Game Name:
Below The Break
Genre:
- Action-adventure puzzler
- 2D
- Interactive with objects
- Third-person
Platform:
- PC
- Mobile IOS/Andoid
- Easy to navigate and interact so Below The Break can be accessible on both of these platforms.
Players:
Below The Break is a single player game to exaggerate the theme of anxiety and how isolating it is.
Elevator Pitch:
You play as an anxious teenager whose family member suddenly became very ill. This sends you into an anxious spiral. You as the player has to navigate through this underwater world, completing puzzles along the way to escape this spiral.
Story Overview:
You play as an 18-year-old anxious girl. The game starts with the girl sinking into the water far beyond her depth. Text appears on the screen as she sinks further and further, giving a backstory to show what has happened and why she’s here. The game then skips to her being locked in a small, underwater-themed room where you must complete puzzles to move to the next room. Each room will become brighter with a more vibrant colour pallet.
Core Mechanics:
Navigation– Players will navigate and move with the basic controls. PC being arrows or W,A,S,D and on mobile there will be a joystick. The game is also third person.
Interactivity– To interact with objects to complete the puzzle you simply walk to the object and click. There will then be specific on-screen instructions to tell you what to do next.
Unique Selling Points:
- Anxiety Meter- In the game, there is an anxiety meter on the screen. This is initially a timer to complete each puzzle and will reset when a puzzle is completed. As the anxiety meter lowers, you will hear her heartbeat gradually get faster. When it reaches 0 the game restarts. You will still be at the same level you reached but the puzzle will be restarted.
- Isolating- Apart from objects there is nothing you can interact with, enhancing that feeling of isolation that anxiety gives you.
Gameplay experience:
My aim is for players to understand what it is like to live with anxiety and how difficult it can be. If a player who is anxious plays this game they may walk away feeling heard, but if the player is not anxious they could walk away with more of an understanding.
Target Audience:
- People with anxiety or mental health issues
- All genders
- 16 years+ as younger people may not understand the meaning
- People who enjoy adventure-puzzler games