You are a rich and handsome prince on a quest to save and woo the most beautiful princess in the world. You must go up against a troublesome dragon on your way up to her tower and a perilous climb to her window, not to mention getting her out of that damn tower. Of course, other brave people have tried before you. Lesser lords and nobles and many peasants hoping to seek a way out of their poor lives have faced the challenge, but none have succeeded, and none have returned. Will you be able to save your beautiful love? Or will you meet the same fate as those who came before you?
The setting of this story is a tall tower, including both its interior and its immediate exterior. A dragon is coiled around its base, asleep. There is no door on the side, and the only entrance or exit in this tall structure is a window at the top with a balcony, upon which sits the beautiful princess. A pile of bones near the dragon’s feet appears to be spooky decoration, but really provide the way up: when collected and stuck into deep holes in the side of the tower, they form a staircase upon which you can climb.
Inside the tower is a picture of luxury. Though she cannot leave, this princess is clearly not wanting for comfort. The furniture is covered in the richest silks, and her table is piled high with delicacies. She is delighted that you have come to take her away, and agrees to come marry you in your palace, but says you must do three things for her before she is ready to leave: retrieve her golden comb that she lost years ago somewhere in the tower, weave her a wedding veil so that she won’t be blinded by the sunlight she is so unaccustomed to on your journey home, and kill the witch in the basement, bringing her pinky bone as proof of her death.
Each task requires exploring the tower and solving a small puzzle:
- The comb was taken by a bird and used in its nest. The nest is visible outside a tall window, but you can’t reach it unless you repair a broken ladder in the basement by using broken pieces of statue arms.
- The veil can be constructed by weaving together the hair of several human figures in the basement and by the walls.
- The witch is dead already….but there are several skeletons in the basement, and you have to identify which one she is by looking at murals on the walls and identifying the jewelry the witch wore.
The game will be in third person, with the player controlling the prince character. Important interactions with the princess will close up on both characters’ faces. Interactions with the world will either be with an interact button or clicking specific items. In an ideal world, minigames would pop up for task completion, but that might be out of scope for this class.
The art style will be very reminiscent of early 20th century fairytale illustrations, particularly Kay Nielsen, and architecture and decor will be in the 1700s French Rococo style (as it is in most of Nielsen’s art). In 3D, this will transform into lots of sharp lines and detailed artwork in the textures of shapes, both in environments and characters. I hope to be able to use toon shading for a flat colored look, as will be shown in some of the following inspiration images. The colors will involve large amounts of pale or neutral colors, contrasting with vibrantly colored spaces and details.
The target audience is people who are more interested in storytelling than in long or complex games. Its message is a simple one and not a very new one, but interesting nonetheless, especially for people who like uncovering mysteries and exploring.
The underlying story told by the art in this game will be that the soldiers and lesser nobles that failed to save the princess really did make it up the tower, but as they were not in as high standing as the princess, they were not considered worthy. Instead of going with them to freedom, the princess made them into statues and bricks and support for her beautiful tower. This will not be explained in the dialogue, as the specifics of what happened to the poor people is not important to the prince nor the princess. It will only be hinted at through the setting itself.
Moodboard/Reference images
Like you said, this is a classic but I like the spins you’ve put on it! I enjoy the princess putting the prince through tasks for him to prove himself. The puzzles are unique and thought out, I really like the subversion that the witch is already dead and you need to figure out which one is her. With the game being in third person, will the camera be controlled by the player, or will there be a fixed angle when playing?
Thanks! Ideally the camera will be controlled by the player, as that would lend to better exploration, but I will probably experiment with a fixed camera as well as I haven’t created a game with either, and I know moving cameras can be difficult to set up.
I quite like this idea. I haven’t seen any kind of puzzle game set in a classic fantasy setting before so its refreshing seeing something new. I also like the idea of using environmental things to craft the items you need to progress. You mentioned this game would be targeted towards people who enjoy storytelling, however, the gameplay based on how you describe it seems like more of a puzzle game rather than a story based game. Of course both can be present in the game but one will likely end up being more significant than the other. If you were to describe your game, would it be a story game or a puzzle game? (Or both if you can reach a balance between the two.)
You know, I hadn’t really considered that. I think I got started with the intention of making it story-heavy and then got all excited about the puzzles. At this point, I think it’s a puzzle game. The story is definitely something I want to show with the setting, but I think that the lack of story in the gameplay itself will prove stronger and fit the vibe of old fairytales much better.
I like that you already have some ideas on the shading. It can give your game a very unique taste. I like the settings a lot. And I really want to see all the luxurious furniture and costumes can come together!
For a third-person game taking place in a narrow, indoor environment. The camera work could be annoying, especially for the spiral staircase. Do you have any plans for the game camera? Would it be free to move around or fixed?
This is a really cool idea and I really like the references you’ve gathered. I think the detailed designs in the fancy rooms will be really unique with a toon shader. They kinda remind me of the beloved champagne room assignment. My question is are you going to try to get that level of detail through 3D modeling or texture maps?
The champagne room assignment made me want to tear my hair out…and yet here I am! I think that texture maps will be my saving grace in this project if I figure out how to use them properly. I’ll likely experiment a lot with modeling and sculpting fancy designs, but so much of rococo architecture involves such ridiculously complex designs that I don’t think I could physically reproduce them through 3D modeling in a year, let alone 7 weeks.
The idea of have a spiral case is cool and I like the outside appearance of the tower. It reminds me of the tower form tangled. My question is how you are thinking of handling the lighting in the tower? Will the lighting be done using fire to help with that medieval vintage look or are you planning to have ceiling lights?
I don’t have much experience with lighting so I will definitely do some experimentation with it on this project. I know I will be sculpting some fancy chandeliers and wall candle fixtures that I can use as a place to add lighting, but much of the lighting might come from windows as well. As this is a fantasy setting I might have to fudge it a little bit to get that magical vibe.