I’ve been creating this project for over 2 months now. I am going to air the alpha version on kickstarter at the beginning of next week. While at the same time pitching the idea to hopefully get funded to execute it fully. The moment its ready for kickstarter I'll give you guys a first peak.
As its a big leap from the unknown towards going live with it, I thought it might be a wise idea to pitch it over here first.
This is my first time working with Ren’py, but not my first time working with code.
As I have graduated Art Academy as an Illustrator; my final project was a program build in Javascript that displayed my own illustrations at an algorithm created from analysing different frequencies by microphone.
I chose Ren’py as the engine because this gave me the unlimited amount of freedom to add layers upon layers with artwork. A freedom I didn’t felt while working previously in Twine.
But to correctly use Ren’py, I needed to learn how to work with ‘screens’, as the menu function didn’t gave me enough visual options.
Well, let me tell you what I have made.
What is the game about?
You, the player, take the role of ‘a higher being’ to influence a creature.
Thrive is a Visual Novel and a Choose Your Own Adventure game combined.
Keywords: sci-fi, philosophy, evolution, religion
Features:
- 5-10 hours of playtime
- A massive story to unfold, divided in 4 arcs
- Unique illustrations
- Multiple endings
- Available for Windows, Mac & Linux
Gameplay:
You as the player choose how a creature will evolve. The choices multiply soon, and each hold different information and attributes.
Here is a bit of the prologue to hopefully bring some HYPE:
Once upon a time, there was a strange creature struggling to survive in a vast dark world.
Even though it seemed pointless to even try to make a difference in this toxic atmosphere, it seemed to possess an iron will to make its stand.
If only it had the means to do so, it could really bear an impact to its environment.
This is where WE interfered.
WE are what commonly is described as a Higher power. WE are the overseers of the universe. We possess unlimited power to guide such chosen creatures. But WE are unable to do anything on our own. Only when a being is willing to be ‘enlightened’ by our gifts, we can do our job in guiding them.
It’s a surreal concept, this vast dark world. A dead wasteland. Toxicity that engulfs everything it touches. An embodiment of death.
WE were scanning this carcass of what once was a world. Lost and broken. Lifeless.
And then WE perceived its life-force.
WE pitied it, such a small being, in such a terrible place. Almost felt like it was being tortured, not being able to resist the madness of its world.
The being was not able to perceive us, as it lacked the ‘sense’ to do so.
This is what WE call a dilemma, as WE can either choose to interfere and give it the senses to survive. Or WE can let it rot in here. Caged in a pointless miserable planet.
WE are not cruel, WE are here to be its guiding angel.
Inspired by great titles in the past years, I found myself bothered that each of them individually missed a key part in their gameplay. Where one failed to have a strong story, another failed in explaining the goal, and another didn’t give me the visual satisfaction that I was expecting. As an illustrator, writer and a programmer, I am building a game based on what I loved in those games. While adding the key parts I missed.
Frustration drove me to make this and after pitching the game to my close friends they told me that ‘frustration is the best motive for any idealist to create something even better’.
As an artist, I decided to take away freedom where it was necessary, by creating a story with a thread (in dutch we call it ‘Een Rode Draad’). Meaning all play throughs have the same main events happening. In my opinion a good story-driven game is more important than that of an open world or sandbox themed game.
In contradiction to this, I added a lot of freedom in the players perspective of the thread. Every life-changing main event that takes place will happen as a result of the players actions at a fixed moment. Every play through has a unique path to uncovering that moment, thus changing the buildup towards the event. So even though what happens in one play through might happen in every play through, the player chooses how the approach towards and after it will play out.
I took my inspiration from Spore, Telltale games and No Man Sky. But a bigger resemblance can be seen as a complete opposite of The Stanley Parable.
The alpha will contain approximately 30-45 minutes op playtime. Only highlighting the prologue and the first key parts in gameplay.
Thank you everyone who took the time reading this! And if there are any questions, please let me know!
Also English isn't my native language but I'm doing my best to not make grammar mistakes. A lot of my friends (some of them native speakers) are helping me in spellchecking the game.
