Before Start

Mechanics or Plot?

During the first two years of my studies, I conceptualized and created many text-based adventure games, which took the form of visual novels or murder investigations. While I still have a deep affection for this type of game, I gradually began to feel frustrated with experiences that require prolonged reading.

This shift may be influenced by the short-form video era, like TikTok and Instagram Reels. I find it increasingly difficult to maintain focus when processing large amounts of text. Although I see this as an unfortunate regression, for this project, I decided to consciously explore a design direction that places greater emphasis on the combination of gameplay mechanics and story rather than the plot alone.

Why Already Thinking About Fairy Tales?

Before I began conceptualizing this project, fairy tales were already a theme I had decided on. This is because I rewatched an anime I had watched as a child during this summer break, Princess Tutu, Although I can no longer recall the exact details of the story, the series still left a deep impression on me. Its ending was particularly heartbreaking.

The heroine, who transforms from a duck into a human, ultimately does not receive the prince’s love. At the end of her tale, she returns to being an ordinary duck in the final moments of the story. This ending left me with a strong and complicated feeling.

I started to rethink what the story was really about when I rewatched the anime. And then I realized that it is actually a fairy tale about self-acceptance and identity. The main character wants to help the prince, so she accepts the villain’s offer and turns into a human. However, the future waiting for her is a tragedy that has already been planned: if she ever tries to express her feelings to the prince in order to help him, she will turn into bubbles.

In the end, the one who saves the prince with her feelings is the Black Swan Princess. The main character chooses to give up her right to remain human in order to help seal away the evil. Before the ending, she struggles deeply: she doesn’t want to lose the friendships and connections she formed while being human, and she is afraid of turning back into a duck that cannot communicate with anyone.

But in the end, she does not express her love to the prince. Instead, she accepts the bond between the prince and the Black Swan, and also accepts herself as a duck. This completely changed the sadness I remembered from childhood, because I realized that this is actually a very good ending.

Fairy tales don’t have to end with romance. The prince and the princess don’t always need to live happily ever after together. What matters more is that everyone finds the ending that is best for them. The heroine turns back into a duck, but she accepts who she really is and is no longer alone, with the knight by her side. The prince finally notices the Black Swan Princess, who has always loved him and supported him in silence. And the knight, by bravely helping the prince, fulfils his own role and, with the help of the heroine, escapes a fate that was meant to be fatal.

Experiencing this anime led me to re-examine fairy tales as a literary form. In this project, I seek to reflect on the creative approaches and philosophies I learned from the story and to create a piece that expresses the same underlying ideas.