Concept
Omoide is a narrative game whose progression is intrinsically connected to decisions made by the player. It’s genre is a mix of RPG and Visual Novel.
The protagonist wakes up in an unknown world with no memory of their own appearance or name. The world is a representation of the protagonists subconscious where they will find different aspects of their psyche. As they proceed through the world they will encounter memories which is what the game levels are called. As they relive those memories the protagonist acquires more and more monsters that start living in this strange world. The monsters represent the choices that the player made throughout the memories. Each memory has at least two different endings that are based on the choices the player made throughout it. All the different endings of each memory add up to form the game’s real ending.
The protagonist is an unrecognizable being up until the final ending of the game when they remember who they are. There are over 25 different endings with different stories, monsters and protagonists.
The protagonist wakes up in an unknown world with no memory of their own appearance or name. The world is a representation of the protagonists subconscious where they will find different aspects of their psyche. As they proceed through the world they will encounter memories which is what the game levels are called. As they relive those memories the protagonist acquires more and more monsters that start living in this strange world. The monsters represent the choices that the player made throughout the memories. Each memory has at least two different endings that are based on the choices the player made throughout it. All the different endings of each memory add up to form the game’s real ending.
The protagonist is an unrecognizable being up until the final ending of the game when they remember who they are. There are over 25 different endings with different stories, monsters and protagonists.
In this project we began as a group of 4. Klarissa was assigned the concept and general artist, Jorge was the game designer and Pedro would work on the narrative and general development with me. I was the project manager and game designer. Within the first month the group had a conflict of interests and we decided to separate into smaller groups. I decided to work on the project alone and develop my original idea of the game. Even though our time as a group was short I still learned a lot about managing different people and creating deadlines for each area of development as well as using tools like gantt and trello.
As a solo designer i had to decide what was truly essential for the game’s production manual as I wouldn’t have enough time to work on everything. I decided to work on the game’s core mechanics and concept.
As a solo designer i had to decide what was truly essential for the game’s production manual as I wouldn’t have enough time to work on everything. I decided to work on the game’s core mechanics and concept.
This is a flowchart that explains how the narrative works in this game. While each memory has at least two routes, they don’t fully affect how the story progresses until the end. The endings are decided based on the combination of all different memory endings chosen by the player. So if the player were to choose ending one on memory one and ending two on memory two the final ending would be different from if they had chosen ending two to memory one and ending one to memory two.
In omoide there are two game modes: the Main world and the Memories. The main world is an RPG style world where the player can move freely throughout the map. The map is linear and leads to memories that the player must interact with to continue on with the story. There are many “rooms” but only one “hallway” so that the player can feel free to explore but still ends up following the main storyline. The map has locked areas which ensure that the player has been through all the memories left in the area before they can progress with the story.
The memories are visual novel style levels that tell the story of the protagonist. They set up a scenario where the player has two options of actions to take. Each choice grants the player a different key item and monster. The monster then follows the player through the main world until the end of the game.
Key items are used to open the locked areas that were mentioned earlier. As the player reaches one of those they will encounter an obstacle-monster. The key item is then used to interact with the monster and open the locked area. It is important to mention that the key item received changes the interaction the player will have with the monster. For example, if the key item is a cake then the protagonist will have a peaceful interaction with the monster, feeding it the cake. That will make the monster move and therefore expose a passage to the new area. But if the key item received is, for example, a knife then the protagonist will try to kill the monster to gain access to the passage.This interaction is an unskippable animation.
I wanted to design this as a response to the players actions and choices in the memories, so that if you choose to be violent then you will have to face the consequences of making a violent protagonist. The key item received is correlated to the action chosen in the most recent memory played.
I wanted to design this as a response to the players actions and choices in the memories, so that if you choose to be violent then you will have to face the consequences of making a violent protagonist. The key item received is correlated to the action chosen in the most recent memory played.
There are three types of monsters in the game: Obstacle monsters, Trophy monsters and secondary monsters.
Obstacle monsters have been mentioned above, they guard passage to locked areas and can only be “fought” after the player has collected the key item from the latest available memory.
Trophy monsters are acquired after the player finishes a memory. Each memory ending grants a different trophy monster. They follow the protagonist around and have specific personalities. Trophy monsters and key items are collectables and in the end of the game the player can check how many of each he has encountered in all of their playthroughs. I find this an interesting addition that helps increase the games replayability.
Secondary monsters are the Main world’s population. The number of them increase as the protagonist remembers more of their past.
Obstacle monsters have been mentioned above, they guard passage to locked areas and can only be “fought” after the player has collected the key item from the latest available memory.
Trophy monsters are acquired after the player finishes a memory. Each memory ending grants a different trophy monster. They follow the protagonist around and have specific personalities. Trophy monsters and key items are collectables and in the end of the game the player can check how many of each he has encountered in all of their playthroughs. I find this an interesting addition that helps increase the games replayability.
Secondary monsters are the Main world’s population. The number of them increase as the protagonist remembers more of their past.
Paranoia is one of the trophy monsters that accompanies the protagonist through the Main world. The protagonist can never see Paranoia since the monster is always right behind their head. This is a colored sprite of the Paranoia monster drawn by me.
Original concept art was designed by Connor Gibb.
Original concept art was designed by Connor Gibb.
The class I did this project for demanded a production manual as the final documentation of the project. I decided to only focus on one memory so I could thoroughly explain how to replicate the UI and the narrative mechanics for the other stages of the game.
I found that the best way to do that would be by writing and drawing a storyboard of the stage. That would also help me understand how much would be spent on art assets each stage, as budgeting the project was also part of this classes documentation requirements.
I drew the storyboard and combined it with the wireframes of each screen so i could have a good idea of how the memory would flow for the player.
I found that the best way to do that would be by writing and drawing a storyboard of the stage. That would also help me understand how much would be spent on art assets each stage, as budgeting the project was also part of this classes documentation requirements.
I drew the storyboard and combined it with the wireframes of each screen so i could have a good idea of how the memory would flow for the player.
