海 – Friend from the past

Year: 2023
Role: Game Developer / Narrative Designer Made with Bitsy
Itch.io:

CH: https://yaoyaoyt.itch.io/friendfromthepast
EN: https://yaoyaoyt.itch.io/friend-from-the-past

Me and another narrative designer made this game during Veritas China 2023.

The theme for this game was Friendship. So we decided to tell a story showing that the beginning of a friendship will eventually have its ending. But we twisted this idea to a more environmentalist narrative: How will the friendship between the seas and humans be like in the face of pollution?

As a lightweight web-based game engine, Bitsy could only provide limited features (2 frame animations/8-bit sound effects). However, we still implemented new narrative approaches, such as environment animation and changes in the player character.

Working with a teammate from the fine arts field is subtle. They are talented in producing and communicating ideas in a way that I would not think of ever. But at the same time, I have to nail down their big pictures into functional game mechanics.