IN LOVING MEMORY
In Loving Memory is a poetic experience about a young girl going through loss and grief. The game represents the different stages of grief in an abstract manner. It features stunning pixel art graphics and painted backgrounds. It is a game about loss and acceptance. This game takes inspiration from games such as Celeste, Undertale, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight and other 2D metroidvania games.
This game is developed solely by myself.
In Loving Memory has been nominated for Best Student Game Award in the 2019 Games For Change Festival.
Developer Thoughts
"I want to make a game about an experience."
I went about designing this game with one high-concept in mind - A game about loss and acceptance. In DigiPen, we, as students, were always so concerned about mechanics and gameplay, that many times, we forgo the story elements. So while many of my friends went on to do internships, I've decided to take on one more major project to craft that experience.
Throughout the development of In Loving Memory, I try to put in as many symbolism as I can in the fantasy world which Naomie traverse in. There are many points in time where I designed levels to symbolize the stage of mind that Naomie is in.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Designing Levels
When designing my levels, I always ask myself, "What is the goal of the level?"
If the level goal is purely mechanical, I made sure to overlay some form of story element over it, so it reveals a little bit more on lore of the environment, characters and/or the world.
In the case above, I wanted to let the players familiarize themselves with the jumping feature of the game. However, I overlay a small story of having Filia (the friend), although running late, wanting to return a fallen baby bird back to its nest. It reveals a little bit of the personality of Filia and as well as create a moment to let the player bond with Filia.
Designing Filia
As I am very limited on time for this project, I wanted to design a character that the player can quickly connect with.
The hurdle was to have the player make a connection with the character in roughly five minutes. So, I've purposefully chosen a friendly sounding name, Filia (which my music instructor notes that it means "daughter" in Latin) and designed her with warmer colours, notably brownish-yellow hair and a blue cap.
I have also decided to have Filia guide the player along in the first part of the game, but disappears a little later (in the mines) to create a sense of dependence on Filia. After which, I put in two of, what I deemed, the most important scenes in the game to solidify Filia as a character.
1. Tree scene
The tree scene is where I establish that Filia is a compassionate character. She sees a baby bird that has fallen from its nest and urges the player to put it back. It shows that Filia is kind-hearted and wants to do the right thing even when they are late for roll call.
2. Bell-tower scene
The bell-tower scene is where I establish the optimism and appreciation Filia has. She admires the view of the city from atop a tower and enjoys the quiet scene seemingly many times (as the Naomie would note "I thought I'd find you here"), Filia then hopes she could continue to make more memories with Naomie. It shows that Filia enjoys the simple things in life and friends are important to her.
And thus, Filia was born.