Hello!

My name is G. Mulbern, and I am the creative lead and project manager of Residual Blood and the Skull Jockey dev team.

The Skull Jockey development team is currently looking for asset artists skilled in digital illustration, specifically upper-resolution pixel art, for general asset creation alongside fellow asset artists. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate stylistic range, flexibility, and variety and who can also work on a regular (weekly) basis to meet objectives in a cooperative environment in collaboration with other asset artists.

We are currently working on our debut title, Residual Blood, the first in a two-phase project that will serve as a public demonstration of what to expect in the main title (the second phase) in terms of gameplay, story, and overall experience. A crowdfunding campaign will launch alongside its segmented release to support development and grow further interest and enthusiasm for the overall project. Team members who remain with the team for at least the first phase can look forward to financial compensation before the mid-development cycle of Residual Blood begins, should all go to plan. The funding will come through crowdfunding primarily, though we are looking into gaining support from an indie-favoring publisher. Team members will thus be paid as independent contractors.

What will be Residual Blood?

Residual Blood is being developed as a story-focused, open-level, upper-resolution pixelated isometric shooter with light RPG elements. The game draws much inspiration in terms of gameplay spirit, soundscapes, and overall tone from game series with strong atmospheres, such as the STALKER and Metro 2033 franchises. Set in the far future on the distant world of Obstratsky, Residual Blood will put players in the shoes of an every-Joe scavenger. Who Joe will become as he survives Obstratsky and its inhabitants is up to the player’s choice. With branching dialogue trees and quests that influence each other and player choice in a chain of effects akin to a Rube-Goldberg domino line, the player’s decisions will shape how Joe comes out—and who he comes out as—at the end of Residual Blood.

As players explore the various regions of Obstratsky searching for grails and holy grails, they will face challenges where preparation and careful planning can make the difference between being slaughtered and crawling out alive. Though equipped with firearms, the player won’t be racking up a high kill count as they could in other games. Rather, with combat that focuses on player fragility, each encounter will be a wrestling match of strength and wit with enemies changing up their strategy depending on the player’s last interaction with them. Player skill is expressed not through a tree by through the player’s own skill. To improve one’s odds, the player can gather and augment equipment, gear, and weapons. With only preparation, wit, skill, and a dash of luck can the player survive and thrive in a hostile, post-apocalyptic environment grounded in a grimy view of reality but also invokes the more mysterious and esoteric sides of science fiction and science fantasy.

If you’re interested in lending your talent to the game’s development, send a resume/CV and a link to an online portfolio to projectnoodleman@gmail.com. If you know anyone would be interested in joining the team, have them send an application. We’re currently looking for asset artists with a range and variety of style who are willing to collaborate with a team to develop vivid assets in a high-resolution pixelated style. It’s important to us at Skull Jockey to make the most out of the isometric game format, especially when it comes to delivering atmosphere and immersion without a visible skybox throughout the game. We’re also looking for C# programmers who are at least familiar with Unity. Prior expertise in coding specific game features and mechanics is preferred, but not necessary.

For further information or to keep up to date with recent developments, check out our IndieDB page and twitter!

https://www.indiedb.com/games/residual-blood
https://twitter.com/Skull_Jockey