Game Overview

Outline / Elevator pitch

Finding Home is a 2D platform-adventure game for Xbox and PC players where the protagonist is a juvenile black cat who has been unfairly treated and seeks an escape. Now free but alone, the cat wanders through the streets and countryside of (Kitusbury) in search of its new home.

Genre

The main genre that the game revolves around, as previously mentioned, is platform-adventuring. However, there is action and puzzle-solving elements in the game, too.

Platform

The platform that the game is intended for is Xbox and PC. However, modifications to the controls in game could make it compatible with other consoles such a Playstation.

Target audience

The intended demographic for this game has an age range between 14-34. Their regions would be in the UK or US, though language options could be translated at a later date, making them accessible with other regions. People who may enjoy playing Ori and the Blind Forest as well as Stray and Hollow Knight are more likely to enjoy this game because there is a balance of exploring a large map and fighting off enemies with the unique fighting style of a feline.

Design Intention / Essential Experience

Players will experience the joy and freedom of adventuring through a world where they can interact with and help wildlife in a closer proximity than humans by having the player character be a feline, which is a much smaller animal than humans are.

Design Pillars

Pillar 1 – Soft, welcoming habitat:
Players feel curious and excited exploring rural and urban landscapes through the use of sound, ambience and the environment. (aesthetic)
(The player would be able to explore the map. Different paths lead to different sections of the map. Allow exploration, maybe give the player a map button to see where they have been which would make them want to find  the areas they haven’t seen yet. The scenery could use soft and vibrant colours to make it beautiful and calming to look at)

Pillar 2 – choice of lifestyle:
Players develop identity by picking a desired outcome between stray and domesticated life based on their positive and negative interactions with NPCs from both parts of the game. (narrative)
(The player will encounter NPC’s in both the forest and the town that are both nice – giving the player toys, food, water etc, or hostile – attacking the cat, trapping the cat etc. The player would be able to use their controls to determine how to respond – hiss, scratch, bite, run away etc)

Pillar 3 feline mannerisms/behaviour:
Players are challenged to survive with the behaviours and attack patterns of a feline and learn to adapt and master them through increasingly stronger enemies that appear as the player progresses through the game. (mechanic)
(There would be different buttons on the controller that would cause the character to do different behaviours. Both positive and negative behaviours that could make the game feel more playful whilst also affecting how an NPC responds)

Core values

Calm, cozy, fun, playful, curiosity