Game Writer & Narrative Designer
MUST.
Roles
Designer, Project Manager
Team
4 people
Time
4 days
Tools Used
Unity
Genre:
Environmental 3D Puzzle
MUST. was a project made for a game jam event hosted by my university. The theme was Doppelgänger and my team and I tried to aim for a more out-of-the-box solution.
MUST. is a first-person puzzle game aimed to illustrate the life of someone that suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In order to recreate the experience, we incorporated the Doppelgänger theme by showcasing how people's mental states can alter their perceptions of reality. The player goes through the anxiety-inducing lifestyle of having daily intrusive thoughts which are represented through aggravating sounds. The only way to relieve such thoughts is to arrange objects in a neat manner. Each correctly placed item gradually reduces the noise giving the player enough relief to leave the house for the day and sleep for the night.
My Contributions
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Designed the level
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Contributed a lot to the concepting
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Created post-processing effects
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Researched what OCD is and how it is experienced by people who suffer from it
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Managed the workload and distributed tasks based on the team members' strengths
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Assisted in audio implementation
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Designed the game mechanics and progression
Process
Though we had very little time to come up with and create a game, I made sure that the scope was manageable enough for us to create an entertaining and informative prototype. Two of us on the team crafted the concept based on my research on OCD and then we immediately jumped into work. I sketched out the layout of the level by keeping in mind what the player sees first when they enter the room, as well as how dense/empty different areas would be interaction-wise. I made sure it was well-spread and, albeit the small size, the room would still feel explorable.
Additionally, to further immersion and convey the story, I created post-processing volume profiles for the URP in Unity - one for the day and one for the night.
