We started our brainstorming with listing things that were important to us. For example, I wanted narrative in the game, somehow, and one of our team members mentioned that they wanted good graphics. We also all wanted to learn how to use Unity to build games. We wanted our game to be a cozy and cute game that can help players relax. As for the concept, we thought about making our main character a cat (yay!) who runs a bakery.
Spotify playlist:
Direction 1: Walking simulator
The first direction in which we can take our game is a walking simulator type of game, in which we lean into the beauty of baking and allow our player to primarily one large space (the inside and outside of the bakery), encountering objects as they go. As in a walking simulator, there might not be a main “objective,” but the player might be able to decorate cakes, trim flowers outside the bakery, polish windows, etc., or interact with and encounter new cats, explore new buildings (grocery stores?), and so on.
Direction 2: Escape room, narrative
Another direction we might be able to take our concept (which is the direction I think we might be leaning towards currently) is centering our game around a series of escape rooms. However, instead of “escaping” each room, the main character cat is able to unlock either spaces, appliances, or ingredients that will allow them to advance their bakery’s eventual success. Depending on the backstory that we settle on (we might do either a coming-of-age story or a bit of a more tragic one, where the player’s parents have passed away), the player might also be able to unlock a backstory of the cat while playing the escape room, much like in Cube Escape: Paradox.
Direction 3: Economics / real-life simulator
This direction is unfortunately realistic, in that the player is a cat who is thrust into the real world. It is a coming-of-age story, but realistic (and therefore stressful.) The player’s dream is to open a successful bakery as a cat in New York, but as they have never done it before, they must navigate budgeting, rent, and business models.
Direction 3.5 (extra, also a little unserious):
The player is a cat in a bakery, but one of many. Unbeknownst to humans, cats have been helping top bakeries this entire time, crawling around the ovens and managing the entire baking process from the inside (heating the oven, making sure the dough rises, bread doesn’t burn, the cookies are browning correctly, etc.)
