.png)
.png)
Flashlight
A simple tool in almost every horror game: THE FLASHLIGHT! I wanted a way to show players their health, so I thought, 'What if the flashlight represented it?' Now we have a hybrid tool that illuminates the area and indicates health.
Starting Area/Narrative
After I created the final Whitebox iteration of the main level, I played through it and realized it was missing a certain “feel”. When the player loaded in as OMI, they had to understand the controls which took them out of the immersion I wanted them to experience with the level.
I wanted it so that when the player enters, it is all about survival and not learning, so I had come up with this idea for a starting area which would give the players a safe spot to learn basics controls and get a strong sense or narrative into the experience, and this is where VAI came into play.
This also led to additional ideas such as having the tape room contain key items as a hint towards what the player might expect in the level, I also went strong into environmental storytelling in this area. Leading up to the tape the player will run into items around environment that comes from within the level!
As the player progresses further into the cave the abundance of these items become more common giving the idea that the tape is “spitting” these items out and claiming the area around it as its own.
Combat Design
The combat revolves around this “2-step” system, as I call it, which means the player can chain 2 additional attacks after the first, depending on the situation they are in. This all comes from the first hit of any attack briefly stunning the enemy, allowing the player to take in information on how to best handle the situation.
​
“I just shot it in the head. Do I knife to save ammo, or use more ammo to be safe? I wanted all players between both ends of the skill spectrum to be able to be successful in this game. A player with high accuracy won't need to chain attacks, as they will be landing continuous headshots. However, at any time, because of the stun, they can make a decision about what they want to do. That stun also allows new players more breathing room and prevents enemies from collapsing on them.”
Enemy Design
I have one “enemy,” but this enemy can have two separate minds, as I call it. One is more aggressive and one is more passive.
​
The passive mind, from a design standpoint, idles and waits for the player to come across it. It has more health and is slower, but deals the same damage. From a visual standpoint, to differentiate it from the aggressive mind, the passive enemy wears the same chains that it was bound with.
​
The aggressive mind actively patrols a surrounding area and is significantly faster than the passive mind. It serves to apply pressure on the player when they get too comfortable; however, the passive mind also provides a looming presence when the aggressive enemy is chasing them.
​
Before and during this game’s creation, I was playing games of a similar type to understand what I liked about those games. Was it the exploration that I liked the most? Or was it the enemies? One thing kept showing up in every “survival-horror” game I played was enemies that made you go “WHAT IS THAT?” such as the Necromorphs from Dead Space or the zombie baby from Resident Evil 8.
Level Design
I went through three level iterations before I landed on this version. This map constantly features one of the "golden" rules of game design, which is to introduce, expand, and then challenge the player with a mechanic. For example, introducing the player to the breakboard mechanic in a safe area, then expanding upon the mechanic by combining it with a no-light space, and then challenging the player to do it while fighting.
Additional Stuff
In native culture, it's a belief that when someone passes away their soul remains for exactly 3 days, and we have to help them to the other side, Combining that with old superstitions about the paranormal came this game. It's a game rooted in 2 places at the same time. You play as Vai, a dreamer exploring the old world through tapes trying to rebuild the past