Watch Carry On Devlog #1
Project
Schedule
The schedule for Carry On started in June 2024 and will end on March 13th, 2025. This is a general overview of when tasks will get completed and in what order, although the schedule is always subject to change.
The first prototype will be done in August, with the first playtest being run in September. There will be only one playtest due to time restraints, giving more time for polish and marketing.
Project Plan
Milestones
August 31, 2024: Prototype
October 1, 2024: Playtest #1
December 1, 2024: Steam Account + Verification Process
Jan 13, 2024: Coming Soon Steam Page Release
March 13, 2024: Game Release
Deliverables
100 Steam Wishlists
10 Steam Purchases
All deadlines met
Relatable and realistic main character
Playable prototype
Original music and SFX
Completed trailer
Completed gameplay video
Promotional Art and Screenshots
Press Release Kit
Game Design Document
Concept
Carry On is an action adventure game. It follows the story of the player, who is in a severe depression after her mother passed away several years ago. She is failing university now and almost takes her life, before a celestial cat appears and asks her some very hard questions about her decision. You follow the story of how the player gets herself out of the deep dark depression she is in.
Key Characters
X: The protagonist (player) who journeys to overcome their depression
Cat: A wise and ancient celestial being who saves X from suicide
Fairy: The glowing light who leads X through the fog
World Design
Locations
World 1 - Denial: Pretend it's not happening. Purpose is to give time and gradually absorb news to process it. Enemies here move towards you when you look away. Trying to show that you need to face this, not run away.
World 2 - Anger: Anger is a masking effect. May be directed at other people. May be bitterness or resent. As anger subsides, may think more rationally about what's happening. Player is equipped with a weapon (magic?) where they use their emotions to defeat enemies. Maybe an "anger bar"?
World 3 - Bargaining: "What if" statements? Line of defense against the emotions of grief. Player will see enemies ahead and select a "what if" statement that grants them a power/weapon using their own thoughts.
World 4 - Depression: Quiet, very heavy fog. Represents confusion. Can feel stuck here if you don't talk to someone. Player meets a fairy, a ball of light. The fairy offers to help lead X through the fog, but the player turns them down as they want to isolate themselves. Player gets lost in the fog and ends up back at the start. Once this happens once, the user now gets the choice to accept help from the fairy or not. Repeat until the player says yes. It's extremely quiet here, except for the sounds of muffled footsteps. The player is forced to walk/go at the speed of the fairy who stops to talk to the player about their issues.
World 5 - Acceptance: Not necessarily happy or uplifting. Acceptance means coming to understand what this means in your life. This is an end scene of X back in full colour. Player is finally sitting down and able to relax. Maybe their chest opens up after sitting down and crying, and fills the room with light which leads to the credits/end screen. Ending scene and final thoughts of player finally able to start to get through their grief of losing a loved one
Environments
Each environment is meticulously designed with unique flora, fauna, and atmospheric effects to enhance immersion. Dynamic lighting and weather effects create a dead, lifeless world to a living, breathing world.
Synopsis
The world of Aetheria is divided into two realms: the Celestial Realm, home to powerful celestial beings, and the Human Realm, where mortals live. For centuries, the realms have coexisted in harmony, safeguarded by the Celestial Guardians. However, an ancient darkness, long thought to be vanquished, resurfaces, seeking to shatter the balance and merge the realms into one of eternal chaos. Players must harness their celestial powers, forge alliances, and confront the darkness to restore peace.
Core Mechanics
Storyline Driven: The player goes through 5 different worlds, each representing a stage of grief
Combat: Changes anywhere from no combat to choice-given weapons
Exploration: Secrets for the player to find will be able to be found exploring the world around them and taking very short detours from main path
Movement: Players will be able to crouch, run, walk, move in all directions (excluding down) and jump
Unique Selling Points
Storyline: The main USP of Carry On, the storyline will drive players to feel things they've never felt before.
Changing "Modes" of Gameplay: Varyous types of gameplay depending on the current world the player is in. Allows for variability rather than the same gameplay throughout the game
Visual Style
Character Design: Detailed and expressive characters with a blend of realism and fantasy elements.
Environment Design: Very simple environment with a lot of small detail. The world starts off colorless and gradually gains more colour as the story goes on
User Interface: Intuitive and immersive HUD that integrates with the game and is so seamless it is almost invisible. The HUD changes based on the world the player is in at the time. At times there may be no HUD at all.
Audio Design
Soundtrack: Epic orchestral scores that are very mellow. Slow ans sad sounding. Beats may be far apart. Soundtrack sounds may change to be faster or more upbeat in later worlds.
Sound Effects: High-quality effects for combat but most importantly environment
Voice Acting: No voice acting, instead characters will talk in "bubble noises" such as animal crossing, Celeste, etc.
