April - November 2022
Featured in the 2023 Queer Games Bundle!
Act One
Near the end of first semester sophomore year at college, I fell into quite a deep depression. I was surrounded by relationships and, being alone for all of my life thus far, I thought the solution was to force myself to fall in love. I tried, and I did not succeed.
Over winter break, I did a lot of contemplating my identity. During this time, I was listening to a lot of folklore and evermore by Taylor Swift. Inspired by an identity shift and pop-folk music, as well as the cottage core movement, I began writing a new universe called "Pastoral."
Example dialogue with Ambriose
Example dialogue with Ansel
As I wrote characters for my new universe, I continued to explore my identity, coming to terms with being aromantic and asexual. Using this discovery, I wrote the main plot line for "Pastoral," which eventually would become the Act 1 of the GB Studio game!
In many ways I am like the main character, Dror, and all of his friends. Dror embodies the experiences of discovering you are aromantic, all while dealing with past emotions towards people of the same sex. In other ways, many characters are people who I wish I could meet to help guide my journey through life, such as Dror's mentor, Ansel.
Act 1 Cover Art
Town Square
Introduction Sequence
Pool Station
Act Two
I was never really certain when I'd continue working on the "Pastoral" series. I was blown away by Act 1's reception from IndieCade Horizons, but I needed that spark of motivation to get me going on the next act. At seemingly the perfect time, I had a vivid dream telling the story of two students at a university in a folk, sci-fi horror setting. This inspired me to get to writing on the plot outline for the rest of the Pastoral trilogy. I had an idea of where Dror’s adventures would lead him, but this dream truly helped me fill in the gaps.
Original Sketch of Act 2 Map (1)
Original Sketch of Act 2 Map (2)
I wanted to keep the same "Pastoral"-flair with some unique twists to make the game feel truly special, and less like a carbon copy of the first Act. While strolling through the Nerevia botan as Dror, I felt gravitated towards the many beaches and docks. That is when I decided to replace the farming mechanic in Act 1 with a brand new fishing system for Act 2. This also allowed me to explore narrative elements in relation to the sea, using motifs such as "going with the flow" and trusting one's self while in a tumultuous situation.
Act 2 Cover Art
First meeting with Martin
Apartment Building
The calming guidance of Auspey
Act Three
I won’t lie, it was hard sometimes to keep working on what I knew would be the final part of this story. There was a lot of pressure in creating the closing act of a story that represents the aromantic and queer community. But I realized that experiences are personal, and that the best product that I could make would be the most honest and authentic. As long as I could siphon my passion for my identity inside the dialogue and gameplay, then the end would turn out all right.
Outline of Themes
Pre-Production Mechanics Outline (1)
Pre-Production Mechanics Outline (2)
Sketch of Act 3 Map
For the final act, I had written a phrase down very early on in the design process that stuck with me: “Just as the sun rises and sets, so does the MOON.” I wanted this game to represent acceptance—not only that of your own identity, but of the natural processes of the world around you. With this concept in mind, I decided to make hunting the main game mechanic in Act 3. It feels strange at first-why would a society built around praising nature want to kill animals? But therein comes the central theme of Act 3: the natural cycle of life and death. The people of the Jalinne botan believe that by hunting animals, they are freeing their spirits from the horrors of this world.
Act 3 Cover Art
Cabin
Dror speaks to a strange MOON Officer
Project Willow
Tools
Adobe Photoshop: used to make all game assets, including sprites and backgrounds
Tiled: used to combine sprites made in Photoshop to create environments
GB Studio: used to make the game
All in-game music was written by me.