This semester, for the PBL (Project Based Learning) of the 2D Games, Fundamentals of Interaction, and Strategic Communication courses, we were tasked with creating a game in groups of 4 students, based on a theme chosen by everyone: transformation.
During a Fundamentals of Interaction class, the professor led an exercise called “Crazy 8s,” where each group member had to write down 8 ideas related to the theme—one idea per minute—for the project’s initial brainstorming. In the end, we had a total of 32 ideas to draw inspiration from for our game, and the one that stood out the most was: “the transformation of ephemeral moments into eternal memories through photography.”
This premise is very cool, but it presented some narrative challenges regarding how we would tell a story involving that. However, little by little, we built our idea, and although it has now distanced itself a bit from the original premise, I dare say it is a game idea with a lot of potential.
It’s already been a month since this initial conception happened; I’m only writing now because the days have been frantic and I haven’t found much time to do other things. But we haven’t started the implementation phase yet, so it’s not too late to start writing.
Our game has a name: Eclipse. This title was the idea of my group mate Lara, to reference the situation the protagonist is currently in: he suffered a car accident and lost his memory, and the game takes place inside his mind during his coma, where the player has to help him recover his memory through photos. Therefore, we chose Eclipse because “the game takes place in one reality in an attempt to discover another; in other words, the overlapping of one reality over another can fit into the metaphor of an eclipse. The final resolution of the game is the total discovery of the so-called ‘true’ reality, completely blocking out the ‘false’ reality of the dream.” — Lara
Eclipse will be a puzzle adventure game, made in pixel art with a top-down view. We want to adopt a surrealist and psychedelic aesthetic to reflect the actual surreality of the human subconscious, and the maps will primarily be liminal spaces (yes, I am a fan of the Backrooms).
We are currently deciding on the narrative and the puzzles, so we can then begin the level design, sprites, and tiles. We need to decide this ASAP so we can move forward.