ART
Environments & Asset Design
These scenes were made for a virtual reality game called "Mundo de las Matemáticas". A game meant to teach kids fractions. These were created using Unreal Engine 5.
Through this experience I learned to mount scenes that were both visually entertaining and could capture the player's attention.
Click here to see a video of the full game!
I wanted a cool template for my instagram stories so that I could share what song I was listening to at the moment.
And came up with this little 3D mp3 type of gadget that shows the song, the lyrics, an equalizer and a cool cat with headphones.
I believe this project is one of my best as it is something unique and shows my ability to use various animation and shading tools in Blender.
For this next project, I had to create assets and particles for a Metaquest Standalone game.
Through this experience I learned to work alongside a Unity developer through Github. Ensuring a scene that looked good and was well optimized.
Bridge scene made by me! Made in Blender and then placed in Unity.
These are examples of environments and props I have created both in 3D and 2D. I wasn't initially drawn to designing spaces,
but I then realized with time that I somewhat had a knack for lighting, composition and perspective. My interest peaked when
I started handling Unity and Unreal.
My goal was to be able to capture different emotions through my scenes and objects.
Art
Character Design
There was an assignment where I had to create a storyboard based on a random setting given to me. I was given the words
"Forest", "Large vehicle" and "Fishing". I was inspired by a video I saw online of a FedEx worker taking a break fishing
in a pond. I wanted to localize it, making the story resonate with a more Chilean audience and took inspiration from
Chilean package delivery. I wanted the story to feel like a commercial with cute and fantastical elements. And so I
designed a character ispired by the Chilean myth of the Tue Tue, with a cuter spin to it.
Through this lesson I learned about composition and shading in storyboarding to create an attractive story with no dialogue.
I was once asked to pick a videogame that was developed in a different country, I chose Disco Elysium from Estonia.
After investigating Estonian culture's influence on the game, I designed a character inspired by Chilean culture that could fit in the game's universe. I designed a character
influenced by "Los Jaivas", a Chilean progressive rock band. I believe this fit the game's Estonian culture and message.
Through this experience, I learned to create new game narratives to an already existing story.
Here are some exercises I did to design characters in different styles.
I tend to adapt my style between more realistic or stylistic
depending on what the project needs.
I hope that, as I progress and gain more experience, I might find my niche so that I can create a
style of character that is true to me.
PROJECTS
Kitty Chat!
Genre: Psychological horror, 2D, simulation, choices matter.
Role: Creator of concept, UI/UX designer and Concept artist.
What I learned: I learned to mimic UI/UX aesthetics and sounds that represented a specific time period and group.
Step into the unsettling world of "Kitty-Chat!", a psychological horror narrative and 2D simulation puzzle game.
As a moderator in a once-thriving virtual community, you must preserve its crumbling reality while facing mysterious
glitches and eerie distortions. Engage in dynamic conversations, solve complex puzzles, and ban rogue bots as the
cheerful facade of "Kitty-Chat!" unravels into a corrupted nightmare. Your choices in interactive chats shape the
story’s ending, exploring themes of online friendship and digital decay.
Our team set out to create a 2D existential horror game with a diegetic UI—where the interface is integral to gameplay.
After much brainstorming, I proposed "Kitty-Chat!", inspired by the nostalgia of games like Club Penguin but reimagined
through a darker lens. As the world collapses and the player struggles to preserve fading childhood memories, "Kitty-Chat!"
becomes a haunting reflection on the loss of innocence and the impermanence of digital worlds.
UI/UX Design
I took inspiration from my favourite 2000s games for the designs. I used blended shading for the game UI to give it a more early 3D feel. Meanwhile for the moderator windows and buttons, I went for a more sober, minimalist design to contrast, inspired by WindowsXP.
Sound Design
There were a lot of different types of music in the late 2000s to early 2010s. So it was hard to create a specific sound that felt like it was from that time. I focused on trying find which genres were most fondly remembered by people growing up on the early internet, and which instruments/sounds they were most likely to have. So that I could then try to copy the styles. I didn't want the music to sound like it was made today.
Concept Art
For the character concepts it was integral to keep the designs as simplistic as possible while making sure they all had their own individuality. I was unsure of what each character's personality was going to be like, and so I came up with an array of different costumes inspired by the ones kids were most likely to wear in online worlds.
For the different locations inside of Kitty Chat, I really wanted them to be places that are hard to find today.
Spaces that once held a lot of meaning to us in the past but are now long forgotten or are dying due to changing times.
Places like diners, arcades, blockbusters. Places that are engraved in our hearts but are no more than memories, which is
what forgotten worlds like Kitty Chat truly represent.
Projects
My First (and Last) Carrete
Genre: Comedy, Simulation, Survival, Top-Down, Pixelart.
Role: Team lead, designer, narrative writer & artist.
What I learned: I learned to direct a small team with very limited time. I designed interesting game mechanics while maintaining a small scope based on the skills of my team and short time frame.
My First (and Last) Carrete promises a chaotic, stressful, yet funny 15-minute journey that captures the essence of an
unforgettable (and perhaps regrettable) night out.
The game plunges you into the vibrant, very different, world of a Chilean "carrete" (party) through the eyes of Alex, a Chilean
who's spent five years in Canada and is now struggling to reconnect with his roots. This specific cultural setting, with its distinct
social dynamics and regional slang, creates an authentic parody of a coming of age story in Chilean life.
Our university professors had asked to create a game based on our personal experiences. That is when came up with My First and Last Carrete.
It is based on my experience going to Chilean parties as a young adult after spending my teenage years in Canada.
The differences in language and cultures led to some very awkward and uncomfortable scenarios. This was due to my peers having
matured in an environment which was completely different to mine.
Characters
To create the characters, I had to conduct research to understand the types of people who attend 'carretes' (parties). I interviewed 13 individuals: 10 from different regions, 7 women, and 6 men, all between 19-28 years old. They shared their funniest party anecdotes and described the characteristics of the people they knew. Each character in the game represents a Chilean youth stereotype with their respective slang, accents, and behaviours.
Game feel & Mechanics
Gameplay Mockups
Sound Design
The game features chiptune covers of songs that are popular in Chile, those typically played for diverse groups. However, my music skills at that time weren't what they are now. I had no idea about music theory, and the resulting covers were completely out of sync. Surprisingly, everyone who played the game LOVED the music. Listening to it caused most people to chuckle or to even burst out laughing. It was well-received as the essence of a 'carrete' could still be conveyed even with the chiptune style, and the off-beat notes added more humor to the experience.
About Me
Hello! I’m Kiara. I'm a Canadian game designer and artist living in Santiago, Chile. I am currently in my final year studying Digital Game Design at Andrés Bello University. Upon finishing, I will be eager to specialize in creating 3D assets and environments. This will allow me to further develop my skills to work at a company where I can create and build lasting relationships. My professional goal is to add value to a company through my creative thinking skills, ability to work under pressure, and teamwork.
Download Resumé (English) Descargar CV (Español)
