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Game Story:
The gameplay isn’t focussed on the story, however it does exist within the background. The story offers some context to the situation the player is in, and allows them to view the game through a symbolic lens. The player won’t be told the story, but they could figure it out if they pay attention to the environment and symbolism throughout the game.
The player character resembles someone who suffers from black and white thinking and allowed themself to go down a dark path, becoming the shadow character seen in game. They no longer wanted to go outside, to make friends or to even be themself, so they became a shadow of themself. The gameplay experience, while not grounded in reality, is a symbolic interpretation of finding the light again; finding the things that give us hope and treating ourselves with kindness, learning that things don’t have to be the way we have decided they should be.
Subtle environmental storytelling will show the characters interests and their struggles with taking care of themself. As the player progresses through the game and collects more embers, the world will grow lighter and lighter, and they will no longer be at risk from getting lost in the shadows. By the end of the game, the character will be able to leave the house and step out into the sunlight, perhaps becoming their old self again.
The change of the world growing lighter will be depicted in environment design. The world will start very dark, with bold contrasts between light sources. As the player progresses, there will be more visible depth to the environment, revealing more of the characters home, but still appearing dark enough to be a threat if the player accidentally enters the shadows. by the end of the game, the world is light enough to no longer pose a threat to the player.
Location:
The game will take place within the player characters home. They are an adult male who lives alone with their cat. The player will traverse through multiple areas of the home, including:
- The cupboard
- The bedroom
- The office
- The kitchen
- The hallway
The player will learn more about the character as they traverse these areas, such as their job as an artist and their obsession with reading.
Game Timeline:
The player starts in the cupboard because it is the darkest place in the house (closed off from light) and ends in the hallway as they venture towards the door in an attempt to get outside.
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Gameplay:
Torchlight is a 2D puzzle platformer, which aims to deliver a simple and soothing gameplay experience through its eye-catching aesthetics and player focussed mechanics.
Puzzle:
Explore a dichromatic yet familiar world from a unique perspective, venturing through your home as a small shadow and completing puzzle and parkour challenges to reach light outside.
Unveil:
Collect embers and uncover more information the further you travel. Reveal more details in the environment and learn more about your characters life.
Enjoy:
Experience a beautiful game world at your own pace, with easy controls and a soothing atmosphere, helping you to jump straight in without any distractions.
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Visual Design:
Mood Board:
The visual style of Torchlight is the most important part of the game, as the gameplay and story are entirely based around the contrast between light and dark. It is heavily inspired by film noir and chiaroscuro aesthetics. I wanted the contrast between the light and dark areas of the game world to be stark, but they would eventually blur together, allowing the player to see a bigger picture and access more story through the environment. The colours are warm and vibrant, the light is intended to draw the player in like a moth to a flame. I’d like the light to have a soft glow to create a soothing a whimsical feeling.
Design choices:
- Focus on simplicity, contrast and isolated colour pallets.
- Inspired by Film Noir and Chiaroscuro aesthetics.
- A 2D game world.
- Set inside the character’s home, but everything is much larger, as if they had shrunk.
- Start of game:
- Strong contrast between light and dark
- Minimal detail
- looks alien to the player
- End of game:
- More detail
- Difference in contrast
- The player can now learn more about the characters life, and symbolically, find themselves again.
View my environment study and some previous concepts here:
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Sound Design:
Torchlight will only include diegetic sounds. One of my core focusses on this game is the users sensory experience, and so I feel that too much noise with the addition of a soundtrack might overwhelm the peaceful and reflective gameplay experience. Soft sounds grounded in the game world could create a greater ambience and be more soothing to the player. They would also help to ground the player in the game world.
Sound examples:
- Footsteps
- Fire crackling
- Switches clicking
- Microwave running
- PC turning on
- White noise
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User Interface:
The user interface will be minimal to avoid extra stress to the player. There will be a simple start menu, where players can access the settings (the accessibility settings will be accessed here). There will also be a settings button on-screen during gameplay, and a restart button, so players can restart their current level if they are stuck. Jump and movement buttons will be visible, but aside from this there will be no visible HUD to help the game feel as immersive as possible.
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Promotional Material:
To promote Torchlight throughout development and after production, I will post promotional material on Linked In, YouTube and Instagram. This will help me to share my game with others in the games industry, and increase awareness on my project, hopefully persuading some people to visit one of our exhibitions to play the game. I would also like to make the game available for the public to play for easy accessibility and further outreach. For my exhibitions, I would like to make some fun merchandise for my game to give out, such as stickers, posters and zines, as this will spark more interest in my game and give people something to remember me by. I will also hand out business cards with a link to my portfolio to help with my future career goals.
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Asset List:
All game assets can be reused, but some can only in certain sections. For example, a kitchen asset like food can only be reused in another kitchen level, and not in the hallway level. A more ambiguous asset, like a book, can be reused in any level where it makes logical sense. Below is a list of all the assets needed to make the game functional. More assets may be added during production depending on requirements, puzzle types and time frame.
| Player assets | Expectation |
| player.run | Runs left or right after ‘joystick’ input. |
| player.jump | Jumps up and falls after pressing button input. |
| player.fall | Follows the laws of gravity. |
| player.death | Level resets when dead. |
| player.objectinteraction | Player can move objects when pressing on an object, holding and dragging it, then releasing it (varies with accessibility settings). |
| player.lightinteraction | Player can interact with light by tapping interactable, or approaching with character. |
| player.collectableinteraction | Player collects embers by walking next to them, they then disappear and glow around the character instead. |
| Environment assets | Expectation |
| floor.standard | Black square that acts as a platform and barrier to the player. Shape adjustable. |
| background.standard | Black background. |
| light.circle | Circular light in adjustable sizes and colours. |
| light.triangle | Triangular light in adjustable sizes and colours. |
| light.square | Square light in adjustable sizes and colours. |
| lightswitch.square | Square light switch that turns light on and off. |
| lightswitch.string | Pullable light switch that turns light on and off. |
| cupboard.firefly | Firefly that moves and provides light for the player. |
| cupboard.hangers | Clothes hangers that act as a platform to the player. |
| cupboard.lamp | Lamp that acts as a platform to the player and provides light. |
| cupboard.boxes | Boxes that act as a platform to the player. |
| cupboard.books | Books that act as a platform to the player. |
| kitchen.food | Food that acts as a platform to the player. |
| kitchen.pans | Pans that act as a platform to the player. |
| kitchen.dishes | Dishes that act as a platform to the player. |
| bedroom.pillows | Pillows that act as a platform to the player, add extra boost to jump. |
| bedroom.potplant | Pot plant that acts as a platform to the player. |
| bedroom.mirror | Mirror that acts as a platform to the player, and can be used to manipulate light. |
| office.art | Artwork that acts as a platform to the player. |
| office.chair | Chair that acts as a platform to the player. |
| office.computer | Computer that acts as a platform to the player and provides light. |
| office.candle | Candle that provides light. |
| hallway.cattoys | Cat toys that act as a platform to the player. |
| hallway.shoes | Shoes that act as a platform to the player. |
| background.outside | Outside world design. |
| Sound assets | Expectation |
| sound.footsteps | Light tapping as player moves. |
| sound.bump | Light bump as player lands after jump. |
| sound.buttonpress | Button click as a button is pressed in game. |
| sound.firecrackle | Candle crackling sound. |
| sound.microwave | Microwave hum. |
| sound.fridge | Open fridge hum. |
| sound.blinds | Sound of blinds opening. |
| sound.computer | Sound of computer fans. |
| sound.computeron | Sound of computer turning on. |
| sound.firefly | Buzzing sound. |
| sound.bell | Bells ringing. |
| sound.dooropen | Door opening. |
| sound.click | Clicking when UI buttons pressed. |
| sound.happyambient | When collecting embers. |
| sound.sadambient | When player dies. |
| sound.zoop | Zoop sound when interacting with objects. |
| sound.birdsong | Birds singing. |
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Summary of deliverables:
- Minimum of 3 rooms (Cupboard, Kitchen, Hallway, 9 levels, 3 difficulty types) and an optimum of 5 rooms (15 levels).
- Subtle environmental storytelling through polished and aesthetic visual design.
- Atmospheric and fulfilling sound design.
- Variety of puzzle mechanics that offer various challenges and satisfaction to players.
- Easy to navigate user interface with basic tutorial steps and adjustable settings.
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