In the research on game style and environment, I referred to the design of the game “inside”. It tells a story without words through the environment, lighting, and the movements of the characters themselves. The environment of the entire game is mostly dark. Its unique 2.5D game style has aroused my great interest, and I want to try this style in my own game as well.
Another point is that in inside, there is a small amount of the protagonist’s process of moving from light to darkness, which is also what I need, that is, the gradual change of the game atmosphere from warm to cold. Similarly, the minimalist style and environmental narrative of the game are also worth my study and reference. However, the difference is that most of the environment in this game is dark and leans towards “fear”, while I want my game to lean towards “loneliness” and “desolation”.
I also studied “Neva” developed by Nomada Studio. I like its minimalist environment and colorful hues very much, and it is also what I want to achieve in my game.
Neva features extremely beautiful graphics that change along with the emotions of the game characters. For instance, when the game reaches a stage that requires fear and tension, the environment will shift to night or the seabed, and the overall color tone will lean towards gray, black, blue and deep purple. The same applies to other emotions.
In terms of scene narrative, Neva also does a great job. He uses the different states of various items to imply the psychological changes and growth of the protagonist. For instance, the game begins with the protagonist and a young fox running freely on the grassland on a sunny day, which implies the protagonist’s carefree and unrestrained state of mind like a child. As the game progresses, the protagonist will experience various events and the environment will change accordingly, such as forests, mountains, etc. I will also try to make similar attempts in my game.
In “Neva”, the protagonist is accompanied by two different characters, namely the big fox and the little Fox. The big fox has always been the “protector” of the game’s protagonist, but this responsibility cannot last forever.
After the big fox left, a little fox came to the protagonist’s side. The protagonist’s identity suddenly changed from “the protected” to “the protector” of the little fox.
This transformation in identity and responsibility can effectively kickstart the game’s plot and lay a solid foundation for the subsequent growth of the game characters. I think this design is excellent.
The first fox represents comfort and protection, while the second one symbolizes growth and new emotional responsibilities.
This inspired my idea that I could also design an emotional “symbol” like a little fox to drive the emotional changes of the game’s protagonist.
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