Story Bible

Story Overview

This game tells the story of a fantasy world that was ruled by a noble class that was obsessed with becoming immortal. This kingdom would have been considered small and insignificant, were it not for the fact that it housed some of the best magic practitioners and alchemists in the known land. A young alchemist found the secret to becoming immortal using unconventional methods and excitedly shared it with the nobles. In order to achieve this immortality, the sun was stolen and broken into several segments. These segments were then transported and housed in the large city where the castle and cathedral were contained, which was subsequently walled off from the outside world to protect the sun segments. Those people that were left outside the city rapidly began to fade away and become shades, as they were cut off from the life-giving light of the sun. The young alchemist who originally conceived the idea began to regret his decision to show it to the nobles and was subsequently killed. In time, the nobles allowed some shades to return to the city, as they were now partly faded and far weaker than their former selves. In this way, the nobles found a subservient and desperate workforce who would work for nothing but a few minutes of exposure to sunlight so that they would not die. Over time, many of the shades became loyal to the nobles and are therefore hostile to the player. Outside of the city walls, faded shades cluster around streetlamps and whatever light they are able to find, while all the shades who work for the nobles live close to the city walls.

Your character is motivated by the fact that, when they were a child, your parents faded after they were unable to find work. Therefore, you venture into the city under the guise of finding employment to steal the segments of the sun from the nobles so that you may restore the world. Elements of the narrative will be both embedded and emergent as some segments of the story will come from looking at artwork and reading notes hidden within the city. However, other storylines will be revealed through communicating with NPCs. The target audience for this game is people who find platformers enjoyable and who are motivated by narrative within gameplay. The general concept of this story was inspired by events in history such as the French Revolution, which may be seen in the greed of the nobles (or ruling class), and your attempt to overthrow them.

Mechanics and Gameplay

The gameplay consists of puzzle-solving and stealthily moving around the game world (for example, jumping between platforms safely once an enemy has passed by). Collecting and examining objects such as notes to read is an important component of both the storytelling and the gameplay, as the player needs to discover where the segments of the sun are kept so that they may save the world beyond the city from darkness.

Light will play an important part of the gameplay and links with the narrative of the game. All light sources within the walled city are infused with sunlight. Therefore, they will heal the player when the player is damaged, either by NPCs or by fall damage. If the player has not been exposed to light for a long period of time (about 30 minutes in-game) the player will begin to fade. Mechanically, this means that the health of the player will go down, and items such as healing potions will have a reduced effect on the player. Their movement speed will also gradually begin to slow down after these 30 minutes. This fading process will be communicated to the player by the character becoming more and more transparent. The purpose of this fading mechanic, although it functions to tie the gameplay into the narrative, also encourages the player to take frequent risks. As a large part of the game involves stealth and sneaking, keeping to low-light and dark areas is safer for the player. Furthermore, NPCs have a greater chance of spotting the player in lit areas, and lit areas will contain more hostile NPCs in general as nobles as their servants will cluster around light sources. If the player is continually allowed to move through dark and low-light areas, the gameplay may become too easy, or monotonous. Therefore, forcing the player to return to the light also means that there is a steady amount of pressure on the player to keep moving. If the player goes for 40 minutes without reaching a light source, they will die and respawn unfaded at a checkpoint to try again.

The player may also speak with NPCs by pressing ‘E’ to interact, which will be presented as text on the screen. This dialogue will not include sound.

There are four zones that the player will progress through. These are the city gardens, the merchant district, the cathedral and the nobles’ quarters. When the game begins, the player may choose to start in the city gardens or the merchant district. These represent the starting zones for the player. NPC shades allied to the nobles as well as the noble NPCs will be friendly to the player if the player finds employment within these districts. If not, the player will be treated as an enemy. The purpose of this is to allow the player to become used to the game mechanics, puzzles and interacting with the NPCs before moving on to the harder areas, where they will be treated as hostile by all nobles and nobles’ shades. As they are employed, the player will receive some extra quests. These will depend on the route they chose. For example, if they are working in the merchant district, they will receive tasks such as “Deliver these goods to the Captain of the Guard”. If they are working in the gardens, they will receive quests such as “Pick fifty cherries.”

Some more general examples of gameplay the player may experience are:

Searching for a key to open a window so that they may gain access to another part of a house. This may aid them in finding information that details where a sun segment is kept.
Sneaking past NPCs by keeping to the shadows and darting quickly across lit portions of the room. The NPC would kill the player if seen.
Interacting with other shades which work for the nobles from tunnels underneath the city.
Exploring the city by unlocking and using hidden pathways.

Worldbuilding

The world in the past:

The world as it was before could be described as a fairly ordinary fantasy world. This includes European medieval-inspired towns, knights and royalty with a magic and alchemy system. Originally, trade was based upon produce grown on local farmland, which meant that the region itself was not necessarily wealthy or notable. The original city was made up of docks and other trade buildings with a large town surrounding the castle and cathedral. Around the town were large swathes of farmland, with many dwellings and smaller towns scattered around the countryside. Although there was an interest in magic and alchemy, this was generally seen as something for nobles to play with and for rich people who could afford it. Ordinary and rural citizens ultimately looked upon it as useless to everyday life and considered it inconsequential, despite how impressive it appeared. However, it was seen as a status symbol for wealthy merchants and the middle class to have a family member who went to the city to study magic or alchemy. Magic would generally consist of special effects, such as someone being able to produce sparks or create illusions. Alchemy involved the transformation of matter into other forms. However, not much more is publicly known about alchemy, and all information is closely guarded and encoded when written down. Those who would reveal these secrets were publicly punished and put to death in the town square.

After the sun was stolen:

The game world after the sun was stolen consists of a large city as well as a tunnel network underneath for shades to travel through. Beyond this, the player may explore parts of the world outside the city, which is decaying and forgotten apart from a few places where NPCs still live clustered around the city walls. The docks will also be able to be explored, as these are used to fish and transport food into the walled city. Although the player may explore parts of this space, it will be implicated that there is more that the player is unable to see (for example the dead and ruined farmland). Enough will be able to be interacted with to let the player engage with the idea of the world before it was destroyed, as well as to let them see the impact that removing the sun has had on the city and its people. The world is portrayed as dim, with several lights such as torches and streetlamps providing warmth and light in the decrepit town beyond the walls. These will mostly function as a means to lead the player to locations such as the inn. However, these are not a substitute for sunlight, despite the fact that fading shades will often gather around them. As most of the farmland has now been destroyed, the city gains its food from fishing in the ocean, as well as a few select farms which are given just enough sunlight for crops to grow. The city itself consists of several zones, with each one having a different atmosphere. These are: the city gardens (which also produce a large amount of food), the merchant district, the cathedral and the nobles’ quarters. There are four segments of the sun in total, with one being hidden within each of these districts.

Story Overview

The story will be segmented into several parts. In the beginning the player may choose to travel to either the gardens, or the merchant district. When the player has progressed through both of these areas, they then progress to the cathedral. After the cathedral, the final area they must go to is the nobles’ quarters.

The Beginning

The player is shown a cutscene of their parents fading while the shade is young. When the cutscene ends, the player is free to leave their now-empty house and wander the streets, which are deserted. However, if the player continues to walk, they will encounter several faded shades gathered around a dim streetlight. If the player attempts to speak with them, they will hear a whisper, but receive no coherent response.
The player is led down the street by a series of these dim streetlights. As they near the end of the road, they see more and more shades milling about.
At the end of the road, the player is presented with a run-down inn. Upon entering the inn, the player is greeted by two important NPCs who are available for the player to speak to. Each one is a shade who works within the city.
The player chooses one to speak with (although both will have to be spoken with for the player to progress). This will let the player follow them into the part of the city they would like to begin (either the gardens or the merchant district).
The first is the shade of a haggard old woman who collects fruits in the city gardens at night. The second is a shade who works delivering trade goods for the rich merchants of the city.
The player is asked by the old lady to place a flower at the sarcophagus of her son in the cathedral. If the player agrees, the woman gives the player a gift in return, which is a bottle of poison. She warns the player to hide it carefully and to save it for someone truly worthy of death.

The Garden Path

The player arrives in the gardens and receives employment from one of the nobles’ employees who organises the tending of the gardens. If employment is not gained and the player is caught, the player will have to restart from a checkpoint.
NPCs in the area tell you that shades are instructed to avoid a large mausoleum within the middle of the garden.
In order to unlock the mausoleum, the player needs an ornate key.
To find out which guard possess the key, the player must speak with several NPC shades.
The key may only be lifted off the guard when he walks beneath a bridge where it is dark so that he cannot see the player.
Inside the mausoleum, a grave marked with a sun symbol contains the sun segment.
The player progresses to the merchant path if they have not yet completed this area. If they have, they will progress to the cathedral.

The Merchant Path

The player arrives in the merchant path and gains employment in delivering goods to different merchants. If employment is not gained and the player is caught, the player will have to restart from a checkpoint.
There is a safe which contains all the shipping documents where the segment is kept.
The player must first break into buildings using various means, such as lock picking and breaking windows.
The player will be able to find trade documents which detail what amount is owed to the nobles from each transaction made. These letters all originate from the same address and are marked with the symbol of the sun.
In the process of finding this address, the player needs to make their way past several guards, who will kill the player on sight.
When the player arrives at their destination, they may find an elaborate vault which requires a passcode to open.
The player must find the code, which is hidden around the house.
The numbers are hidden in plain sight, such as the number nine being inscribed in the woodwork above the fireplace.
The player progresses to the garden path if they have not yet completed this area. If they have, they will progress to the cathedral.

The Cathedral

The player finds themselves in the underground passage beneath the cathedral.
Several shades are using this passage so that they may clean the cathedral above before dawn.
By following the passage, the player arrives in the crypt.
On each sarcophagus is the symbol of the sun and are decorated with scenes of the world as it was before the sun was destroyed. For example, artwork of grape vines and farms.
The player may find the coffin of the old lady’s son and place the flower there as requested. In doing so, they will receive a reward in the form of a rusted ring left on the sarcophagus, which boosts the player’s stealth. When examining the coffin, the player may read the words: “Alexander the Disgraced: Great Alchemist, Proud man. May your selfishness be a lesson to us all.”
The story on the coffin’s lid appears to indicate somebody of high importance. The sides are decorated with strange geometric shapes and symbols.
The player makes their way through the tunnels, discovering which tunnels lead to which areas of the cathedral.
Through this process, they should gain a better knowledge of the religion of sun worship through embedded narrative.
Although the player has no map, the shade NPCs of this area are friendly, and are willing to help the player around the cathedral where possible and give them warnings.
It is at this point that the player will meet a young noble, who will direct them down a specific tunnel which leads to the main chamber of the cathedral. However, he will fail to mention the number of enemies in the area which the player must avoid.
To unlock the door containing the segment (which is again indicated by the sun symbol), the player will need several pieces of moulded metal which click together to form the shape of a key. The five priests of the cathedral each have part of this key.
The player is made aware of this, as one of the priests has just died and one of these key segments may still be found on his body.
The second key segment may be found on a pile of abandoned robes in a cupboard. The third, fourth and fifth may be pick pocketed off priests who are wandering through the cathedral.
When each piece has been collected and assembled, the player may sneak behind the alter, unlock the door and retrieve the segment.
After the player has done so, the young noble reappears, and offers to help the player find the last piece.
He leads the player to the nobles’ quarters.

The Nobles’ Quarters

The player must make their way through the streets with the young noble while avoiding patrolling guards.
The young noble states that he is looking for something and accompanies the player as they begin to search through homes. Each home gives some information about its occupants.
Some homes are abandoned, and subsequently give information through embedded narrative as to their past occupants.
By finding a way through the houses using a series of keys as well as forced entry (such as forcing open doors or picking the locks of windows), the player finds themselves in the King’s residence.
It is here that the young noble steals several objects from the rooms, telling you that it is an act of revenge for being disowned by his father, the king. He subsequently leaves the player.
The player walks through a side door and sees the king’s bedchamber. He is kneeling before an elaborate alter on one side of the room, and the sun segment hangs above it.
The player may examine the room and may add poison to the food and wine which is laid out on a side table next to the doorway. This poison was made by the old woman’s son before he was executed.
The player must then leave to give the king a chance to consume this.
When the player returns, a cutscene begins which shows the king lying in his bed opposite the altar, appearing ill.
The player and king make brief conversation where the player feels guilty for poisoning him. After the king dies in front of the player, the cutscene shows the player removing the sun segment. The cutscene ends.
When leaving, the player must avoid even more guards and NPCs, as the king’s death has alerted the nobles that there is somebody dangerous in the walled city who has stolen the segments of the sun.
The goal of the player is now to make their way outside the city again without being discovered. Once this has been achieved, the sun is released back into the sky and the faded shades begin to heal.

As may be seen above, the story is linear in some places, and an open narrative in others, as the element of exploration is heavily relied on. The main significant choice available to the player is the ability to choose their starting area. However, the way in which the player finds and interacts with the content means that they will engage with the embedded narrative differently each time. The reason for communicating most of the story using embedded narrative is because I hope to use this feeling of emptiness to enhance the abandoned and apocalyptic atmosphere. This will be caused as there are fewer NPCs to communicate with, aside from more populated areas such as the cathedral. Even so, the NPCs will often treat the player with distrust and will have limited communication with them. The lens of “story as a house” was referenced when conceptualising this story. Similar to a house, the player moves through the levels and interacts with elements of story and embedded narrative on the way.

Characters

Main Character

Problem: The player plays as a shade who has been chosen to retrieve the segments of the sun. As shades fade with time, the character feels a sense of urgency to infiltrate the walled city and restore the sun before they lose their sense of self and fade away.

Background:

The player’s character was only born after the sun was stolen. As the player’s parents faded away after being physically unable to work for the nobles in the city, the player has been fueled by resentment to avenge their deaths by restoring the world to the way it was before. This is a fixed character, as the player is given a set appearance and background.

Personality:

The character’s attitude and personality are hinted at throughout the story by NPCs in their responses to the player. For example, at first lines of dialogue may show some contempt for the player, as the player is trying to do something which has not been done before.

The player’s character generally adopts an attitude of non-violence to their interactions with NPCs. This ties into the gameplay as this game is stealth rather than combat orientated. One may also see the player’s character’s attitude when confronting the king in a cutscene. During this cutscene, this character will feel guilty for murdering the king, despite the fact that he killed the main character’s parents. However, a brief moment of anger and vengefulness is shown when this character wonders if they should leave the king to suffer and die slowly. However, this quickly passes, and the shade feels guilt while watching the king die.

Progression:

The progression of the player's character will be mostly shown through mechanics as with each segment of the sun collected, they will gain more hit points. They will also fade at a slower rate, meaning that they will feel more powerful as they go on.

Progression will also be shown through comments made by NPCs. In the beginning, NPCs will state that the player is naïve and that they should just accept the world the way it is if they want to survive. Later in the game (from the merchant district onwards), the player will receive more respect from NPCs, as they are halfway through their journey of retrieving all the sun segments. In the final part of the game as the player is escaping out of the walled city after collecting all the segments, the player will be treated as a hero by friendly NPCs. This will give the player a sense of progression and accomplishment while making the world feel dynamic and responsive.

Unnamed NPCs

Many NPCs within the game will not respond to the player for one of two reasons: they are either fading from being within darkness for so long, or they are loyal to the nobles. Those that do respond to the player will often act with suspicion and thus give the player little information. However, many shades resent the nobles and will happily give the player directions, or sell useful items to the player such as health potions. Shades within the walled city will not fade as they periodically receive access to sunlight. However, those outside of the city will gradually fade over time if they were not faded already. This will serve to add pressure to the player as they effectively see shades dying around them. However, this is merely an aesthetic process and these shades will not disappear. When the player eventually collects all the segments of the sun and returns them to the sky, these shades will become opaque and will be able to move and speak.

Named NPCs

Old woman:

The daughter of a noble and a poor merchant. As she was not noble-born, she was not made immortal and is currently a shade.
Her son was the alchemist who inadvertently caused the sun to be stolen, and she feels sadness and anger that he was unable to prevent this from happening. Before he died, he was creating a poison that would be able to effectively kill multiple nobles without it appearing suspicious. This is the package that she gifts to the player which the player may eventually decide to use to assassinate the king.
Enjoys talking to the player about what life was before the sun was stolen. She has an absent-minded speech pattern and seems kindly enough at first. However, when speaking with the player her vehement hate for the nobles is gradually revealed.

Young rebellious noble:

Has a mischievous nature, but ultimately tries to help the player.
This may be seen as he may give the player clues as to the location of helpful items, such as lockpicks. However, he will not necessarily give information on where precisely they are, or how to get to them. He will also sell an assortment of items to the player which appear random but may be used to gain access to buildings in interesting ways. An example of this is a chisel, which can be used to break a lock or pry open a window.
This character is the disowned son of the king, so he aids the player as an act of revenge.

Shade who works delivering trade goods for the rich merchants of the city:

This shade is a young boy who takes pride in the work he does for the nobles in the merchant district.
However, he is torn by a loyalty to the rest of the shades and thus agrees to help you once you reach the merchant district.
He makes it evident through interaction that he does not believe the nobles to be evil, as they have treated him well.
He also reiterates that you are to tell nobody that he helped you, as he wants to maintain his innocence if the nobles start asking him questions.