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For this project, I wanted to create a story concept for a game with a smaller scope than I usually work on, in just four days. So I chose to write the narrative for a Match-3 game aimed at casual gamers, teenagers and adults with an interest in fantasy and puzzle games.
For this exercise, I created:
- a logline to present the story in a few lines;
- a synopsis presenting the main plot as well as the key characters and events;
- a more detailed version of the main plot, featuring the characters' arcs and plot twists;
- character sheets based on a simplified version of Character BIOS;
- the main outlines of World Building, centered on the continent where the game takes place.
Rules and constraints:
In addition to the target audience, I also set some rules to give myself a bit of a challenge and get closer to the kind of instructions and constraints I might receive when working on a project for a studio.
The story takes place in a fantasy/fairy tale universe. As players solve puzzles and progress through the main storyline, they discover new areas and meet colorful new characters! The tone is lighthearted, fun, suitable for all audiences (no violent or dark themes), and has a magical atmosphere.
Logline :
"As former student of Mergeora, the school of enchanters, Alex has been an enchantress in Everin, the capital of Celestia, for several years now, capable of merging magical essences and artifacts to create fantastic objects. She has always dreamed of becoming the Great Enchantress of the kingdom, but she shares this dream with Emelot, her great rival who never misses an opportunity to thwart her plans.
But when the day of the Grand Enchanter tournament arrives and Alex and Emelot are neck-and-neck to win the famous title, King Filibert imposes one last test to decide between them: find three artifacts scattered across the continent in order to reopen an ancient portal at the "end of the world" and free his friend, the dragon Odrin, who was trapped inside many years ago.
If Alex succeeds in this quest, she will become the Grand Enchantress, but to do so, she will have to outsmart Emelot and his devious plans to steal the title!"
Concept :
To match these restrictions, I thought about a scenario with conflicts that wouldn't involve violence between the characters. So I started with the idea of a rivalry between the protagonist and the antagonist, as seen, for example, in games like Pokemon (Red/Blue) or series like My Hero Academia (Deku/Bakugo), where the goal is to compete to see who is the best/who will be the champion.
So I came up with the idea of a race against time across the continent to determine the best enchanter in the kingdom. But to add a little tension, the stakes had to be higher and there had to be a stronger pretext than just a race to set off on an adventure. The two rivals are therefore sent on the same mission: to save a dragon, an old friend of the king, who has found himself trapped behind an ancient magical portal. To do this, the rivals must find ancient artifacts to reopen the portal.
Narrative structure:
Our protagonist, Alex, will therefore set off on an adventure to be the first to find these lost objects. Along the way, she will face challenges, have to protect herself from her rival's tricks, and meet allies who will help her in her quest (and during the puzzle phases).
In terms of narrative structure, I followed a three-act structure, as well as the “Hero's Journey”. I also made sure that each chapter follows a three-act structure itself.
In each chapter, Alex recruits a new ally who also begins their own journey and development as the game progresses.
Character Bios and Archetypes:
For this project, and with the time I had set myself, I created three character sheets, initially following a simplified version of Character BIOS and using Jung's archetypes. These sheets detail the characters of the protagonist (Alex), the rival/antagonist (Emelot), and an ally who joins Alex's group (Fierco, the fearful griffin).
By choosing these particular roles, I was able to develop their personalities and more easily create scenes around them when writing the script.
The ally's sheet also allowed me to better visualize the arcs of the secondary characters in the main plot and their place in each chapter.
World Building:
The world building here focused on the continent where the game takes place, its past, and the peoples who inhabit it.
However, I have left many hooks about other places and other peoples on this planet, as well as in other realms, because at the end of the main storyline, the portal is reopened, allowing players to explore places beyond this world.
As this hypothetical match-3 game is a casual game, it would need to be updated frequently. These hooks allow me to open up new territories where potential sequels could take place.
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