❓- Who are you?
My name is Federico Montalesi. I’m Italian—specifically from South Tyrol—and I’m the team’s game designer. Alongside creating games, I also study them, and I’m currently completing my master’s in Game Studies in Klagenfurt. When I’m not studying or designing games, I spend my time painting miniatures and playing board games with friends.
❓- How did you start to work at Fire Totem Games?
I basically wandered into Sebastian’s office asking for a job. Okay, maybe the story is a bit more complicated than that.
While studying for my Master’s in Game Studies and Engineering in Klagenfurt, I’d heard a lot about A Webbing Journey and Fire Totem Games, although they both remained somewhat mysterious to me. They participated in game jams, won them all, and then went back to working on AWJ. Sebastian and his team were a huge source of inspiration—and definitely a group I wanted to work with.
My opportunity came in the '23, when I helped organize the university’s winter game jam. Sebastian was also on the organizing team, and we ended up collaborating on the trophies (he handled the 3D printing, I did the painting).
I took that chance to pitch myself as a game designer, since I was looking for an internship at the time. After a brief round of interviews and a small test, Sebastian brought me on as an intern. By the end of that experience, they decided to welcome me onto the team officially.
❓- What is your role at Fire Totem Games?
As the team’s game designer, I’m essentially responsible for sorting through all the ideas we generate, figuring out which ones will work, and then applying them to our core vision—usually while writing a lot of documentation. My role actually goes beyond that. As a designer, I also handle level design (my favorite part) and contribute to narrative design, from dialogue to world-building. I’m also in charge of organizing playtests, which is incredibly important for my work.
One interesting aspect of my role is that even though I create most of the quests and levels, I’m not usually the one who decides what actually makes it into the final game. That decision belongs to our game director, Sebastian, and I maintain a constant dialogue with him about the direction we’re taking.
❓- How does your job work?
Whether it’s a new game area, a quest, or a mechanic, the process is roughly the same. It usually begins by generating ideas, which can come from anywhere: brainstorming with the team, reading user comments, or even taking a walk. Then we filter those ideas to see what could work and what might not, which is when I have my first discussion with Sebastian.
Once that’s done, we turn the idea into clear documentation so everyone on the team understands it. This step can be lengthy, and it’s often here that we realize whether the initial concept will actually work. If not, we make adjustments. After another round of feedback from Sebastian—who can approve, reject, or request further changes—everything gets refined until it feels right.
Next comes the prototyping phase, which I find really fun because that’s when we get to see if our ideas truly come together. Depending on the scope, I might do the work alone—especially if it’s a level—but for something like a new mechanic, I’ll often need Sebastian’s help. Even at this stage, the prototype goes through multiple tests and tweaks until it works as intended, or else it’s scrapped.
Finally, there’s testing! Lots and lots of testing.
❓- What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
I definitely love level design because I enjoy watching the world (or individual rooms, in this case) come to life. In particular, the grey-boxing or block-out phase has always been my favorite part of the process, since it marks the beginning of shaping a level into its final form. It’s exciting to transform expectations into something tangible that people can actually experience.
❓- What is your favorite video game?
Outer Wilds, Undertale, Myst—exactly in that order. I won’t say more or I’d end up writing a whole book!
❓- What is your favorite thing in A Webbing Journey?
Shmoops. Jokes aside, I really love the unexpected interactions that happen in the game. They always make me laugh, and watching players come up with new ones is great fun. Remember: it’s not a bug if it can be a feature.
But also... Shmoops.