Underpaid Exorcists – Map 2

Underpaid Exorcists is a co-op horror game currently in active development. I joined the project mid-development and began working within its existing codebase and gameplay framework.

This showcase features Map 2, the game's second playable map and the first map developed together with the current team after I joined. The experience combines exploration, environmental interactions, cooperative problem solving, encounters, objective progression, and extraction.

My responsibilities included gameplay implementation and system integration for Map 2, supporting interactions, progression flow, cooperative sequences, encounters, and map-specific gameplay logic.

I also contributed to project-wide debugging, gameplay testing, bug fixing, mechanic iteration, and feature adjustments, including adding, modifying, or removing mechanics when needed to improve gameplay flow and support the team's design direction.

• Map-specific interaction and progression logic • Objective and encounter sequencing • Cooperative gameplay interactions • Environmental gameplay integration • Final objective and extraction flow • Integration of existing gameplay systems into the new map • Gameplay mechanic adjustments and feature iteration • Debugging and gameplay testing

The main challenge was joining an already established project and extending it without disrupting existing systems or gameplay behavior. New map-specific functionality had to remain compatible with the existing codebase while supporting several different gameplay phases.

Development also required frequent debugging and testing, as changes to existing mechanics could affect other parts of the project and needed to remain consistent across the overall gameplay experience.

I first worked within the project's established systems instead of rebuilding functionality specifically for the new map. Existing mechanics were reused and integrated into the level, while additional logic was introduced only where Map 2 required unique interactions, objectives, or encounter behavior.

I also used continuous gameplay testing and debugging to identify integration issues early. Mechanics were adjusted, added, or removed when necessary to improve gameplay flow and maintain compatibility with the rest of the project.

Working on an existing production taught me how to adapt to a codebase and gameplay architecture that I did not originally design. It strengthened my ability to understand existing systems before modifying them and to consider how seemingly small gameplay changes can affect other parts of a project.

The project also gave me practical experience with team-based iteration, debugging, testing, feature integration, and making implementation decisions based on both technical constraints and gameplay needs.