Emotions:
- Playful
- Thrill
- Collective Joy + Pride
Mood Board
Playlist
Directions
1. Immediate Confrontation with “Final Boss”
Each stage drops players straight into a boss fight based on the environmental theme (like the Ice Cream Man for the freezer) where the main challenge is working together to take the boss down.
Kind of Fun:
- Challenge: Boss fights provide immediate obstacle course experiences
- Fellowship: Working together to take down the boss
- Fantasy: Players step into roles fighting environmental-themed bosses
Narrative Approach:
- Evocative Spaces: The psychedelic transformation of everyday spaces (fridge becoming an ice world) creates surreal, memorable environments
- Enacting Stories: Players confront themed bosses that represent their altered perception of reality
- Micronarratives: Each boss fight becomes a trippy, memorable moment that ties into the party’s progression
2. Obstacle Course to Final Boss
Each stage drops players into the environment where they must get through an initial set of themed obstacles (e.g. sliding across icy floors in the freezer) before confronting the final boss.
Kind of Fun:
- Challenge: Navigation through themed obstacles
- Discovery: Exploring the environment before the boss
- Sense Pleasure: Physical interactions like sliding across icy floors
Narrative Approach:
- Embedded Narratives: Environmental storytelling through the layout reinforces the drug-induced journey
- Spatial Stories: Progress driven by movement through increasingly bizarre versions of household spaces
- Staged Experience: The obstacle course serves as an escalation of the altered state before confronting the boss
3. Levels ≠ increasing difficulty
Each stage is a self-contained arena with its own theme and set of mechanics based on the environment. Beating the final boss of this stage unlocks the next stage, but the difficulty doesn’t necessarily ramp up. Each level is just a new environment with a new set of challenges.
Kind of Fun:
- Discovery: Each new environment brings unique challenges
- Expression: Different mechanics allow for varied play styles
- Challenge: Self-contained arenas with distinct mechanics
Narrative Approach:
- Emergent Narratives: Each environment tells its own story of a different household area transformed by the character’s altered state
- Evocative Spaces: Different rooms of the house become distinct themed worlds
- Localized Incidents: Each level can focus on different aspects of the trip, from euphoria to paranoia
