Embedded Files
Synopsis
Synopsis
A charming village hides a dark secret. In this visual novel dating sim, you play as a newcomer in Nataville… but also a cunning fishnapper. Navigate relationships, unravel the villagers’ quirks, and manipulate minigames to your advantage. Every choice tests your morality, and every encounter could pull you deeper into a web of deception, romance, and tension beneath the waves.
World Lore
World Lore
Nataville
Nataville
The lore in Nataville will be revealed slowly but steadily by the characters within the world, for the small town has a deeper story than initially thought. The town was created 500 years ago by their first mayor who was a blind Greenland Shark who stumbled upon this area, feeling tired of having to move around due to global warming, he picked this spot for his friends and family members.
The mayor died a couple of years ago, which left them without a mayor for now as the next election won’t be until after the PC leaves the town. (Unless we want a nameless and faceless NPC to be mayor, we could add posters with campaign slogans around the map if we have the opportunity to add them)
Restaurant
Restaurant
The Japanese restaurant is owned by the Koi twins, they are the most popular hotspot in Nataville. A lovely place with a dark secret, see, they owe the Pike Fish a lot of money and have to work overtime in order to keep their restaurant open. The twins inherited the restaurant when their parents mysteriously died, and now seem to only be spotted working and never outside. People seem to know that something is shady but can’t put their finger on it.
People feel a general unease when it comes to the restaurant but due to it being the only true restaurant they can’t complain. Any other restaurant that has popped up in the last couple of years has all for some reason been shut down, due to health reasons or by other means. The Pike Fish crew have been seen behind the restaurant at night, which has led some fishes to wonder if the Koi are in cahoots with the Pikefish.
Park/Gym
Park/Gym
The Park is one of the most visited areas in the town as it was set up by the Greenland shark to be an area where any fish, no matter if they are predators or not to be able to gather, especially during holidays. The park is also the location where the Greenland shark, unfortunately, passed away during one of their great holidays, which has caused them to postpone the upcoming 500th anniversary to pay respects to the former leader of the town.
The Red Herring was there when the Greenland Shark died, which has caused people to be a bit suspicious of her as she generally likes to hang around the area where the mayor died. What most don’t know is that he had a secret affair with her, which ultimately is the root cause of her being suspicious.
Working on the world lore was very fascinating, as this was the first ever visual novel that I had ever worked with, which meant that I had to tackle this subject with the outmost respect. The creative directors vision was rather clear and he had instructed me to write the narrative for this entire game, I began by learning a little about fishes and looked up different cultures pertaining to fishes. The visionary landed on Nataville, while I worked on the various characters and villages lore.
Excerpt from Plenty of Fish in the Sea
Excerpt from Plenty of Fish in the Sea
PC:
“Good afternoon, Griselda.”
Griselda:
“May I speak with ___ for a moment please?”
Mimi:
“Of course.”
“I’ll be waiting inside.”
PC:
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
“What’s up Griselda?”
Griselda:
“Oh not much, I just wanted to say that you impressed me.”
PC:
“Really? What did I do?”
Griselda:
“I heard you helped Ace complete their game.”
PC:
'When did I? Oh right… The Labyrinth game.'
“It requires a big brain to complete the labyrinth.”
Griselda:
“Haha, you are funny as well.”
PC:
“Thank you.”
Griselda:
“I know you have been busy right now, but perhaps we could go for a walk later tonight?”
PC:
'I… Don’t know If I would have the energy for that…'
'But at the same time…'
'I shouldn’t miss the opportunity…'
'Perhaps not today though…'
Griselda:
“Perhaps we could take that walk another day?”
PC:
“Ehm, no, no, It’s–”
I wrote the script for the game as if it was a screenplay, albeit with dialogue options as it is one of the key gameplay features of visual novells, the ability to pick and choose basically where the story goes. This was a bit harder than I originally had expected as I still needed to learn how to make sure that the choices the players made made sense with the ongoing narrative, and also had to make sure that the choices the players were capable of doing weren't world altering in a sense where the game wouldn't make sense moving forward.
Radio Script Excerpt
Radio Script Excerpt
Radio Host:
“Today we have a guest on our show, Pikeal, welcome!”
Pike:
“Thank you for inviting me. So, there’s this new fish that just moved in…”
Radio Host:
“Right, I heard that they are a bit weird.”
Pike:
“Right, right, they don’t swim like the regular fishes, which is pretty suspicious but who am I to judge? They have opposable thumbs, which are quite handy.”
Radio Host:
“Opposable what now?”
Pike:
“Thumbs… Hard to explain, but it’s a bit freaky I tell ya. Never seen anyone be able to grab so many boxes in such a short time.”
Radio Host:
“Man that sounds weird… Anyway, that was our friendly Pikefish, make sure not to cross him because boy let me tell you.”
*Insert Music*
Radio Script Prologue.wavHere's a little taste of the radio
I worked directly with the creative director of this game when it came to the radio script, as it had been my suggestion to add a radio program within the visual novel, that way we could encapsulate what the world felt about the player character, but also allow us creators to pull characters from the game and give them a voice, allow them to speak and voice their opinions on various things. The radio script in itself turned out to be around 10 minutes.
Characters
Characters
Dateable
Pike (Pikael)
The Pike fish starts as a user; he sees the value in the character's physical attributes, such as having opposable thumbs. His personality is closer to that of a user, as he doesn’t reveal much about himself until later on. He’s tough but also fair, calculating, and cunning, as he generally likes to think before giving answers, unlike his crew members Lefty and Righty, who are both hotheads who are quick to lose their temper.
Once he starts opening up to the player character, he will start talking about his past and how he started his life crime; he won’t reveal too much as he still isn’t sure about PC. He will still use the player to spread influence, but each time they talk to him, he will slowly open up about everything until they finally max out their relationship. This is when Pike starts to reveal his past; he also talks about the hopes he has for the future and how he wants to put the life of crime behind him.
In the beginning, the Pike Fish doesn’t “date” the player, but they use them to spread their criminal influence. Around the halfway point, the crime lord will start to consider the player's character trustworthy. By now the player character can start meeting the crime boss without his posse, Lefty and Righty, but they are never exactly private, meaning the player character can’t just abduct them and instead has to continue to play along with their crime games until they finally reach the point where they can finally corner the Pike fish.
Damselfish (Ace)
The Damselfish is a whimsical and happy-go-lucky fish of the dateable ones. They are friendly but also quick to leave any conversation the second they find it boring. The Damselfish will be introduced by the Gymshark, who has an ongoing bitter rivalry with the Damselfish. Every time the player runs across them, they’ll either be introduced to a new character or follow up on a previous conversation, but they will always leave before the player character has a chance to get to know them better.
When their relationship status grows closer, they will begin to open up about themselves a little. Damselfish will explain to the player that they tend to get bored rather quickly as they seem to suffer from an overdrive in dopamine addiction, meaning that they are used to going from an area as staying in one place for too long gets the Damselfish feeling a bit anxious. That conversation will ironically end with the Damselfish leaving the player again, but at least now they know why they just up and leave.
When the PC has managed to max out their relationship status, the Damselfish will reveal that they are non-binary; unlike their race of fish that can switch genders, Damselfish was born special and can switch whenever they feel like it, which made them grow up feeling like they were neither of the genders, or both, depending on how they feel for the day. The PC will also unlock the ability to ask them home, which is where the PC will finally capture the Damselfish.
Mandarin Fish (Mimi)
The Mandarin fish starts as the most milquetoast character of the dateable ones. The reason why her personality is presented like this will be revealed later when the PC has bonded with the Mandarin Fish, but if the Player takes note, then they will notice that the Mandarin Fish has taken great interest in the PC, almost as if they are either stalking them or keeping an eye on them. So in the beginning chapters, the Mandarin Fish will seemingly just appear whenever they have conversations with fish, especially the Red Herring, as she truly doesn’t want to lose to her, or so it appears.
It’s not until after the player manages to raise the Mandarin Fish's relationship status that they finally begin to open up a little to the PC. The Mandarin Fish has always been told what to do and who to be, as she comes from a strict background, but the PC can tell that there’s something else they aren’t telling them. The Mandarin Fish will just say that they will tell them everything they need to know when the time is right.
When the PC has maxed out the Mandarin Fish’s relationship status, they will finally reveal their true character—that they are subtly depressed because of the work they are forced to do. See, the Mandarin Fish is an undercover agent sent from village to village to try to find the famous fishnapper that has been roaming the oceans. Not knowing that the PC is the fishnapper, she will ask if they can continue the conversation at the PC's home, which works perfectly for the PC. The Mandarin fish finally manages to put two and two together but fails to stop them before they are captured.
NPC'S
NPC'S
Red Herring (Griselda)
When the Red Herring is introduced, her personality should be very bubbly. Since she is seen as the elegant fish of the bunch, her entire persona will appear as if she is the most logical fish, which in turn will make her one of the main suspects. Her previously secret relationship with the Greenland Shark is what causes the Mandarin Fish to suspect her.
Her flirtatious manners will not cease until they finally fail to take the PC on a date. After that, the player can talk to her, but she will act a bit more aloof. The Red Herring does seem to portray that she kind of knows that the PC is the fishnapper, but it will never be confirmed.
Surströming (Kraut)
The relationship between Surströmming and the PC starts a bit stiff as the fish claims that he has never in life encountered a fish that looks like PC; he doesn’t push on it as he is just happy that someone is at least paying for the vacant room. He starts the game by helping the player get acquainted with the small town.
Their relationship stagnates a little; the old stinky fish tends to joke around with PC but still keeps his distance from them. He is very weary of the PC and tries his best to find any excuse as to why he doesn’t have time to hold a long conversation with them. His suspicions of the PC only heighten the longer they spend in Fishville.
Shark (Alphy Rex)
The Gymshark starts out as a highly competitive shark that is working out in the city. They love using the park gym; that’s where they are usually found, either working out or competing against the damselfish, with whom they have started a bitter rivalry. The Damselfish being able to beat the shark in certain gym activities does not sit well with the jacked shark, so he tries his best to get PC to help him become a stronger man.
The Gymshark has now locked in on trying his best to beat the Damselfish in benchpress and climbing, but for him to do so, he asks the PC to try to find the Damselfish and get to know their secret—what makes them stronger than him as he can’t logically pinpoint it. It has all to do with leverage. The Gymshark quickly grows to become your buddy but tells you that he doesn’t “swim” that way (the reason why you can’t date them).
Tim the Pufferfish
The player will have the ability to speak to the poor abused pufferfish who will complain that they are constantly abused by the natives of Nataville. The Player character will have the opportunity to convince the Pufferfish that perhaps living with the PC is a better alternative than to be continuously abused, the PC promises that they will take care of them if they come with them. (This dialogue will only appear once the PC has maxed out everyone's relationship but also happens before they capture the last dateable fish.)
When it came to the set of characters, it was something me and the team had to contend with as the art team wasn't certain they could get most of the characters out in time, which was fine, it allowed me to scale down on the amount of characters but also rework the narrative so that it was a bit tighter. Each character not only had their distinct personalities, but also their distinct color coordination's, quirks and even specific traits to them.
Endings
Endings
Endings
Mandarin Fish: When picking the Mandarin Fish the PC will lament how close it was they were to getting captured, but they also proclaim that it was thrilling to be chased the reason why they keep the Mandarin Fish around them is because they can get off on the excitement of having their investigator right next to them. The Mandarin fish now lives with eternal regret that they blamed the Red Herring but slowly with time get used to living next to PC for at least they now get to be themselves.
Damselfish: The Damselfish feel as if they are forever trapped within the confined space of a small bowl, they hate the idea of being someone's trophy but slowly get used to the idea that they are at least special. The PC gifts them a small rock wall for them to continue their workout but they will never smile again as their freedom was forever stolen from them by the PC.
Pike Fish: The Pike Fish is furious about his capture but not surprised when the PC picks them as their favorite fish, he proclaims that he knew that they had a special relationship, and if nothing he is just glad to not have to spend any more time with Surströmming. Their relationship doesn’t deepen in the beginning as there's still the betrayal issue that they have to deal with but eventually, the Pike Fish warms up to the idea that he no longer has to lead an entire gang but laments that he will never be free again. At least he is happy not being eaten.
Surströmming: (Joke Ending) The Pc and Surströmming won’t get along at first but after a couple of months of not having to deal with rent and upkeep the two of them start bonding, Surströmming now a grumpy old fish realizes that he doesn’t have that long to live and expresses that he wishes to be fermented once he has passed. Krout dies a couple of weeks later and to honor the last wish of the herring the PC places the fish in a can to ferment for 6 months. Once the 6 months have passed the PC enjoys a scrumptious meal of fermented fish which they greatly regret but still consume as they want to honor their “friend”
Tim: (Happy Ending) The PC and Tim bond over the fact that both of them are free of their bondage, the PC free of being hunted while Tim is just happy that he no longer has to be abused by the natives of Nataville. The two of them go on a great adventure across the 7 seas, PC takes Tim across the world and shows him things he had only ever dreamed of.
Bad Ending
Mandarin Fish: If the PC picks Mandarin fish as the last final date then the game cuts to the bad ending where the PC gets arrested as the Mandarin fish has had enough time to put 2 and 2 together, PC is the legendary fishnapper. With the help of Shark and Red Herring, they manage to ambush the PC and free the other captured fish. The PC is sent to prison where he will spend the rest of his days with the bad fishes. (Sleeping with the fishes)
I aimed to make the multiple endings feel meaningful, ensuring that player choices carried consequences. Due to the shorter development cycle, I balanced ambition with practicality, keeping the narrative manageable for the team. As my first game writing project, it was also an opportunity to grow as a writer, learning to adapt my skills from novel writing to interactive storytelling.
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