Mood:
Mystery, Investigative, Horror
We are setting our game on a university campus, but with cult and dark/mysterious undertones because there are a series of cult-related sacrifices occurring throughout the game. Our game hinges on a murder-mystery style plot as the players attempt to stop the string of cult murders. The aesthetic of “dark academia” (candles, scrolls, old dusty books, maroon/brown/grey colors) best fit this mood for our game.
Playlist:
I do not have Spotify, but my playlist would consist of:
- Ptolemaea, Ethan Cain
- Bury a friend, Billie Eilish
- Hostage, Billie Eilish
- We Will Rock You, Queen
- August Underground, Ethel Cain
- Televangilsim, Ethel Cain
- Strangers, Ethel Cain
(Ethel Cain is an alternative artist who recently wrote an album about a cult-related mutder, so I thought it fit really well!)
Directions:
The premise of our game for P2 involves a protagonist (university student), who’s roommate disappears while investigating a series of cult-related murders on/around campus. After their roommates disappearance, the protagonist begins to search for their friend and finds themselves unveiling the horrors of the cult-killings around campus.
Game Style:
Beginning with the contents of the roommates’ Polaroid collection and/or journal, the players use a combination of puzzles/riddles in the game box. Rather than an escape hte room, it would be an escape the box, consisting of a series of puzzles of different styles. Along with this, there would be a single website/coded element where the players can type their guesses and answers into and discover if they are correct.
Fun:
For our game, we are focusing on the following types of fun:
a. Narrative: throughout the game, the puzzles unlock more information about the mystery. Players discover more information about the cult, who is involved, and who is going to be killed yet. Each of the puzzles will enhance the plot, add more nuance and stakes to the narrative.
b. Challenge: our game is comprised of 3-4 sub-puzzles that the players must complete as they uncover the cult mystery. Each of these will present a unique challenge and obstacle to that player’s gameplay. Each puzzle will be unique, leveraging different skills of deciphering, creativity, and problem solving. As the game processes, each puzzle will become increasingly difficult and may introduce red-herrings to mislead the players. For the final puzzle, the players will need to combine all their information to guess the cult leader/final killing spot. However, an error earlier in the game may cause the team to make an incorrect prediction!
Narrative Direction Ideas:
a. The cult kills many people at the beginning of the game, the players must look through all of the crime scene reports to identify cult strategies/patterns. As the players progress further through the game, more killings occur and players must (1) identify if a new murder is cult-related, and (2) if it is, try to draw some conclusions from it that may help them uncover the plot.
b. Players discover audio files/Polaroids that they must decipher using a cipher provided to them in the box. Perhaps there are two different ciphers and one may lead the players down the wrong road.
