Writer | Narrative Designer | Game Designer
Sara has been at the forefront of the gaming industry since 2018 in narrative design, game design, content creation and marketing. She’s written for games, theatre, film and radio. Her experience with immersive theatre and film enables her to bring a distinct viewpoint to any role. Sara often utilises surrealism and dreamscapes in her work and has an extensive knowledge of Irish mythology and folklore. She’s an avid cinephile, with a particular fondness for the horror genre and incorporates this into her own creative ideology.
Since 2018 Sara has worked on a multitude of game projects, with companies such as Digital Dreams Entertainment, Curve Games, Scavengers Studio, Von Republic, Glossbird and more. During 2020, she was commissioned by Super Paua to write a radio play, ‘The Office of Lost Things’, which released in July. Her short story ‘Interlude between Cork and Kerry’ was published in the Martello Journal in December 2022. In 2023, Sara won first place for prose in the Ekphrasis writing contest with her piece 'The Shadow People'. She co-created ‘Don’t Escape Room’ for the Galway Game Jam in 2023 and started working as a narrative designer for the game ‘Fitment’ shortly after. She then co-created ‘The Nowhere Place’ for Ludum Dare 54.
In 2024, Sara was awarded funding from the first IndieDev Prototype Fund for her game ‘Wayside’ and founded her own video game company fogcore, with long-time creative partner Derek Byrne. The IndieDev demo was well received and debuted at FÍS Games Summit in Galway 2025. She has seven years experience in the video game industry and is a frequent collaborator with Cassette Vision.
Wayside
Horror video game, still in development with fogcore studio. Demo available to play.
After receiving a cryptic voicemail from her missing friend, Étaín returns to the decaying Irish hometown she once abandoned.
There she meets with blow-in Navidson, a stoic in cowboy getup and a recent addition to the town. As he is also in search of the elusive Deidre, they team up to deal with the insular community of superstitious and religious locals.
A quiet night drive turns into a nightmare when
two girls stumble upon a place they should not be.
“Don’t Escape Room is a spine-tingling, suspense-filled experience that kept me on the edge of my seat.” - Free Apps For Me
I’m leaving this note in case I forget again.
Sometimes it makes me forget.
It comes every 10th night at 3.33am.
It stays for exactly 10 minutes before it leaves.
I have to try and stop it from getting in.
Or at least slow it down enough when it inevitably does.
It is looking for me. I don’t know what happens when it finds me.
I don’t want to find out. Good luck.
Art by Neasa Tierney
‘Fitment’ - Narrative Design for characters Trashman and Casper the crow
‘The Shadow People’ - 1st place winner for prose in the Ekphrasis competition
‘Interlude between Cork and Kerry’ - Short Story published in the Martello Journal
‘Modern Myths: Cursed Bloodlines’ - Article on Hereditary & What Remains of Edith Finch for Von Republic
‘The Wailing’ - A review for The Very Friendly Cinema Club
A Selection of Upcoming Works
-
Toll Booth
A short film currently in pre-production with Cassette Vision.
A person sits alone in a toll booth on a desolate road. It’s their first night shift. The previous employee warns them to stay inside the booth at all times.
All is quiet until they consider leaving the booth for a cigarette and are approached by the first of many strange encounters.
-
Covered Glass
Debut play, produced by First Fortnight Festival.
An immersive surreal drama about a college student, Noni, who suffers a mental break and goes to her childhood home to recoup. But as her mother is in the throes of early onset Alzheimer’s and her father refuses to acknowledge there’s a problem, things start to spiral.
All the while, a mysterious Púca watches from the shadows, serving as an unreliable narrator.
-
Wayside
Independent video game, currently in development. Demo available to play.
Do you know where Halloween comes from?
As Samhain approaches, Étaín receives an eerie message from her missing friend and returns to her dying hometown to solve the mystery of her disappearance.
