Game Concept Proposal:

Little Bo-Tique, a dear friend of Mr. Foxx Trot, is being framed for the murder that occurred at her own clothing and wool business! As a humble, yet somewhat timid girl, the whole town is in disbelief that she could do such a thing. Mr. Foxx Trot swears on her innocence, and fully believes that she did not do such a thing. “Decisive evidence” has been planted at the scene of the crime by the real culprit: a pair of wool shears, and with the victim’s blood, no less! If the court catches wind of this, she will certainly be found guilty. The prosecution is eager to wrap up the case quickly and get their guilty verdict. Unable to idly watch his friend get convicted for something she didn’t do, Mr. Foxx Trot decides to sneak in on the active investigation, steal away the fake evidence, and flee the scene without getting caught.

People: Mr. Foxx Trot, Little Bo-Tique, Prosecutor, Detectives

Places: Little Bo-Tique’s Cloth and Wool Co.
You are able to explore the inside of the store, and catch a glimpse of the outside once you are able to make your escape. The weather outside will be slightly moody, maybe a bit foggy to contrast with the pastel pink aesthetic of the boutique’s interior.

Things: The clothing displays in the store (dodging them, hiding behind them, being generally sneaky around them), the planted evidence (must interact to take it away from the crime scene)

Style: The characters will all be made in a chibi style, and will each represent different animals. The environment will be cute, and show remnants of its sterile and clean nature before the crime. This will contrast with the gloomy weather and dark nature of the crime. The aesthetic is intended to believe in Little Bo-Tique in the same way our protagonist, Mr. Foxx Trot, does.

Gameplay: It will be a mixture of stealth and platforming. The goal is to be in and out of the crime scene quickly, so maybe there is a “speedrun” route and a “safe” route that are both valid ways to reach the end-state of the game. If the NPCs are looking, you must be hiding, or else you will get caught and get a strike on your suspicion level.

Concept Sketch:

Mood Board:

General Gameplay Inspiration: you are able to interact with and investigate the scene. I like the way that this game has a fixed camera, but I would maybe opt for a more zoomed-in view of a larger space.

Interior Aesthetic: I like how this image has a very clean, cute, and simple layout. I could see the boutique sharing many similarities to its color palette specifically.

Clothing Displays: Similarly to the last one, I like the aesthetic of these items, and my game will have a similar color palette. I could imagine all of these items, and other similar displays, taking up the majority of the space within the store.

Character Designs: I designed the characters before finding this image, but I feel as though it represents perfectly how I would want the characters to look in 3D.

More Gameplay Inspiration: I like how this screenshot shows a small part of a larger scene, and the camera moves once the main character reaches the edge of the screen. I would like to have the layout somewhat linear like this.

Exterior Aesthetic: This will serve as the primary reference for the exterior design of the boutique. I feel like it matches my vision for the small business vibe.

The Evidence!: My primary reference for the planted murder weapon. Our objective? Go get it!

Rendering of Environmental Models: I like how the models here are somewhat realistic, but very stylized. That is what I would like my environment to look like (roughly).