Children of New Eaden

  • Developer(s): Solo developer
  • Role: Solo developer
  • Engine: Unity3D
  • Programming Tools: MS Visual Studio (C#)
  • Platform(s): PC (Windows)
  • Development Time: 3 months
  • Release: January 2022 (the year of my master’s degree at Kingston University)
  • Genre(s): Prototype(s) – interactive drama, adventure, role-playing, cooperative
  • Mode(s): Multiplayer
Synopsis

Children of New Eaden is a two-player adventure game set in a dystopian cyberpunk world that tells a heartwarming story about two separated siblings trying to escape the clutches of ruthless corporations and their immoral ways of life. The most important part of the gameplay is allowing players to tailor the story by their choices and creating an immersive, dynamic, and collaborative player experience.

The game idea behind Children of New Eaden was based on the theme “Apart and Together”. The aim of this game is to enhance the single-player story-driven experience by creating a dynamic atmosphere between two players and allowing them to share their experiences. Therefore, the objective is to use shared and/or split-screen interactive elements and allow them to play as two different protagonists and follow the same story, but in two different scenes. As there is something very human in sharing individual experiences, the joy of unravelling the story together is the main outcome of this project.

Gameplay
  • Control two avatars (choose between two characters at the start) through a 3rd person camera view in two separate scenes (two players are required to play the game)
  • Explore gameplay areas, search for clues that reveal more information, make meaningful choices, interact with NPCs and build relationships with them (specific events can be triggered, such as a chase or fight sequence)
  • At the end of each chapter, draw a conclusion to see where the accuracy of information gathered will take you
  • Use protagonists different sets of skills to uncover the truth and share individual discoveries to get the desired ending
Learning Outcomes
  • Developing the game following the set theme
  • Efficiently organizing time and resources needed to complete the project
  • Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of game design processes and applying them to a specific game design of my choice
  • Creating a branching narrative, character biographies, and a brand-new world
  • Making prototypes to showcase the main gameplay and most important game systems
    • Writing a screenplay for the dialogue implemented in the prototype
  • Writing documentation about the entire design process
    • Reflecting on the delivered outcomes
    • Summarising my research, elaborating the rationale behind the game design decisions, and delivering a formative evaluation of my project
  • Pitching the game idea to the live audience through different stages (three times; as an elevator pitch, as an early concept pitch, and as a fully refined pitch with playable prototypes)