PORTFOLIO
Echoes of the Lost is a narrative-driven, isometric puzzle-adventure game that explores themes of grief, denial, and acceptance. Players take on the role of Ethan, a young artist awakening in a frozen, monochromatic city, who embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about his lost love, Lily. Guided by a mysterious faceless girl, Ethan must solve intricate puzzles, free frozen inhabitants, and restore color and life to the world as he comes to terms with his loss.
Inspired by games like Gris and Rime, Echoes of the Lost combines emotional storytelling, symbolic puzzle mechanics, and a dynamic world that transforms with Ethan’s progress. Designed for players who enjoy story-rich experiences, the game promises a heartfelt adventure blending magical realism and intricate exploration.
Aims and Objectives
The primary aim of Echoes of the Lost is to create an emotionally resonant puzzle-adventure game that combines storytelling, gameplay, and visual aesthetics to explore complex themes of grief, denial, and acceptance. Through Ethan's journey, the project seeks to immerse players in a symbolic and transformative experience, encouraging reflection and emotional connection.
Key aims include:
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Storytelling: Deliver a heartfelt narrative that unfolds through exploration, dialogue, and visual storytelling, focusing on Ethan’s emotional growth and discovery.
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Puzzle Design: Create meaningful and symbolic puzzles that align with the narrative and provide players with rewarding challenges.
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Dynamic Worldbuilding: Design a frozen, monochromatic world that evolves and transforms as players progress, restoring color and life in parallel with the protagonist’s journey.
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Player Engagement: Craft an immersive experience that appeals to players seeking narrative-driven gameplay and emotional depth.
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Artistic Vision: Develop a visually stunning game inspired by titles like Gris and Rime, with a unique art style that complements the themes and atmosphere of the game.
Objectives
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Narrative Development: Craft a compelling story centered around Ethan's journey to process grief, uncovering his past and the truth about Lily.
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Thematic Exploration: Use gameplay, dialogue, and visual storytelling to explore complex emotional themes like denial, loss, and acceptance.
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Puzzle Integration: Design puzzles that are meaningful and symbolic, challenging players while enhancing the narrative and world immersion.
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Dynamic Environment: Build a monochromatic world that evolves and regains color as players progress, visually reflecting Ethan's emotional journey.
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Character Interaction: Develop unique NPCs and interactions that provide clues, emotional depth, and context for the story.
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Immersive Atmosphere: Combine stunning visuals, evocative sound design, and subtle environmental cues to create an engaging and emotional game world.
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Player Engagement: Ensure the gameplay provides a balance of challenge and narrative immersion, appealing to fans of story-driven puzzle games.
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Artistic Presentation: Deliver an art style inspired by Gris and Rime that complements the emotional and magical realism aspects of the game.
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Target Audience Connection: Create a game experience tailored for players seeking emotional storytelling and introspective gameplay.
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Seamless Mechanics: Ensure smooth integration of puzzles, exploration, and story progression to maintain player immersion throughout the experience.
Conceptualization
Echoes of the Lost was conceptualized as an emotionally immersive puzzle-adventure game designed to explore themes of grief, denial, and acceptance through a unique narrative and visual style. The core idea revolves around Ethan, a young artist, navigating a frozen, monochromatic world that represents his emotional state as he processes the loss of his beloved Lily.
The gameplay is centered around solving symbolic puzzles, freeing frozen inhabitants, and gradually restoring color and life to the world. Each puzzle and environment reflects Ethan's emotional journey, with carefully crafted challenges designed to tie directly into the narrative. Inspired by titles like Gris and Rime, the game uses magical realism and evolving world dynamics to create a seamless connection between storytelling, visuals, and gameplay.
The design emphasizes a balance between emotional depth and player engagement. By combining a striking art style, evocative sound design, and thoughtful gameplay mechanics, Echoes of the Lost aims to deliver a meaningful and transformative experience for players who enjoy story-rich, introspective games.
Ideation
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Ideation process involved in deciding what type of gameplay the project will adapt to.
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Game engine and software oriented decisions for prototyping.
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The critical gameplay mechanics were drawn out
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Plot of the story was devised into quest system.
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style of the game had to be drawn out
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Documentation of every step began as well as began forming Game Design Document.
Narration
The narrative is delivered through a combination of:
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Environmental Storytelling:
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The frozen, monochromatic city reflects Ethan’s emotional turmoil, gradually transforming as he progresses.
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Subtle visual and auditory cues, like broken statues and faint whispers, hint at Ethan’s memories and internal struggles.
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Symbolic Puzzles:
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Puzzles are designed to represent aspects of Ethan’s journey, such as unlocking repressed memories or overcoming barriers tied to his grief.
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Solving these challenges restores life to parts of the world, symbolizing Ethan’s gradual acceptance and healing.
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Character Interactions:
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NPCs, such as the faceless girl and the frozen inhabitants, provide fragmented stories, clues, and emotional connections, enriching the narrative.
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Dialogue is minimal yet impactful, emphasizing the emotional tone and allowing players to interpret the story through their experiences.
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Dynamic World Evolution:
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The world regains color, warmth, and vibrancy as Ethan progresses, reflecting his emotional growth and acceptance of Lily’s loss.
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By weaving the narrative into gameplay and the environment, Echoes of the Lost ensures that players experience Ethan’s journey on a deeply personal and emotional level, making the story an integral part of the gameplay experience.
Documents
Story
Story
GDD
Prototype Tool
Problem & Solutions Ongoing
Narrative: Narrative Progression
Challenge: The central narrative challenge was to translate the real-life themes of acceptance and letting go into a compelling story that felt unique and impactful. The concept relied on illusions—what Ethan sees in the frozen, monochromatic world isn’t real, but rather a reflection of his emotions in the moment. Adapting this abstract concept into a game required significant time and iteration to ensure it resonated with players while remaining coherent within the gameplay framework.
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Solution:
To address this, the narrative was designed as a journey where the world evolves in response to Ethan’s emotional state. The frozen city, symbolic puzzles, and NPC interactions were carefully crafted to reflect Ethan’s internal struggles and growth. The use of illusions added depth to the storytelling, portraying the blurred line between reality and emotions. Translating this into game mechanics involved:
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Developing environmental storytelling techniques that allowed the world to dynamically change as Ethan progressed.
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Iteratively refining how illusions were portrayed, ensuring players could interpret their symbolic meaning without feeling lost.
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Collaborating between narrative and gameplay design to create puzzles and events that tied directly to Ethan’s emotions, reinforcing the themes of grief and acceptance.
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Graphics: Visual narration
Challenge: The challenge was to prioritize story delivery over visual complexity, avoiding high-resolution styles like The Witcher or Wukong. Instead, the game uses a simpler, stylized isometric view similar to Raji: An Ancient Epic. Without combat, creating visually engaging puzzles, dynamic environments, and location-based narrative delivery was crucial. Maintaining thematic consistency and evolving visuals to reflect Ethan’s emotional journey added further complexity.
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Solution:
The game employs a stylized aesthetic with an isometric view to focus on storytelling while keeping visuals accessible. Dynamic environments evolve with Ethan’s progress, restoring color and life to the frozen world as part of the narrative. Visual puzzles and object interactions replace combat, engaging players while reflecting the story’s themes. Inspired by God of War, location-based storytelling and subtle cues like changing lighting and textures ensure a seamless connection between visuals and narrative. This approach delivers a visually appealing and emotionally resonant experience without relying on graphical complexity.
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Level Design: Simpler Story delivery
Challenge: Designing levels that align with the narrative of Echoes of the Lost posed several challenges. The levels needed to reflect Ethan’s emotional journey while providing smooth navigation and engaging gameplay. Balancing the grandness of the environments, such as the frozen, monochromatic city, with accessible traversal was critical. Additionally, integrating puzzles, hidden items, and narrative cues in a way that felt natural without overwhelming players was a key concern. Ensuring thematic consistency and creating a world that evolves dynamically with Ethan’s progress added to the complexity.
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Solution:
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Narrative-Driven Environments: Levels reflect Ethan’s emotions, with the frozen world regaining color as he progresses.
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Accessible Layouts: Grand environments balance open exploration with clear pathways and rewarding hidden areas.
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Integrated Puzzles: Visual puzzles and interactive elements drive the story and replace traditional combat.
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Dynamic Evolution: Levels change dynamically, restoring color and life in response to player progress.
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Thematic Consistency: All design elements reinforce the emotional tone and support the narrative.
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Prototyping: Ongoing
Challenge: N/A
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Solution:
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