For P2, our team is thinking of creating some sort of first-person murder mystery game. We want there to be a rich narrative to be intertwined with the murder mystery, perhaps with a big plot twist. Some emotions we want to evoke are dark, creepy, and suspense. A movie that reminds me of the game we are trying to make for P2 is the Korean film, Oldboy.
Direction #1: Murder Mystery (You are the victim)
Kinds of fun: Narrative, Discovery, Challenge
This is the direction that our team seems to agree on the most. We envision the player mysteriously wake up on the top floor of some abandoned, dilapidated building. We were thinking that the character has amnesia and can’t remember how they ended up at the building to begin with. The premise is that the player, along with an NPC “sidekick” is trying to escape this building, which requires that the player goes down floor by floor. Simultaneously, the player will interact with a murder narrative via television screens/radio broadcasts/”wanted” posters found throughout the building, with a big reveal at the end.
Direction #2: Murder Mystery (You are the culprit)
Kinds of fun: Narrative, Discovery, Challenge
This direction is rather similar to Direction #1, except rather than being the victim, you realize at the end of the game that you were the killer the whole time. This might sound ridiculous, but hear me out. Given that the character has amnesia and doesn’t know who or where he is coupled with the fact that the abandoned building has no mirrors whatsoever, it is plausible that the killer can go through the whole game without realizing that they are the killer that they have been seeing on television headlines and “wanted” posters. Just like Direction #1, the big plot twist reveal awaits the player at the end of the game. For this direction, there wouldn’t need to be a “sidekick” NPC; it can just be the player by themselves trying to escape the dilapidated building.
Direction #3: Murder Mystery (multiple possible endings)
Kinds of fun: Narrative, Discovery
This direction is similar to the other directions in the sense that it is a murder mystery. However, in this direction, players must constantly make decisions throughout the game that dictate the subsequent plot and outcome of the game. There will be the player and an NPC “sidekick” that also tries to escape the dilapidated building, but it is extremely unclear to the player whether the sidekick is trustworthy or not, especially considering the player still has amnesia. As a result, throughout the game, the player must make crucial decisions (e.g. choose to trust the NPC or not) based on clues and intuition. There isn’t a right answer when making these decisions, meaning that there would be multiple possible endings in this game, making it less of a challenge than the other directions.
