Fantastic Beasts: Cases From The Wizarding World
Fantastic news! (and where to find it!)
I may have mentioned being busy over the last few months, working on a new game writing gig which has been important to me. While I was sworn to NDA secrecy for a long time, the game has now been released and I’m free to share the good news!
What a team!
The game is out on Android and iOS and it’s called ‘Fantastic Beasts: Cases From The Wizarding World’. Yes, it’s a Warner Bros. licensed game in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise. This is a massive intellectual property and a very valuable brand. Therefore, this writing gig was hugely important to me and I must thank the developers Mediatonic for the opportunity- they were a pleasure to work with.
This is Gethsemane Prickle. I enjoyed writing her; she’s like a stern teacher. No nonsense!
Mediatonic’s existing writers had already drawn up structures and storylines for the various cases, along with fully developed characters and some case dialogue, but I was allowed to flesh out cases with full dialogue for each scene. This means that from case 2 onwards, when you see characters talking, that’s me! The team helped constantly, steering me and rewriting several times to get the Wizarding World spot on. They had some fantastic character ideas, too, which I hopefully brought out in their interplay.
Identifying beasts. There are some excellent creatures in Fantastic Beasts, with a favourite being the Bowtruckle
The game follows your career as a brand new member of the Ministry of Magic’s Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. You work alongside the fun and feisty Mathilda Bagshot, under the stern Cerberus Langarm, as you solve cases involving loose beasties. This is a hidden object game, so think of Criminal Case and other casual HOGs, with the twist that you find clues pointing to a magical beast on the loose. Find out how it got loose, why it’s there, who’s to blame, etc. The beasts are all cannon, from the films, books and of course the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them spin-off book. It’s also set in the UK, so it kind of bridges Harry Potter as we know it with the new Fantastic Beasts movie (it features an entirely independent cast of characters, though).
The map screen. Look forward to some locations from the movies…
This is undoubtedly the best game writing experience I’ve had and the one of which I’m most proud. This is an IP I really enjoy. Yes, I’m a Potter fan. I don’t know yet whether I’m going to be a Scamander fan too, but I’m certainly a Bagshot fan!
Spot the objects and tap them. Some are random, some are key to the investigation.
The game is free to download, with optional payments if you want to speed up waiting times. Please give it a download, play it, rate it and get to know Mathilda. Watch out for all my little references to the Wizarding World! (And if you aren’t into gaming, give it a shot for the health benefits. Didn’t you know?)
My text in action. How ace is the artwork?!
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all those who are sticking by me as I navigate the waters of freelance writing. This was a huge boost for me and I hope to have more good news soon.
Have fun!
