Underworld: Fall of the Syndicate
- Genre: RPG/Fighting
- Theme: Gangster Combat
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Tools: Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Role: Narrative Design, Worldbuilding, Lore, Dialogue, Barks, Character design, Building Design
World Lore
Blackwater’s criminal empire is on the edge. The Federal Revenue Watch started investigating cash-heavy businesses, and rumors of betrayal spread through the Syndicate. Silas Romano, trusted associate of the Don, was tasked to find the traitor before the organization collapses. To make it worse, women within the Syndicate started vanishing without trace, drawing the attention of federal agents. Silas must find the missing women and expose the betrayer before time runs out…
Overview
Set in 1930 in the fictional city of Blackwater, players are invited into a Prohibition-era world where every choice tips the balance between loyalty and betrayal.
Branching Dialogue
I designed branching dialogue sequences that integrate variables and player choices seamlessly into gameplay. This included a role-play choice hub built around polar-opposite options, allowing players to express their preferred playstyle through character-driven decisions.
I also created thematic choices to deepen immersion and reinforce the story’s tone.
To support this, I focused on three narrative pillars:
• Urgent Stakes – ensuring the player always understands the pressure and consequences driving the scene.
• Respected Player Character – crafting dialogue that makes the player’s choices feel meaningful and acknowledged by NPCs.
• Tied to Gameplay – keeping exchanges concise, informative, and quickly leading the player back into action.
NPC Character Design: Raffaele Calvino
Raffaele is the quiet backbone of Blackwater’s East Dock district, running the car wash out front and steering its hidden operations when others look the other way.
When creating characters like Raffaele, I aim to shape people players can recognize: working-class immigrants, men pushed into gray areas by circumstance rather than choice. Characters like him are often reduced to clichés in crime fiction, so I wanted to highlight nuance: his pragmatism, his guarded warmth, and the way his environment carved both.
In gameplay, Raffaele functions as an early guide: an insider who knows the hidden cash routes, the unspoken rules, and the people players shouldn’t cross. He anchors the player’s first steps into Blackwater’s underworld and sets the tone for the moral compromises ahead.
Building Design
Calvino Bros. Auto Laundry | Blackwater Downtown, 1930
I designed the car wash frontage as a functional building that blends into its environment without revealing the criminal activity underneath. The goal was to create a space that feels believable, practical, and alive – an area where NPC routines, ambient barks, and environmental clutter give the player the sense of a legitimate business.
I built the exterior and interior layout to support player approach, NPC visibility, and clear readability of Raffaele’s public-facing role.
For the hidden room, I focused on shaping a dark, yet atmospheric interior that communicates illegal activity through visual storytelling. My objective was to design a location that immediately shifts the player’s expectations with the stacked ledgers, mismatched cash-counting tools, overstuffed boxes, and improvised filing systems signal organized crime without over-exposition.
I aligned its layout with gameplay needs: clear NPC navigation, reveal staging for cutscenes, and environmental hooks that support choice-driven dialogue.
