Play remembering here!
remembering is a polished version of my interactive fiction from P2.
This version has music, sound effects, and different backgrounds for different sections of the story. I worked hard to create a sense of presence and mood, and spent a good amount of time thinking about and selecting the music from different free music that was available online. If I was more skilled, I would have composed my own! Maybe someday in the future.
There are four distinct music choices marking different moods and parts of the story:
- default music for regular time in the forest
- crazed and kind of wacky music for the Indulgence to emphasize how off-kilter and uncomfortable it is
- intense music for the final sequence (either burning the forest down or chewing your way to escape) to signal that this is the climax
- uplifting and mystical music for when you have finally made it back to the water, too give a sense of resolution
In addition to the music, sound effects should help you feel more immersed:
- bubbles for when you are underwater
- splashes for falling in or getting out of water
- rain sounds
I really wanted to bring this feeling of water – and the familiar noises it makes – closer to the reader.
I thought it would also be cool to have sounds play when you click on the cycling links or the appearing links – so I added a kind of soft chime sound in a few places. In the section where you are remembering the underwater world and changing unfamiliar descriptions into familiar words, I play a chime for each interaction to create a dreamy kind of soundscape that also represents a kind of harmonious resolution as your mind comes to terms with the memories its forgotten.
Gradient backgrounds also help delimit portions of the story arc and set the mood. There are four different gradients/backgrounds:
- default black / green / white forest background – you are in the forest as usual
- all black – you are dreaming, or underwater
- black / pink / yellow – the Indulgence, which is higher energy so we need a hot pink (which also reflects the abundance of pink moss at this event)
- black / red / yellow – the forest is on fire!!! Red also gives off an intense atmosphere, which is good for the final climax
Besides adding visual / audial enrichment, I also went back and edited several passages to make them clearer, and I emphasized the more dramatic sequences (particularly the two endings and the Indulgence) by drawing them out into several passages. I think it should read a little nicer and feel less herky-jerky than it did before.
It’s still not amazing since I didn’t get to make abstract animations like I wanted to – I was hoping to create some undulating white line drawings for the underwater/dream sequences, and some pulsing shapes for the indulgence, but in the end I didn’t have time. Maybe it’s for the best, since I think the plain words on a gradient work well (similar to the game with those we love alive).
I didn’t create a rubric for this game, but I consider it a success because I think it’s a great improvement from the first version! It’s much more immersive and I think just more fun to click through. It’s not the best story but at least it makes sounds at you……….lol
