Hide And Bleed
MY DESIGN PROGRESS
The warmth behind a murder
Genre
This is a first person single player interactive narrative game. Detective, terror
Target Audience
Sometimes life is difficult enough, and stressed people are looking for a spiritual anchor, an emotional release. That's why I made this game.
User Experience Goal
The player will feel layers of horror and relief throughout the game. There's a lot of twist and inspiration in the story, and that's the kind of game experience I've been looking for. In addition, I am also fascinated by the design of buildings. The house itself is a work of art. Just a simple tour of the house explains a lot of the story.
Game Play
The player enters the house as the spirit of the owner or inhabitant of the house. Players will interact with objects in the room, unlock dialogue, do some simple puzzle games, and eventually find out how they died.
Last memory flash black
That's why I created this game. Now there's also some scientific research confirming that a lifetime of memories may indeed flash before you as the time of death approaches. In the story, each character who dies unexpectedly can relive the memory of their previous death. However, understanding the truth of their own death is not the ultimate goal of the game, in the process of understanding the truth of death, it is the most important to touch the people and memories that they have been the most unwilling.
Cult
It was almost the whole game, and I watched the movie The Wicker Man and other documentaries to understand how a cult works and how it affects people's psychology. Cults offer exactly what you've been looking for for a long time and haven't found. Strangely enough, it knows exactly what you're missing. Many people fall into the vortex of cults precisely to make up for the pit in their hearts. This makes for a perfect villain for me.
Twist: Surprise!
I want a story full of surprises, twists, more than one twist. I want players to be subverted. So I used a lot of detective stories and horror stories. I found two inspirations: the discovery that the victim was myself, and found out I was the killer. I chose the first one. The player is like a bystander, a floating soul, but every step is walking the story of their own past.
Level Design
The revelation of information and plot should be ingeniously integrated into the house's structure, allowing players to piece together the truth during the exploration process gradually. Through the spatial layout of the room, the placement of objects, the guidance of light, and the design of traces, the plot is naturally presented in the form of an environmental narrative. For example, a trampoline is not only a jumping tool to reach another house, but also a symbol of the relationship between characters. The underground passage is hidden beneath unremarkable wooden boards, and the secrets are gradually revealed through bloodstains and flickering lights. As players walk from the broken photo frame upstairs and the uncleaned tableware in the kitchen downstairs into the underground secret passage, the space itself becomes the carrier of the plot. A well-designed house should have a clear hierarchy and rhythm, ingeniously combining the exploration route, the advancement of puzzles, and the revelation of the plot, allowing players to gain immersion and surprise during the process of "discovery".
From A to B
Vertical space
trampoline
On the ground:
Jump to the balcony or roof via trampoline.
concealed paths
underground passage
Underground:
A secret passage with a hidden entrance, but guided by clues.
Plot and dialogue
The player enters the game in the first-person mode, and to make it more immersive, I chose to use voice acting. Sounds and subtitles are triggered when the player is near an area where they can interact. The two work together to make the player have a profound game experience.
Plot and setting
In order to render the eerie atmosphere, I made a lot of foreshadowing in the overall color matching and some details of the house, trying to let the house tell its own story. Especially the story is about the two families of the neighbors, so I have a lot of features for the two houses, so that the player can distinguish. In addition, many Windows and lights are placed to guide the player to explore.
Plot and gameplay
The interaction with items is the core of the game, and items are collected to provide information to the player. There is some connection between each item, which helps the player to explore every corner better. The setting of keys and doors can effectively control the pace of the game. Locked doors prevent players from moving to the next stage too early, breaking the game's setting.
Play Test & iteration process
There is no good man without a bad man
Don't tell the player the truth too soon, or they won't believe it either
If it's important, make it easier for me to find it
