Portfolio

Hi! My name is Ben Kaestner-Frenchman. I’m a writer and narrative designer working at Lively. Before that, I was at Fusebox Games and before that I was a Japanese to English translator. This is my portfolio, along with a list of projects I’ve worked on professionally.

Writing Sample 1: The Rowan
Twine Game
A short folk horror game about tradition and acceptance. You can play it on itch.io here.

Writing Sample 2: Military Shooter Cutscene
PDF script
A cutscene intended for a modern military game such as The Division or Metro Exodus.

bkf-writing-sample-script-for-a-military-shooter-cutsceneDownload

Writing Sample 3: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Cutscene video
A fully voice-acted cutscene featured dialogue that I wrote based on the Japanese script. https://youtu.be/j7OW2Ix1pYc

Games I’ve worked on as a writer:

  • Scooby Doo-inspired mystery brawler (unreleased) | Lively
    • Sole narrative designer, responsible for naming and fleshing out characters, developing the plot, and working with other departments to lay the groundwork for the narrative systems used in the game.
  • Hello Kitty AR: Kawaii World | Lively
    • Collaborated with the other Narrative Designer to turn two-dimensional characters from an existing IP into deep, nuanced characters, while staying within the established confines of their personalities.
    • Designed and wrote quests in Unity, using an in-house tool.
    • Wrote dialogue for an emergent dialogue system that lets NPCs respond intelligently to the player’s choices.
  • Love Island The Game | Fusebox Games
    • Love Island The Game Season 2
    • Love Island The Game: The Wedding
    • Love Island The Game Season 3
  • Matchmaker | Fusebox Games
    • Matchmaker: Love Island
    • Beanie Quinn: Murder in the Coffee Shop
    • Beanie Quinn: Theft in the Village
  • Splatoon 1 & 2 “Splatfests” | Nintendo
    • These take the form of short, characterful introductions to the theme of the event, spoken by the game mascots (either Callie and Marie or Pearl and Marina). Unlike the bulk of the content in the game, these are written from scratch, not translated.
  • Two adventure modules for the Slavic-inspired “Old Roads” setting | MetaArcade (unreleased) (testimonial)
  • “80 Days” live game | Fire Hazard Games

Games I’ve worked on as a translator (all Nintendo except where indicated):

  • Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
  • Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland | Gust
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
  • Everybody’s Golf VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  • Go! Vacation
  • Mario Maker
  • Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate | Capcom
  • My Nintendo (website)
  • NES Remix 2
  • Nintendo Account (website)
  • Paper Mario: Color Splash
  • Puzzle and Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
  • Splatoon 1
  • Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion DLC
  • Style Boutique 3: Styling Star
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country

Anime I’ve worked on as a translator:

  • Yamishibai | Sentai Filmworks
  • Joshiraku | Sentai Filmworks
  • Nagasaret Airantou | Sentai Filmworks