In the bleak future where mile high spires tower over an endless night
an unnamed man wonders the catacomb city. A gun for hire he stumbles
upon the bloody aftermath of a gang shooting which leads him onto a path
of discovery unfit for mortal man."
“Tears in the Rain” is a lovecraftian cyberpunk, horror game dealing
with themes of existentialism, humanity, nihilism, post-singularity
and artificial intelligence.
An Arthouse Game:
Like many people I personally see gaming as an art form, comparable to
film, literature, music and theater. I think the most important aspect of Video
Games is they possess the capabilities to be a film, a play, novel and concert
all in one. With the recent explosion of the Video Game industry, and the rise
of the indie market I'd like to create something I little different then both
of these. As an Arthouse project this game would be less focused purely on game
play and mechanics and more so the personal experience one gets from it,
raising important philosophical questions about humanity, existence, technology
and science.
As a gamer though I can attest that game play will obviously be featured
just that unlike a triple a mainstream action title much of the game play here
will revolve around puzzle solving, hacking, thinking and answering important
questions within the game that will reflect on your own philosophical outlook
on life.
I think what defines Art is its ability to make one feel something,
whether it be anger, excitement, fear, wonder, euphoria, happiness, sadness or
a plethora of other human emotions. My goal for this game, along with
scaring you and providing tension, is to draw out some of those emotions.
Rather than cheaply triggering them I hope the questions I raise and the themes
provided will allow you to draw your own conclusions and feel whatever your own
personal experiences and views allow for.
Where the money's going
This project is currently aiming at a fairly low development cost for a
couple reasons. One being that we are fortunate enough to have access to
several in house artists and programmers so much of that cost has been covered.
The majority of our budget is geared towards licensing, advertising and
eventually digitally distribution. These cost our fairly minimal which is why
our development cost is only slated at $500. Any remaining money would be
provided to the several individuals working on this project, though that is
expected to be little as this is being done out of a passion for the idea, not
the financial gains.
The Game
Game play:
Game play is heavily focused on exploration, investigation and player
interpretation. Combat is something that will play into the game though it is
by no means you're primary tool for progression. Players will spend much of
their time searching, interpreting and planning rather than purely acting. Hand
holding is something I do not plan on incorporating and players will be left
largely unaided besides basic controls and mechanics instructions on how they
will proceed.
The game will be played as a 2D stealth action horror game intermingled
with complex puzzles and investigative work. It will not be uncommon for the
player to spend 30 minutes slowly murdering their way through a gang invested apartment
block before spending an hour investigating and piecing together the mystery
that is unraveling.
Setting:
Heavily inspired by films such as Blade Runner, Escape from New York,
Soylent Green and Alien, Tears in the Rain is very much a cyberpunk universe
that is the location for a Lovecraftian tale. Much of the setting is left
ambiguous excluding several key points,
Location: Eastern Sprawl, United States
Year: 2046
The geopolitical situation of the time deals with the run up to the
Third World War as tensions over colonial rights and massive economic inflation
due to asteroid mining have positioned the United States, China and the EU on
the brink of total annihilation.
Due to massive overcrowding the majority of the East Coast lives in
squalor, most residences are cramped apartments built within several of the
modern mile high skyscrapers that dot the eternal night. Others squat within
the decrepit 20th century buildings abandoned long ago and now rest in control
of gangs, psychopaths and violent revolutionaries.
Technology is incredibly invasive, with the average citizen containing
neurological implants allowing for physical or wireless connection to much of
the nations tech. and networks. One of the most common uses now though has been
an activity referred to as "bugging out" where users can overload
their implants and experience a temporarily neurological boost, called
achieving transcendence by some, a great psychedelic trip by others.
Presentation:
This game will be by all accounts an art house project, using
progressive art and game design choices. As the main character is both a
slightly unstable criminal, and frequent drug user much of the narrative is
left ambiguous with psychedelic imagery heavily influencing the art design and
levels.
A little about myself:
I am an undergraduate Computer Engineering Student from the University
of Saskatchewan who moonlights as a software developer and programmer. Tears in
the Rain has been a game I've wanted to create for some time, but due to my
busy life style and other development projects I've been unable to actually
create it.
I love gaming, and fell in love with it at an early age. It was a huge
influence on myself and was what inspired me to learn programming when I was
younger and sparked my interest in Engineering. It stands as one of the most
important creative mediums of this generation and I want to take full advantage
of that by working on a project I've dreamed of for a very long time.
Risks:
As an undergraduate Engineering student, who is also employed as an
independent software developer free time, can be hard to come by at times.
Though I have full intentions to finish the game how long that'll take is
unknown though I can't see it taking longer than several months with I'm
properly funded. Honestly my biggest problem with getting this project off the
ground has been having enough financial security to work on this, rather than
my other contracted work.
