Resimpulse: Narrative AND Characters of the game.

Now that the team’s thirst for a game theme and protagonist was set, it had to be satisfied with an even better narrative.

When the team first started talking, we considered creating a psychological play, but after playing the video game Vampyr over the weekend, one of our team members called us and said, “DRACULA,” which is what we should base our game on. It’s safe to say that this was the beginning of a 2-hour call during which we discussed concepts, the plot, and the mechanics until we were satisfied with what we had come up with. A story-driven game in which the main character, Drac (Dracula), prepares to battle a Hunter Werewolf while attempting to fit into a fictitious Kingston neighbourhood while fighting against his inherent impulse to slaughter people for their blood.

The video game revolves around Dracula’s life as he attempts to blend into modern society while leading a peaceful existence. However, events take a turn when he is attacked and gravely injured by a hunter-werewolf. In his weakened state, he is forced to resort to drinking blood to survive. The hunter-werewolf warns Dracula that he will return for a final showdown in 30 days.

As the game progresses, players will have the opportunity to make choices that will impact the storyline. For example, when Dracula encounters an injured man, players can choose to either save or kill him. The consequences of this choice will lead to different threads of the storyline. Additionally, players will interact with various non-playable characters (NPCs) and can build relationships with them. If a high level of trust is established, players can choose to either kill the NPC for their blood or complete their final task to close the thread of the storyline.

Throughout the game, players will experience various choices and events that will affect the game world and determine the outcome of the storyline. Whether it is the decision to save or kill the injured man, these choices will lead to different threads, such as “A MAN IN NEED IS A MAN INDEED” or “INVESTIGATION OF ALLEYWAY MURDER”.

Characters

Dracula:

The video game’s protagonist is Dracula. He is the notorious Transylvanian Count. Due to his origins in an undocumented and pre-technological era, much is unknown about his normal life before becoming a vampire and achieving notoriety through many tales passed down from generation to generation by Transylvanians. His bloodlust and few powers are true, despite the fact that many of them are exaggerations of actual events. Dracula’s bride saved Dracula by sacrificing herself when Abraham Van Helsing, a renowned monster hunter, stormed Castle Dracula to kill Dracula. Dracula, enraged, murders Abraham Van Helsing and flees, swearing that this will be his final killing. Later, he travelled the world, living passively and peacefully.Due to his dark magic skills combined with his peak vampire senses, he did not die but got weaker.

Hunter Werewolf:

Hunter Werewolf is the game’s main antagonist. He is an enigmatic figure who ambushes Dracula. He wants to kill Dracula because it is a werewolf legend that whoever kills Dracula will be granted eternal life and become the leader of the werewolf pack. He does, however, spare Dracula because he is in poor health. He does, however, warn that he will return in 30 days because he only transforms back into his werewolf form on full moon nights. He may not be directly present throughout the video game, but his presence is felt throughout.

Security:

The video game’s antagonist is security. They are adversaries. Dracula can defeat them by hiding and waiting for them to patrol, or by using Mesmer on them (if unlocked). If Dracula decides to return to killing people in the later stages of the video game, they can be killed.

Neighbours:

Dracula is now living in an apartment in Kingston, London, after leaving behind his Count life, which included a castle named after our infamous vampire. Darrel and Maya are some of his nearby neighbours. Dracula needs to strengthen his bonds with them in order to get closer to them. Once the highest level of the relationship is reached, Dracula has the option of killing them to gain strength or completing their final task to receive a reward.

The characters were later designed by Zoha and brought them to life with the help of Animation

Finally, the team’s concept for the story-driven video game “DRACULA” was well received by the mentors and classmates.The game promises to provide an engaging and dynamic experience for players, with a strong narrative centred on Dracula’s attempt to live a peaceful existence while battling a hunter-werewolf and his own impulse to kill. Players will encounter a variety of choices and events that will impact the game world and determine the outcome of the storyline, with a cast of memorable characters including the protagonist Dracula, the hunter-werewolf, the injured man, and the neighbours. The detailed storyboard and concept art promise to bring the characters and narrative to life in a visually stunning way, demonstrating the team’s hard work and dedication to bringing this concept to life.

Our team pitching the game to our professors and student friends

Once the characters and narrative were set, we went into developing a storyboard and concept art for it, you can check it in my next blog!