Sara Buckley

Writer. Narrative Designer.

sarabuckley72@gmail.com

 

Sara has been at the forefront of the gaming industry since 2018 in narrative design, content creation, marketing, and community management. She’s written for games, theatre, film and radio. She completed the 2021 Pixelles Writing Portfolio Program and has been working on expanding her narrative design skillset since. Her vast experience with immersive theatre and film will enable her to bring a distinct POV to any role. Sara often utilises surrealism and dreamscapes in her work. She brings a perspective which will be an asset to any company. She 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 she has been active in the video game industry on a multitude of projects, working with companies such as Digital Dreams Entertainment, Curve Games, Scavengers Studio, Von Republic, Glossbird and more. During early 2020, she acted as dramaturg for ‘The Game’, which took place in the National Film School of Ireland on March 5th. That same year, she was commissioned by Super Paua to write a short radio play entitled ‘The Office of Lost Things’ which released on July 24th. 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 co-created ‘The Nowhere Place’ for Ludum Dare 54. She has five years experience in the video game industry and is a frequent collaborator with Cassette Vision.

First person horror, walking simulator for Ludum Dare 54. Created by Sara Buckley & Derek Byrne.

A quiet night drive turns into a nightmare when

two girls stumble upon a place they should not be.

Point and click, pixel art horror game featured at the Galway Game Jam 2023. Created by Sara Buckley & Derek Byrne.

“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.

Aneurin has worked in the Dead Letter Office for almost 3 years. Every week without fail, starting from his first day, a strange letter arrives. Seemingly dedicated to a lost love. So, with the help of his new colleague Zooey, they decide to track the sender down together.

‘Fitment’ - Narrative Design for upcoming 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

Fantasy Branching Dialogue Example - Created with Twine

A Selection of Upcoming Works

samples available upon request

  • Toll Booth

    A short film currently in development with Cassette Vision.

    A person sits alone in a toll booth on a desolate road. It’s their first night shift. The employee they take over from warns them to stay inside the booth at all times. The booth has an iron underlayer which is rumoured to keep badness at bay.

    Nothing strange occurs until they consider leaving the booth to have a cigarette and are approached by the first of many strange encounters.

  • Covered Glass

    Debut play, produced by First Fortnight Festival.

    The piece is an immersive surreal drama about a college student, Noni, who suffers a mental break and goes to her childhood home to recoup. But because her mother is in the throes of early onset Alzheimer’s and her father refuses to acknowledge there’s a problem, being home only escalates her psychosis.

    All the while a mysterious Púca figure watches from the shadows, serving as an unreliable narrator.

  • Navidson Project

    Independent video game project, still in early development.

    Supernatural, mystery adventure game. After receiving a cryptic message from their former best friend, Étaín returns to the hometown she once abandoned.

    There she meets with blow-in Navidson, a stoic in cowboy getup and a recent addition to the town. She suspects he knows more than he’s letting on. As he is also in search of the elusive Deidre, they team up to deal with the insular community of superstitious and religious locals.