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Prototypes
For Remnants, I figured the best means of prototyping would be to focus in on the deterioration of the protagonist's mental state, and the intrusion of trauma in their dreams. I wanted to try and create the atmosphere of a nightmare, and to elicit feelings of dread while showcasing the protagonist's downfall visually, reflected in the world around them.
I ended up using Minecraft, as it was the easiest and most efficient means of putting prototyping these elements.
1. Going to Sleep
Something I really wanted to capture in this prototype was the juxtaposition between the real world and its mundanity, and the brilliance of the protagonist's dreams. The DreamAid is showcased here and how it would be used - the protagonist puts on the headset, places the medication into the device, and falls asleep to let the DreamAid carry out its task.
2. Waking Up (stage 1)
The first stage of the dream cycle is to experience the dream in all its glory - the player sees an enormous, rainbow colours tree. It is fantastical and beautiful, everything that a dream should be, showcasing how the DreamAid can benefit the user.
The dream aims to represent a transition from mental instability and trauma into that of bliss - the protagonist experiences relief from the traumatic nightmares they have endured as a result of their real world experiences.
3. Waking Up (stage 2)
The second stage showcases that something is wrong. The dream is still beautiful and happy, but there are little splashes of imperfection and blemishes where there weren't before. This is to showcase that the highs of the DreamAid are beginning to wear off.
4. Waking Up (stage 3)
The third stage implements a visual effect (Minecraft's 'nausea' potion effect) that showcases how the transition between real world and dream is not quite as smooth anymore. The transition is somewhat disorienting and unsettling.
There are also more blemishes appearing in the otherwise perfect dreamscape, building up the intrusion of trauma and the fading highs of the DreamAid.
5. Waking Up (stage 4)
The fourth stage showcases a stronger effect than before, and the blemishes continue to grow.
6. Waking Up (stage 5)
The fifth stage strengthens the previous effects.
7. Waking Up (stage 6)
The dream is now longer a dream, it is a nightmare. The perfection of the dream has become unrecognisable and is now a swirling black mass within a nightmarish landscape. The disorientation in the transition is stronger than ever before, and the highs have well and truly worn off.
The protagonist's trauma is here to stay.
Boss Encounter
The next prototype I wanted to make was that of a potential boss encounter.
I created this scene using the real world version of the protagonist's neighbourhood, turning it into a never ending terrace that is uncanny and unsettling in its appearance. I decided to keep the location looking familiar, but to twist it in unusual ways to represent how the protagonist's brain is assembling the nightmares, and how their trauma manifests.
This scene represents how the protagonist cannot feel safe and comfortable even in their own home - their trauma has invaded their safe space and is hunting them down.
I experimented a lot with shaders for this prototype, and I intentionally made the atmosphere thick and foggy to emphasise the never-ending nature and obscuring qualities of negative thoughts and emotions, quite literally representing brain fog. I kept the lighting dim, as I wanted the player to be able to see the silhouette of the boss ominously waiting for them, upping the tension further. The never-ending nature of the terrace also helps to build a sense of confrontation - if you can't escape by movement, there has to be another way. In this case, that 'other way' is for the protagonist to confront the cause of their trauma and subsequent nightmares head on.
Here are some experiments I conducted with shaders to get the right result:
Serum Depletion
Since the DreamAid administers medicine that induces dreamstates, I needed something to showcase how it could wear off, and how the protagonist would exit the dreamstate in accordance with a depletion of medication.
I made an animation of a prototype UI element that would showcase the slowly depleting Dream Serum levels, so that the player would be aware of how much time they would have left within the dream.
Exit Sequence
To showcase the serum depletion in an a better way, I overlayed the animation over an exit sequence I made. When the serum is depleted, the players vision goes black and they become disoriented, as reflected by the Minecraft potion effects 'nausea' and 'blindness'.
When this effect wears off, the protagonist is pulled out of the dreamstate; putting back the DreamAid headset and finding an empty vial of Dream Serum.
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