Level 22: Meandering Paths | OK, don't look down, don't look down, and you looked down, well done. | |
| Level 23: Salve Springs | Better steer clear of those pools. That's a one way ticket to burnsville. | |
| Level 26: Keep Your Guard Up! | Whoever lived up here did not want to be disturbed. | |
| Level 27: Through Evergreen Dales | I see now why they call this a quest. I'll have stories to tell for years! | |
| Level 30: The Marsh on Your Hemline | Smelly, wet, sticky, and humid. It's like the kitchen at the Academy. | |
| Level 31: Thunderous Mountains | Why is it that every time they build something impressive, it's on a mountain somewhere? | |
| Two Player Banter Dialogue together with Cornelius | Character Name | Dialogue (max 130 characters) |
| **Level 2: The Sand in Your Shoes | ||
| Line 1** | Cornelius | I have to say, I didn't think you'd join on this quest. |
| **Level 2: The Sand in Your Shoes | ||
| Line 2** | Amira | Because? |
| **Level 2: The Sand in Your Shoes | ||
| Line 3** | Cornelius | It involves everything you hate; teamwork... and actual work. |
| **Level 2: The Sand in Your Shoes | ||
| Line 4** | Amira | I forgot that you're so funny. Oh wait, you're not. |
| **Level 5: Wizards Don’t Tan | ||
| Line 1** | Cornelius | I don't get it. |
| **Level 5: Wizards Don’t Tan | ||
| Line 2** | Amira | What? |
| **Level 5: Wizards Don’t Tan | ||
| Line 3** | Cornelius | You're fantastic with spells, but I've not seen you pay attention in class even once! |
| **Level 5: Wizards Don’t Tan | ||
| Line 4** | Amira | Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand. |
| **Level 9: To the Tundra! | ||
| Line 1** | Amira | Is it true that your parents would buy you anything you'd ask for? |
| **Level 9: To the Tundra! | ||
| Line 2** | Cornelius | Where did you hear that? |
| **Level 9: To the Tundra! | ||
| Line 3** | Amira | It's funny, all the things you can pick up if you just listen. |
| **Level 9: To the Tundra! | ||
| Line 4** | Cornelius | Well, it's not true. They wouldn't buy me everything. Just... most things. |
| Level 13: Colder by the Hourglass Line 1 | Amira | I've never traveled this far before. |
| Level 13: Colder by the Hourglass Line 2 | Cornelius | Not even on a holiday? |
| Level 13: Colder by the Hourglass Line 3 | Amira | I was never one for holidays. Or for much of anything, really. It just all seemed so... trivial. |