Coming Soon!
The Challenge
Towards the end of my college career, my two friends and I decided to embark on one final project as a send off for our time together, at least in this environment. We saw this as an opportunity to create a game that combines all of our unique skills, from my dramatic, poetic storytelling abilities to my peers' ability to come up with inventive mechanics and ways to engage with an interactive experience.
Interaction Excerpt #1
Combined Interaction Excerpt
Interaction Excerpt #2
The Solution
As a result, "Know Your Neighbor" was born based on the concept of peering into the personal lives of three different character living atop one another in an apartment complex. We crafted gameplay to be purposefully overwhelming, forcing players to engage with all three character's plots at the exact same time, controlling their movement as one. Additionally, to better curate the environment, we added a feature to turn one's physical monitor vertically, so that the screen can be read like an actual apartment building.
I truly believe that "Know Your Neighbor" is a perfect encapsulation of my abilities as a creative. From writing scripts, to narrative design, to 4-shade limited pixel art, I am so proud of what I have been able to accomplish with regard to this project.
When characters interact directly with one another, their colors converge, forming a secondary palette!
The Story
Each character has a unique story, where you experience their personal traumas over the course of a twenty-four hour period. However, each of these characters notably will interact with one another, causing conflict and changing the visuals for a brief moment. Characters range from a schizophrenic fashion designer who must face her PTSD head-on, to an orphaned child using his creativity to find whimsy in life, to a person who, after breaking up with their partner recently, must face the issues that plagued their relationship.
"Know Your Neighbor" aims to showcase the importance of doing just that—knowing the people around you well enough to seek help when you may or may not know you need it!