The Selves Within Time
Game Design
Narrative for Game Design
#Third-person RPG #Level Design #Dream Core
This design employs a third-person perspective PC game as the medium, crafting a journey for the player to traverse through time and rediscover oneself. The gameplay centers around collecting and throwing objects, using dream-core style settings to create a rich spatial experience and emotional engagement. The design of the game's scenes is based on the theory of wave function collapse, utilizing parametric modeling software to generate varied and intriguing spaces. Throughout the journey, the continual transformation of character appearances and scenes guides players to explore their self-identity and evoke emotional resonance.
Character Design
The character design corresponds to each level, linking the timeline of the story through five variations. The character's appearance and clothing draw inspiration from my childhood memories at different stages, also reflecting some era-specific features. The character's shrinking body symbolizes the reversal of the timeline.
Narrative Design
Sometimes, the growth of our bodies, age, and experience can actually narrow our perspective. However, looking through the clear eyes of a child, we can see that we once had much more. Looking back is also a process of self-discovery. Through the game, we return to moments of radiance from the past, picking up the qualities we once possessed. They never disappeared; they just need a journey to awaken them.
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Level Design
The game levels are designed using narrative space design techniques to tell the story through the space of each level, making the player feel more immersed.
Level Map
The sequence of the spatial organization is inspired by the actual layout of my real-life residence. Their placement also corresponds to the rooms in my home, each associated with different functions.
Spatial Design for Each Level
Level 1 - Bedroom
Level 2 - Stage
The inspiration for this level's space comes from my own room. By breaking this room apart, it symbolizes shattering the constraints of reality upon oneself, stepping into a world of fantasy to rediscover the true self." This translation captures the original metaphorical depth and introspective nature of your statement.
In this level, the difficulty is increased by adding complexity to the paths and introducing more hostile units.
Progress Bar
Level 3 - Banquet
Level 4 - Bath
Level 5 - Tunnel
The focus of this level is on aiming and throwing, so the pathways for walking are designed to be linear, relatively spacious, and straightforward. Players must achieve the objectives on each level before proceeding to the next one.
This design is inspired by childhood fantasies of underwater worlds experienced during bath time. Nostalgic elements commonly used in baths, such as bath bombs and rubber duck toys, serve as building props. The world reflected in the mirror represents the projection of the little adventurer's fantasies in the real world, embodying the creativity of childhood.
This design represents the final transitional level leading to the present self, drawing inspiration from childhood fears. Players are required to confront and overcome symbolic elements of fear, such as a hand representing school bullying, using items collected from previous levels. This process leads to the realization that all valuable qualities have, in fact, always been intact.
Gameplay
Game Flow
