BY JAMIE VAN DER HEIDE
Setting the scene:
The game begins with a short cinematic experience that introduces the main character and their friends. Please read this exclusive sneak peak into the script!
Laughter spills into the tiny compartments of the vehicle. In my rear view mirror I see Dean plant a kiss on Sarah’s lips before blowing the smoke out the window; an old party trick he’s been practicing since he could hold a cigarette. Trust me when I say that was long before he ever kissed a girl. He laughs then, and it is a raw laugh that hums beneath my feet as I push the pedal down. Next to me, Jace sticks his head out the window and screams, long and loud so that the trees will know its echo for years to come. I join in, adjusting my position on the wheel to stick a hand out, remembering to tighten my fingers around the cigarette. Dean had apparently not done the same as I see his fingers attempt to grasp the cigarette as if to catch it on the changing of the wind.
Whoever might have heard our screams and laughter did not move to stop it. It felt as though the trees around us were swallowing every sound in this pocket between nature and humanity. I kept one hand on the wheel as I brought the cigarette to my lips, I always found that breathing became much easier when you’re paying for it. I inhaled the smoke into my lungs, not knowing it would be the last deep breath I would take in a long while.
Barely audible under Jace’s whoops and screams, Dean points at his lost cigarette. Flames had erupted from the spot and I can only think to push the pedal down. Jace, who had apparently just noticed taps my shoulders and points in the corner of my eye. My heart is beating in my throat and I suddenly feel the need to throw up. My grip must have loosened because Jace’s hands cover mine and straighten the wheel, shouting something in my ear. My lungs fill with smoke and I gasp for air, letting my cigarette drop. Sarah shouts into my ear and her words only become clear when I see it -“a deer.” I slam the brakes and wait for impact, praying that the phrase ‘like a deer in headlights’ is just something people say. Jace spins the wheel without looking and I can no longer feel the bumpy asphalt road under me. I scream louder and louder, hoping it will reach someone. I wonder if there are any airbags in this car; I cover my eyes and feel no cushioning when the car slams into the tree.
The story allows the main character to choose two variations of the same character, either feminine or masculine. This way players can select the representation they most relate to rather than falling into depictions of gender stereotypes.
QUENTIN
Chapter 1: Prologue: After being partially responsible for a forest fire with an old cigarette, you wake up in front of the only tree in an endless wasteland. You wait for the vision to pass and rub your eyes, only to find a large deer staring back at you, it’s eyes glinting like the bottles that swing from the tree.
Mission 1: Conversation is overrated: The deer disappears before you could even think to hunt it, chase it or, well, talk to it. You are just outside the city’s edge, figuring out how you got here and whether this is supposed to be heaven or hell. The deer never returns but this gives you time to search the area and find some food and water.
- This is where the character learns basic controls such as jump, sprint and attack
- Teaching the player what brings the health bar up and what brings it down, including how often you should eat
Mission 2: I assure you, it’s not tea: Having found no water and only a little bit of food you start untying the bottles from the tree. A strange liquid oozes at the bottom that smells like tea and honey. Considering you’re probably hallucinating anyway, you down the glass. The last thing you see before the world goes black is the deer, its eyes the same colour as the bottle in your hand.
Chapter 2: The Free Lands: Having downed the strange liquid, you wake up with the bottle still in your hand. Noticing that the earth feels real enoughthough slightly more alive with colour than before - you praise yourself on not ending a year of sobriety. The land under your feet is awake with music and laughter. You follow this familiar sound.
Mission 1: Deer are more vocal than you think: Even though you do not speak their language, the natives of this land have let you walk among them. They grow increasingly interested in the yellow bottle you carry and why it is your only possession. Little do they know you only keep it with you because it is apparently unbreakable and good self defence against large spiders. One man tells you he might be able to talk to the deer that follows you like your own shadow.
Mission 2: What do deer actually eat? Having found out that the deer’s spirit is tied to yours in some way you start leaving food for the creature, answering the question, what do deer actually eat? The natives begin calling you Talks to Deer and ask you to join them on a hunt. You learn about all the functions animal parts have. In your travels, your kill attracts a dog that follows you like the deer.
Mission 3: Talks to Deer, sometimes: The Natives show you how to make weapons, clothes and a tepee using animal hide. You have started to meditate in the forest and found that you too can speak to the deer when you slow your breathing down enough. The dog still follows you and you have decided to name him Buffalo, after his favourite breakfast, lunch and dinner.
OPTION 1:
Leave Cinematic: When you are ready, the deer tells you you can leave this land by collecting its essence and placing it into the bottle. You have no idea what exactly the essence of this place is but deer are impatient creatures when it comes to conversation. You return to the bottle tree and bury what you have chosen as the essence of the Free Lands. From where you planted your item, nature erupts from the ground and stretches into the horizon. You breathe in deeply and the patch of land remains healed when you open your eyes.
CHAPTER 2:
OPTION 2:
Stay Cinematic: The ground hums lightly beneath my feet and I feel it as I breathe in. The deer is wating for me at the edge of the forest and his words are as clear to me as the distant sound of laughter. Lifting its head, the deer looks at me with glowing eyes. He speaks then, and it is a deep voice that rings in me like the moan of swaying trees: “are you ready to leave?” My gaze drifts to the bottle in my hand and I find myself thinking about how I could capture the flying eagle and the wind. Faintly, I hear Buffalo whine behind me and I remember its his dinner time. Jace’s loud whoops and laughter echoes through my head as I think about how much he would have loved the way this land sings. I shake my head, partially to force away the foggy memory and partially to let the deer know I will not be returning with him. As if in response, the glass bottle in my hand shatters, its bright yellow light mirroring in the eyes of the deer. I find myself feeling glad that I don’t have to enter unconsciousness again, that is, if this isn’t all a hallucination in my sleeping mind anyway.
- IF YOU VISIT THE NATIVES OF THE FREE LANDS YOU MAY GET THE CHANCE TO HEAR THE TALE OF THIS LEGENDARY SHIELD -
Chapter 3: The High Lands: After taking another sip of that strange liquid you prepare for the darkness to hit. You feel sad leaving the land this time but unconsciousness hits you all the same.
Mission 1: I am sick of passing out: The natives of this land were much harder to find as they are often hidden by mountains and grassland. You follow the sound of cheers and music and find a large procession of cows walking back up the mountain. You are asked to join and feel that it would be rude to refuse. The sound of the bottle at your belt is drowned out by the ringing of bells, which as it turns out, are swinging with the slow movement of the cows. One of the women identifies the strange liquid in the bottle as an old herbal tea, made to calm the soul by awakening old thoughts and memories.
Mission 2: I take an Ice Bath in Winter: Having taken a plunge in perhaps the largest and coldest lake in the middle of winter, you start to understand why the natives of this land are so calm and patient. They do not mind the presence of your deer and you often find them talking to it when you turn your back. When you join them around the fire, a pretty young woman asks you to meet in a vineyard at noon.
Mission 3: I learn to tell the time: Even though you have grown used to telling time using the sun, the natives here make clocks, watches and about as much chocolate to fill all its lakes. The young woman you met, Heidi, gifts you an intricate silver watch and you begin to wonder what might happen to it when you return to the bottle tree.
OPTION 1:
Leave Cinematic: You return to the bottle tree and bury what you have chosen as the essence of the Free Lands. From where you planted your item, nature erupts from the ground and stretches into the sun. You breathe in deeply and the patch of land remains healed when you upon your eyes.
CHAPTER 3:
OPTION 2:
Stay Cinematic: The ground hums lightly beneath my feet and I feel it as I breathe in. The deer is wating for me at the edge of the forest and his words are as clear to me as the distant sound of laughter. Lifting its head, the deer looks at me with glowing eyes. He speaks then, and it is a deep voice that rings in me like the moan of swaying trees: “are you ready to leave?” My gaze drifts to the bottle in my hand and I find myself thinking about which part of the watch and how much of the lake to bring with me. Sarah’s shouts to save the deer ring through my head as I picture how she might have decorated the cows head with daisies. I shake my head, partially to force away the foggy memory and partially to let the deer know I will not be returning with him. As if in response, the glass bottle in my hand shatters, its bright yellow light mirroring in the eyes of the deer. I find myself feeling glad that I don’t have to enter unconsciousness again, that is, if this isn’t all a hallucination in my sleeping mind anyway.
- IT IS BELIEVED THAT A HORSE’S ATTRIBUTES CAN BE ENHANCED BY THE SYMBOLS IT BEARS -
Chapter 4: The Flat Lands: Getting used to the feeling of unconsciousness and the taste of gone off tea you awake this time surrounded only by sky. You start to wonder how people ever thought the earth was flat when you can almost see the curve of the planet from where you’re standing. You hear the distant sound of church bells like they're singing your name.
Mission 1: Why should shoes weight you down? People in this land tend to wear shoes made of wood and you find yourself wondering why they didn’t just use hide like everyone else. People here mostly live in stone houses and they sing about love on lutes rather than drums. One of the old blacksmiths notices the cloak you wear and asks where you bought such a fine kill. When you tell him it was your own hunting that killed this animal and how you used its other body parts, he offers you a job.
Mission 2: I miss the mountains: It turns out living in the flat lands means never having to walk up hill but having to watch out for water in your path. The deer still follows you and though people question your ability to speak to it, you always find the time to ask him when you are due to leave. On your daily rounds for the blacksmith you bump into a guy who looks remarkably like Jace. In between speaking to the deer, you find the time to grab a coffee with him and learn that his name is Roest. He shows you how to weave, milk a cow and help a horse in labour. Heidi’s watch still glints around your wrist.
Mission 3: Biking doesn’t cause fires: You think about Buffalo and how he’s probably whining for his dinner, and the way Heidi has probably discovered a new way to design clocks. They are as clear to you as Roest’s hand in yours and you suddenly feel glad that this nation’s transport relies on bikes instead of cars.
OPTION 1:
Leave Cinematic: You return to the bottle tree and bury what you have chosen as the essence of the Flat Lands. From where you planted your item, nature erupts from the ground and stretches into the sun. You breathe in deeply and the patch of land remains healed when you open your eyes. You start dancing in the world you’ve created, hide flowing from your shoulders, a watch around your wrist and clogs on your feet. Your deer joins you under the bottle tree and asks you where you want to go next. You slowly begin shaking your head, “I want to stay my friend.” You take the bottle out of your bag and it breaks into shards, its bright yellow light mirroring those in the eyes of your deer.
CHAPTER 4:
OPTION 2:
Stay Cinematic: The ground hums lightly beneath my feet and I feel it as I breathe in. The deer is wating for me at the edge of the forest and his words are as clear to me as the distant sound of laughter. Lifting its head, the deer looks at me with glowing eyes. He speaks then, and it is a deep voice that rings in me like the moan of swaying trees: “are you ready to leave?” My gaze drifts to the bottle in my hand and with clogs on my feet and a roll to my R’s, I find myself thinking about how to capture this. I find myself thinking about the kiss Dean planted on Sarah’s cheek and how he would love the three kisses this country demands. I shake my head, partially to force away the foggy memory and partially to let the deer know I will not be returning with him. As if in response, the glass bottle in my hand shatters, its bright yellow light mirroring in the eyes of the deer. I find myself feeling glad that I don’t have to enter unconsciousness again, that is, if this isn’t all a hallucination in my sleeping mind anyway.
- YOU CAN USE ANIMAL BONES TO MAKE WEAPONS WHEN NO OTHER MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE -
Somewhere in the past, a deer shuts its burning yellow eyes. Not, this time, to await the impact of a swerving car, but to say goodbye to an old friend.
They press down on a lifeless body. Hollow eyes reflect the fire ahead and do not blink to rest. A woman shouts for no one at all and not a single heartbeat shifts her two fingers.
Two boys and a girl sit anxiously in the back of an ambulance, awaiting the news. One of them throws a packet of dry cigarettes into the burning car and smiles while the other speaks with no voice. The girl looks into the distance and notices a deer, frozen in time. As it turns out, deer are only caught in your headlights when you don’t ask them to move.
“He’s gone. ” .
From this scorched land, anyway.