Disclaimer – Some slides with our prototypes have videos, so we won’t be able to play on here, but attached will be a link to download the presentation
Link to Presentation:
https://sotonac-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/r/personal/ap2x07_soton_ac_uk/Documents/Games2026-Students/Phase4/Archive 13 (1).pptx?d=wde2caca542934185841dd6107aebd433&csf=1&web=1&e=YCCF2J
Speaker notes
Slide 1 💬Hello, we’re Jessie and Izzy, and today we’re presenting our game concept, Archive 13. Our tagline is ‘Uncover the truth, but at what cost?’ This sets the tone for our project: a mystery-driven, choice-based narrative where players must balance morality, reputation, and danger. Throughout this presentation, we’ll walk you through the premise, design aesthetics, narrative structure, gameplay systems, prototypes, and audio direction.
Slide 2 💬Archive 13 is a narrative-driven mystery and investigative game. The biggest emphasis is on player choice what to follow, what to publish, and what to ignore. The game is intended for PC and consoles to reach narrative-focused players. Our audience includes fans of true-crime media, detective games, and choice-driven storytelling like Life is Strange or Tell Me Why. These players enjoy piecing together clues, moral dilemmas, and branching narratives
Slide 3 💬This slide shows our mood board for the intro and office environment. We want the space to feel slightly run-down, cluttered, and lived-in. The idea is to reflect the main character’s struggling career and the pressure they’re under. The lighting is intentionally dim and atmospheric, giving the opening scene a noir-inspired tone. This environment sets the emotional foundation of the game before the narrative kicks in.
Slide 4 💬 This mood board focuses on the computer interface aesthetic, which is a major part of gameplay. We’re inspired by old newspaper software and police archives. The design needs to feel functional and slightly unsettling- like you’re rummaging through forgotten or confidential files. This helps ground the player in the investigative theme and makes their actions feel consequential.
Slide 5 💬 This board represents locations where the protagonist meets their contacts- informants, suspects, or sources. We aimed for darker urban spaces, cafés, abandoned-looking corners, and ambiguous public areas. Each location adds tension and variety, giving the player a sense that they’re stepping deeper into a dangerous investigation, away from the safety of the office and computer.
Slide 6 💬 This final mood board represents broader environmental inspiration- places the story may take the player or locations referenced in evidence. These visuals help us maintain a consistent tone across the narrative: cold, gritty, and slightly mysterious. It ensures all scenes feel like they belong in the same world, reinforcing the game’s realism and atmosphere.
Slide 7 💬 This mood board showcases the anonymous provider, the one who will never show their face. This character will always remain a silhouette to play on the mystery of the character, and leaves the player guessing who this person might be and why they have this inside knowledge
Slide 8 💬 This mood board showcases the Chief Editor, also known as your boss. This character will mainly appear during the introduction scene, where they give the player the backstory/give players a mini tutorial on how the game operates. The images used are to show certain clothing that the character might wear, and also give an insight into the personality of the character
Slide 9 💬 Here are the characters in the environment
Slide 10 💬 Here displays our narrative for the game in the style of a storyboard
Slide 11 💬 To show our vision, I created some basic 2D art for our prototype. The game will be a mix of 2D and 3D. Computer scenes will be entirely 2D, whereas the intro to the game and other specific locations will be 3D.
Slide 12 💬 Here is the 3D model for our game. It is a placeholder for the time being. It was created to help aid the visuals of our game
Slide 13 💬 Here are our core gameplay loops
Slide 14 💬 Here are some of the prototypes that were made for testing the visuals and the narrative
Slide 15 💬 Here are some of the audios for our game that we think would appear, and if we were to have music, it would probably have some pianos in the background