Context: These blog posts are made in relation to a university assessment. Some of the answers are in response to questions asked in the assessment. 

Michael Cardoso: Lead Texture Artist /Story writer / Games Designer

Creating an engaging Story

Story telling is an important element when creating a video game. Stories in games give an understanding and a sense of direction to players in the world created for them to explore and achieve objectives leaving the player with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of their journey. In Obscurity we want to offer the player an engaging story that would keep the player interested in exploring the environment through mystery and puzzle solving and rewarded for achievements.

The story developed for Obscurity aims to place the player into a world of mystery and uncertainty hence the name Obscurity. The protagonist, Damien, adventures in an isolated setting in a luxurious wellness resort located on a small island. After a normal stay of his first night our protagonist awakes and finds himself stuck on the island that now appears to have been recently abandoned. This is when the player takes control as Damien explores the emptiness of the resort discovering piece by piece of what has happened in hopes to make his escape from this bizarre anomaly. 

The Island

As mentioned earlier, the game takes place in a luxurious resort. The map and island were designed with a rich appearance and environment. This was implemented by adding multiple structures scattered around the island that will have different factions such as dormitories, social activity spaces, massage and yoga, and dinning. As to the more natural environment, grassy fields, palm trees and higher cliffs. This design matches the theme and name of the resort “Oasis”. This map design will give a nice open area for the player to explore and discover the secrets kept within the island.