July 2022
Featured in the Queer Games Bundle 2023!
The Challenge
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.
After my plans for other projects came to a conclusion, I was at a point during the summer where I didn’t have any projects to work on. At seemingly the perfect time, I had a vivid dream telling the story of two students at a university in a folk, scifi 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 the map (1)
Original sketch of the map (2)
The Solution
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.
First meeting with Martin
Apartment building
The calming guidance of Auspey, the fortune teller
Town square
The Story
After helping Dror uncover new parts of his identity, as well as assisting him on his journey to find his friends, Ansel guides Dror to the murky shipping botan of Nerevia. With the hope of gaining insight on finding his friends, Dror is asked to meet with Ansel's business partner, Martin. However, the meeting does not go as intended, as tension is ignited between the two. Uncover the long lost secrets of Martin's childhood, all while navigating a world of change, in order to help Dror locate his friends.
The Tools
Adobe Photoshop: used to make all game assets, including sprites and backgrounds
Tiled: used to combine sprites made in Photoshop to make backgrounds
GB Studio: used to make the game
All in-game music was written by me.