Group Project: One Last Look (Design Document)
This is a first-person puzzle game inspired by “walking simulators” like Firewatch, Gone Home, and What Remains of Edith Finch. The game takes place on the single street of a Shanghainese longtang (street of lane houses). The user will move forward to interact with different characters who give them puzzles to solve; if the user turns around, however, they will see that the neighborhood is being demolished behind them.
Each puzzle will unlock a section of a photograph. After solving 3–5 puzzles, the user will reach a gate to walk through; after being prompted, they will turn around to look back at the neighborhood for a final good-bye. By then, the neighborhood will be replaced by new buildings, and the character will only be able to hold up what remains of their photograph.
In this game, the user will start by walking forward through the lilong; as they come across other characters, the user will be asked if they want to help the character, and the user can select yes or no (they can also opt out at any time during the puzzle). The characters will only speak Shanghainese while instructing the player (or Mandarin with a thick Shanghainese accent); even if they don’t understand Shanghainese, the user has to click and drag things to figure out what the character needs. If they are on the right track, there will be positive audio feedback and maybe a green filter; if they are on the wrong track, there will be negative audio feedback and a red one. Some examples we thought of were: a child wanting help with a wooden puzzle game (the pieces would have to be clicked in the right order), grabbing something that is out-of-reach for an old grandmother, etc.
If the user completes the puzzle, they will collect part of a photograph. As the user progresses forwards, they realize that they cannot walk backwards (they will run into an invisible barrier) if they turn around; the neighborhood is under demolition, and there is nowhere to go but forward. The user has the responsibility of solving puzzles in order to find pieces of the photograph, to keep as their only memories of the place. The game ends once the user reaches the gate and is asked “would you like to say good-bye?”
In terms of game mechanics, we will need the user to walk forward, click, drag and drop object, and turn around (although they will not be able to walk back). We will also need to figure out how to make our setting disappear as we walk forward. Another question we have is how to portray the characters in this story; should we be as detailed as possible, or leave them more abstract?
