Game Design Document

///Game Overview///

>Title – Rejected<

>Elevator Pitch<

A game exploring the emotional depth of confrontation, rejection & reconciliation with loved ones through visual metaphors

>Genre & Platform<

• Genre – 3D, 3rd Person Adventure Art Game
• Platform – Primarily PC & Console, with questionalble mobile compatability due to potential hardware limitations

>Game Design Pillars<

• Colourful, Expressive Visual Metaphors
• Exploration of Emotions & Conflict
• Projective, Immersive Narritive

>Tone, Mood & Philosophy<

Colourful Visual Metaphorisation of Self-Reflection

>Target Audience<

‘Explorer’ type gamers, those who enjoy visuals, immersion, narritives and/or game poems.

>Similar Games<

-Gris-

Gris is a 2D Platform Adventure with an emphasis on gorgeous water colour like art. It also conveys its themes through visual metaphors, and uses colours to represent the stages of grief.

-Journey-

Just like mine, Journey is also a 3D Adventure Art game. It makes great utilisation of scale & proportion. It has amazingly intuitive level design and great metaphoric gameplay. Journey is able to represent the stages of life and the emotions attributed through it’s visuals and interactive, immersive world.

///Player Experience///

>Player Motivation<

Players should ideally be motivated to explore the dynamic, colourful Forest, Mindscape & Emotional Domains to progress the narritive.

Players should feel awe and intrigue in the visually metaphoric environments. They should also feel the heartbreak and struggles of the narritive’s conflict .

>Player Journey<

–Onboarding–

The player should experience the conflict between the protagonist and their loved one so it may immerse them. They should then be lead into the Forest & Mindscape, wherein they’re lead towards a part of it where an emotion can be seen affecting the visuals of said section of forest.

–Midgame–

Reaching a revelation on an emotion (collecting an item) will progress the story as the player will confront their loved one with new-found wisdom & understanding

–End–

This will continue until all revelations have been reached (collected), wherein the protagonist will be able to reconcile & resolve their conflict with their loved one.

///Structure & Progression///

>Level & Stage Overview<

>Onboarding & Difficulty<

The game should be extremely easy with not much in terms of difficulty. The controls should be inferable & intuitive by the player as they consist of basic movement and an interaction button found in many other games.

///Core Gameplay///

>Core Loop<

>Mechanics<

-Basic Interaction System-

For interacting/inspecting elements of the environment made interactive (like for ex. a lake where you can peer over to self-reflect and find a connection). Also for interacting with NPC characters. Should be just one button.

-Simple Movement-

Movement in all directions horizontally and a jump ability for verticle traversal.

-Minimal UI/HUD-

Due to the mentioned inferable & intuitive controls, little to no UI nor HUD should be required.

-One Off Gimmicks-

For making Emotional Domains more interesting. The gimmick should correspond to the given Emotion’s themes and tone (like for ex. firey obstacles for the Emotional Domain of Anger)

>System<

–Progression–

Reaching Revelations about an Emotion in the Player’s (Protagonist’s) self-reflection, which upon collection, allow for a unique confrontational dialogue with the Loved One based on the Player’s new-found wisdom & understand of said Emotion.

Each unique dialogue ends with their respective, unique rejections from the Loved One. From these dialogues, although the Loved One’s immediate reaction is that of rejection, the confrontations still accumulate in the Loved One’s mind.

This culminates until the Player Reaches a Revelation in all Emotions within the forest, wherein the Loved One finally understands the Player, they reconcile & the game ends.

–Narritive Structure–

Both Linear & Non-Linear structures could work as both have their ups & downs. Linear may be better for the Narritive as the unique confrontational dialogues can be written with the previous & next one in mind. Non-Linear would allow for more Player Agency & Freedom at the cost of all confrontational dialogues having no Narritive Order and thus having to be written independant of one another.

///Narritive & World///

>Story Premise<

A conflict between our Protagonist (player) and their Loved One has arisen. The protagonist must find a way to make peace & reconcile with their loved one through self-reflection, delving into their Mindscape & Emotions to reflect upon their mistakes. Only through self-reflection & betterment can our protagonist confront and resolve this thorn in the relationship; only through endurance & fortitude can they drudge through the Rejections and heartbreak, and reach through to their Loved One to reconcile.

By walking through the Forest, the Protagonist metaphorically delves into their psyche, which manifests as the Mindscape & Emotional Domains. Among these Domains include Anger, Fear, Isolation/Emptiness, Self-Centeredness, Self-Deprecation etc.

>Worldbuilding<

–Setting–

It is something of a contemporary fantasy. Although based in a ambiguously modern world, the protagonist ventures into the fantastical realm of the Mindscape & Emotional Domains for self-reflection & betterment.

–Themes–

• Emotional clouding of judgement
• The feasability of making peace and harmonry though perseverance
• The importance of support from others in tough times
• The balnce between humility, self care, tolerance & defiance.

>Character & Roles<

All characters are androgynous and speak vaguely so as to allow players to project their own life experiences into the story

–Key Characters–

• Protagonist – The Player controlled character, acting as the main driving force of the story. They do not speak and have a vaguely worded struggle so as to allow for the players to insert their own struggles into the story.
• Loved One – An antagonist who the player must try to reconcile with through wisdom and revelations gained in their self-reflection. The Loved One’s rejection is the primary driving force for the Protagonist’s proaction. Although the Loved One cares for the Protagonist, they are also rigid and reactionary. They consider the words of the Protagonist, yet they do not actively try to resolve the conflict, instead choosing to ignore and stand their ground, at least until they finally reconcile with the Protagonist after many confrontational dialogues.
• (Lasting Impact of) Supportive Friends – Supporting allies who the player encounters in their journey. They are here to emphasise the importance of allowing others into your life, even in your darkest moments. Their presence in the Mindscape & Emotional Domains is meant to represent the lasting, positive impact having supportive friends has on people even when they’re separated.

>Example Scenario<

Rejected by their Loved One again after confrontation, the player must delve deeper into self-reflection and reach a new revelation about their emotions. The player leaves the Homestead and treks into the vast Forest-Mindscape to search for connections which may lead them to reach a newly uncovered Emotion’s Domain within their psyche.

They peer into a pond, wherein their reflection unveils a connection towards a segment of wicked forest: the emotion of anger. The player, within the Domain of Anger, has their perception twisted and altered, static trees grow spikes and jagged edges. The sky shifts red and bark a void like darkness. Plants once swaying gracefully thrash and flail in a tantrum, forcing the player to avoid them (Gimmick). The player sees their character’s demeanor rageful; the Protagonist’s face twitching and body crouched, taking furious heavy steps. Even the character model twists into a spiky mess, its colours reflecting anger and rage.

In the distance however the player sees a point of bright, glowing yellow, defiantly contrasting the red hellscape. And upon closer inspection the Protagonist realises this point is a friend! Or rather, a lingering ghost of the friend who isn’t really here. Interacting with the friendly figure, they converse with the Player and calms the protagonist. Now thee infectious yellow scheme has been imparted onto the player character, making two who defy Anger itself. With this regained clarity thanks to their support, the Player gains another connection, and follows it deeper into the Domain of Anger. They will only stop until they breach the Heart of Anger, conquer it and reach a Revelation.

///Art Bible///

>Reference Images<

>Style Guide<

• All characters (somewhat) androgynous for players to project them & their experiences onto
• Cell Shaded flat look
• Dynamically Vibrant or Achromatic
• Use of Colour Psychology, Shape Theory & Scale/Proportion
• Cute, Cartoony characters, the environment can and should be the opposite at times, that being harsh, bleak etc.

>Character & Environment Sketches<

///Sound Design///

>Mood & Tone (Varied)<

-Anchors Players into the Mindscape’s variety of fantastical Emotional Domains that is the Protagonist’s internal psyche-

For example:

• Powerful yet unorganised to anchor the emotion: Anger
• Chaotic to anchor the quality: Irrationality
• Somber & Meek to represent the quality: Self-Deprecation
• Tense & shaky to represent the emotion: Fear

-Informs Players of the developing situation in confrontational dialogues through Mood & Tone shifts-

For example:

• Conveys the idea of ‘Common Ground’ through harmonising melodies
• Conveys the inverse of ‘Lack of Common Ground’ through incoherent, chaotic sounds
• Conveys frustration through heavy sounds
• Conveys indifference through lack of sounds

>References<

–Gris–

The powerful yet somber vocals + classical music is very touching. It helps anchors the player into the reality of the character. Its ability to get intense and very emotional would be valuablein informing Players of the situation they’re in.

///Technical & Production Notes///

>Tools & Engine<

Unity or anything better should do.

>Platform Constraints<

Questionable mobile compatability due to hardware’s questional handling of visuals vital to the game. PC & Console shouldn’t have any issues.