Ahem. I've spent the last half a year or so using Ren'Py making small, simple projects to get myself used to the system. Since this is my first 'official' project, it's likely going to be rather simple in its interface - by which I mean I don't plan to get fancy with that at all. Don't plan to doesn't mean I won't, though; if I feel that I can add something that will have a profound impact on the game without really deviating from what I want, I'll end up doing the work for it, probably.
Well, as simple as the interface is going to be, I like to think that the game itself, especially the story, is quite complex. You take on the role of an eighteen-year-old girl, a high school senior, named Susan Newman who wakes up from a three-month coma with no memories of her life before. The object of the game is, at the very core, your attempts to regain your memories. This comes completely from interaction with the rest of the cast, through what they tell you. Everyone you meet is hiding something from you, though, and everyone lies to you. Your task is to figure out what's true and what's not - some things may seem obviously a lie, but are in fact truth; then again, some obvious lies really are lies. There'll be ways to figure out whether something's true or false, but you'll have to be sharp - there's no telling when that clue will come.
While Susan is a high schooler, you never once step foot in the school. I don't want to sully my story with more high school drama than necessary. The game's main setting is the ever-busy downtown, tthough you'll also visit other places including the hospital, your own home, and a nearby park. Your choices on what to believe and what to do cause the story to branch - while there's only one true ending, there are several others, some with positive outcomes and others with unhappy endings. Again, look out for the hints and clues along the way, though they can be very subtle.
There's a rather diverse cast, with several key players. Even without her memories,Susan still gets a feeling of deja vu around someone she knew from her previous life. In the cast, we have Susan's mother Diane, who serves more as an obstacle in the game due to her overprotective tendencies; a young man named Mark Clemens, who is apparentally Susan's boyfriend, Blake Petty, a medical school student who claims to know Susan quite well, though she doesn't feel that deja vu around him; Brian Richards, who claims to have absolutely no connection with Susan despite the deja vu she gets around him; Jennifer McCarrey, apparentally Susan's best friend who promises to help Susan regain her memories yet obviously withholds information; and more. Everyone holds a piece to the puzzle - the trick is getting the pieces, because none of the characters honestly want to give them up.
I can't provide you with any screenshots at the moment, as it's all text-based right now, and that's not even done. I honestly have no talent outside of writing, but I have a couple of people I can blackmail for for character artwork and music. Still hunting for a background artist, but I don't want to trouble any of you here with that (unless I have to, stay tuned!). So that's the overview of the game I'm working on right now. It's not an especially deep overview... which is why they call it an overview, I guess. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy it once I'm done - I'm definitely enjoying making it. Thanks for reading.
