Hey lovely people,
This June was a lot about something that grew directly out of the discussion from the last post, where we discussed about how the protagonist is interacting with the world. Around the same time, I'd also been sitting on an idea for collectible photos scattered through the game. During internal discussions those two things merged into one: a journal.
It works on a few levels at once. First, it's her personal notebook, where she scribbles down what's going through her mind: small observations, fears, fragments of thought about whatever's happening around her. I wanted it to work as a small window into her thoughts for people who want to read it. At the same time, the journal doubles as a kind of synopsis. If you take a break or haven't played in a while, you can glance through it and remember where the story left off.
And then there's a part I'm genuinely excited about: scattered around the world are torn photo pieces. Collect enough of them, and the journal slowly pieces together a full picture. Kind of like puzzle pieces that also tell you something about the character's past.
One detail I'm really happy about: the portraits in the journal, the ones that capture her state of mind, are done by Sara Portas. I'm really glad I got to bring her onto this project, her work fits exactly what I had in mind for this character.
It's all still work in progress, but I wanted to show it to you while it's fresh. What do you think? Does a journal like this feel like the right way to get closer to the protagonist, or would you have wanted something different? And how much do you actually want to figure out on your own versus how much should the journal just explain? Curious to hear your thoughts on this one!
Thanks for reading, and as always, for your support ♥️