NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

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jelly-crown
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NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#1 Post by jelly-crown »

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How can you long for the memories which you can’t remember?

NOSTALGIA ~Fragments of Memory~

Ethan Gray wakes up in a hospital room with no memory.
“Who am I...?”
“What happened to me...?”
All of his questions are unclear, and no one seems to hold the answers.
With his family missing, Ethan moves into the guest home of a girl named Noele and attempts to live a normal life.
But he can’t be normal.
He’s afraid to close his eyes, for fear that he won’t wake up again.
He feels like a stranger in a world that should be familiar to him, as if he's a foreigner to the planet.
Surrounded by three unique girls, they are his only links to his past, the pieces to his fragmented memory...

∙ Characters ∙

Ethan Gray

“What is it that makes you 'you'?
If memories define who we are...
...who am I?”

The protagonist of the story, nineteen-year-old Ethan’s first memory is waking up from a coma. He is afflicted with retrograde amnesia, a condition that has caused him to forget his life before the coma-inducing accident. With his parents nowhere to be found, Ethan restarts his life in the guest home of the girl who was at his bedside when he woke up. Many times Ethan feels like an empty shell of a person, unsure of how he should act to fill the old Ethan’s shoes. The search for information about his past, strangely, always turns up empty, as if someone is going out of their way to hide the truth from him. His current self lacks confidence and he is often hesitant to speak his mind. Slowly things begin to trigger his old memories, but what is their significance? The clues to his past are all around him, but how can he piece them together?

Noele Aurelia

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Noele is the girl who was at Ethan’s bedside when he woke up in the hospital. She has an obnoxious personality that entails making jokes at Ethan’s expense, but only someone with a caring heart would take care of Ethan the way she does. Coming from a rich family, she is used to getting what she wants and pouts when she doesn’t. While she is lively around Ethan, her personality becomes strangely subdued in the presence of others. She believes Ethan should focus on creating new memories rather than focusing on his past identity. Noele loves to eat and make food, and spends most of her free time watching cooking programs with starry-eyes. Unfortunately, her visions are always a little too grand and her efforts generally result in failure.

Sophitia 'Sophie' Hazelwood

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As the president of the student council, one would not expect Sophie to be as scatter-brained and clumsy as she is. Despite that side of her personality, Sophie’s grades are impressive and she is admired by many for her combination of cute looks and intelligence. She’s diligent, hardworking, but a little naïve, especially when it comes to relating to other people on a more personal level. In Ethan’s presence Sophie is shy and awkward, leading to many uncomfortable conversations. She seems genuinely concerned about his condition. She has a love for all creatures, including insects that even the bravest men would fear to touch.

Iris Augustine

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Iris is one of the ‘quiet ones’ – she doesn’t initiate conversations and is always seen alone, usually wearing a blank expression. As she and Ethan are the only students who sit out during gym class, that is where most of their conversations take place. She has a strange outlook on life and outright rejects any form of compliment. Iris claims to be a member of the ‘garden club’, despite no such club existing in the school’s club listing, and she can usually be found watering the school’s flowers after classes. Although she rarely smiles, her eyes seem to light up when she’s around flowers.

∙ FEATURES ∙

∙ Collect memory fragments as you progress through the game, and piece them together in an interactive MEMORY MODE that will affect the outcome of the story.
∙ At least five endings are available depending on the choices you make.
∙ Three girls to attempt to romance
∙ Widescreen Format with Semi-Animated Sprites
∙ Sprite art by Teacup [what you see above are unfinished concepts]

∙ SCREENSHOT ∙
Attachments
You'll get more memory fragments as you progress through the game.<br />Connecting pieces must be found to regain all of Ethan's memories.<br />Pieces are found by triggering key events in the story.
You'll get more memory fragments as you progress through the game.
Connecting pieces must be found to regain all of Ethan's memories.
Pieces are found by triggering key events in the story.
screenshot.png

gekiganwing
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Re: NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#2 Post by gekiganwing »

Some questions and concerns:

* Easy Amnesia: in a world with no magic or sufficiently advanced technology, this can be a problem. The sort of amnesia that gets portrayed in fiction can be easily cured with rest or maybe a bump to the head. Real life retrograde or anterograde amnesia? Not so much.

* Memory loss as central plot device: like everything else, it's been written before. (I've seen it used in VNs such as Always Remember Me and Toradora Portable.) The opposite (main character remembers but everyone else forgets) has also been done -- it's appeared as a plot element in Yamada and the Seven Witches.

...Having said all this, I'm hoping that you'll find a clever way to portray your amnesiac protagonist, and think of interesting ways to use the core concept. Consider playing with the tropes a bit: write in order to exaggerate easy amnesia, write a deconstruction, discuss it in-universe, and so on. Or consider some What If questions: "What if the girls don't want him to remember something?" "What if memory loss is common for guys in their late teens, but no one talks about it?"

* Are school uniforms common in your setting? (Growing up in Chicagoland, I attended a private school with a semi-formal dress code, but never saw anyone wearing a school uniform.)

* Age: if your main character was comatose for months, then maybe he can finish up high school at nineteen. Otherwise, it seems a bit unusual. Also, how old are the three girls?

* I have no objection to happy / romantic endings. But would a friendship ending be just as plausible and valid?

jelly-crown
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Re: NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#3 Post by jelly-crown »

* Easy Amnesia: in a world with no magic or sufficiently advanced technology, this can be a problem. The sort of amnesia that gets portrayed in fiction can be easily cured with rest or maybe a bump to the head. Real life retrograde or anterograde amnesia? Not so much.

* Memory loss as central plot device: like everything else, it's been written before. (I've seen it used in VNs such as Always Remember Me and Toradora Portable.) The opposite (main character remembers but everyone else forgets) has also been done -- it's appeared as a plot element in Yamada and the Seven Witches.

...Having said all this, I'm hoping that you'll find a clever way to portray your amnesiac protagonist, and think of interesting ways to use the core concept. Consider playing with the tropes a bit: write in order to exaggerate easy amnesia, write a deconstruction, discuss it in-universe, and so on. Or consider some What If questions: "What if the girls don't want him to remember something?" "What if memory loss is common for guys in their late teens, but no one talks about it?"
Haha yes, I'm quite aware of how common amnesia is, and I understand why it might be a concern.
I'm not a fan of cliches - I am a fan of taking a cliche concept and turning it on its head, however. I like deconstructing tropes or presenting them with unique twists, and that's what I'm aiming to do with this game. I've done quite a bit of research on retrograde amnesia, and while I admit my story doesn't portray it in the most realistic manner, Ethan definitely won't regain memories with something as simple as "a bump to the head". In fact (and this may be venturing into spoiler territory), it could be that Ethan doesn't regain any of his old memories at all - but simply thinks he does based on what people in the game tell him.
Things will be hidden from him, and there are definitely memories certain characters may try and prevent Ethan from remembering, either through blatant lying or hiding information from him.
Also, with memory mode, I'm trying to integrate the amnesia concept into my game creatively.
* Are school uniforms common in your setting? (Growing up in Chicagoland, I attended a private school with a semi-formal dress code, but never saw anyone wearing a school uniform.)
It takes place at a fictional private college in England. Most colleges don't have uniforms, but private schools typically do. I based the uniform off of several uniforms in England. Most of them are darker colors, but to make it easier on the eyes I gave them yellow jumpers.
* Age: if your main character was comatose for months, then maybe he can finish up high school at nineteen. Otherwise, it seems a bit unusual. Also, how old are the three girls?
Noele and Sophie are 17 and 18, respectively - Iris' age is unknown.
All of the main characters are actually finished with high school and are in college once the story begins.
While college is optional, due to Ethan's nature to tag along with Noele, he decides to try school to be with her during the day.
* I have no objection to happy / romantic endings. But would a friendship ending be just as plausible and valid?
The endings probably aren't what you're expecting, actually - notice that I said there are three girls you may attempt to romance. Due to the nature of the story and the character's motivations, a romantic ending, or even a friendship ending, isn't possible with all of them. The game is story based, not character based, so the endings aren't character specific (for example, there's no "Good Noele Ending" and "Bad Noele Ending"). The endings are based on how much of the truth Ethan uncovers and the conclusions he makes from the information he obtains.

Thanks for the comment. If you have more questions, I'll be happy to answer. :)

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Re: NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#4 Post by Sayashiro »

I really like the game concept. It reminds me of Japanese games like Remember Me. I will be following the process of your project all the way. =) Love the art style as well.
/ Sayaka Mashiro / Voice-Over Artist / Casting Director /
l Website l http://sayashiro.wix.com/sayakamashiro l

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Re: NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#5 Post by qirien »

At first I thought, "Oh, another amnesia romance", but then I read your most recent post and am much more interested! I liked the idea of the ending depending upon how much of your past you uncover. I'm looking forward to playing it when you are done, and would be happy to proofread/beta teet if you need help with that. :-)
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Re: NOSTALGIA -Fragments of Memory- [BxG][Drama][Mystery]

#6 Post by Ferdokki »

First off, the artwork for the game is gorgeous! :D
Second, I like how you put a nice spin on the amnesia genre by making the player be able to find out what happened through triggered events. I only know a few games that use this strategy, and it's always so much fun to play these kinds of games!

Will this game be free, or will it be commercially released?

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