Blanch
Idea: The game deals with a man who has been lost while climbing a snowy peak, the person hiking the mountain to find him, and their partner at base camp who has to wait till both, one, or neither return. It takes the third-person perspective and jumps between character and time-in-story randomly. The choices to make will not be explicit actions such as “grab the ledge” but will be more general, such as “push forward today” or “give up hope.” While it is not told in order, responses to situations presented/choices do affect the outcome of the story (I’m considering even to allow the player to decide when the stranded hiker dies, regardless of the efforts of the one trying to find him).
Paragraph 1: He grabs hold again, and lets out a grunt of frustration. A frustration filled with rage against the cold and a refusal to let it win. As he crashes the axe into the ice above him, he is counting. “Did he take four, or five…. Four or five?” Struggling to remember how many O2 tank were still there when he left.
- >> Let’s hope it was five.
- >> Damnit… It might have been four.
Choices:
- A blizzard has passed, and the sky is clear. Do you move today and risk being caught in another one, or play it safe?
- Waiting at base camp, do you continue to worry, or preoccupy your mind with menial tasks?
- On top of the mountain, do you give up and allow yourself to die?
- Do you bring your friend’s body or leave him?
- Do you start trying to hike down despite having two broken legs?
- Do you send out a distress call from camp requesting emergency assistance? Will they make it in time?
Nacht
Idea: You play the role of the night and some of his ‘children’ or facets: loneliness, complacency, and rest. As these three personified beings you choose who you will attach yourself to (multiple people, possibly), and how you will affect them. The game will be told in second person (referring to ‘you’ the player), but will not explain who or what you are; it will only say what you observe and allow you the choice of how to react.
Paragraph 1: Lights go on. Lights go off. People stroll, dogs bark, cars screech to halts. As you descend, a chill of a breeze passes, and the clouds gather into masses of gray. The high crescent above gives you the feeling that there is much to be done.
- >>A man stumbles alone down a narrow street
- >>A well-to-do business woman drives home, a detached stare on her face
- >>A student stares intently at his desk full of papers and books
Choices:
- Do you lull one into a sleep before their work is done?
- Do you remind one of the friend they have turned away from
- Do you give one new motivation in the day-to-day struggle?
- Do you give peace to the one trying desperately to sleep
- Do you fill one with hope of finding a companion?
This is an image (not my own) from: http://english.sina.com/technology/p/2008/1201/201958.html
