Hello, Survivors!
As briefly introduced in a previous Dev Note, "Completion of World View, to the Next Step!," our team is putting a lot of work into building the world of Remore and the narrative of the apocalypse that has struck it.
A strong, well-crafted world enhances immersion and enjoyment of that space. By creating a believable world in Remore, we hope to ensure that the content would feel real to the survivors within and not just game “devices.” This also opens up ways for players to understand the world intuitively.
Currently, we're exploring different ways to share this world with you. Traditional media like novels, comics, or videos often use a linear narrative to unfold the story and the setting.
However, games are interactive, so simply delivering the story passively isn’t the best solution. When players can actively engage with the game, they become more naturally immersed in its world, making the narrative more dynamic and inviting.
Stage Narrative: Content Beyond Being a Simple Stage
Today, we’re introducing a stage concept narrative, which is one of the “active” narrative approaches we’re going for.
Many elements go into building a stage. Starting with the terrain design, we can show the atmosphere and concept of the stage. The placement of obstacles and other objects doesn’t just serve functional purposes; it also acts as a narrative device. Even enemy placements can show what might have happened in this stage!
If a single stage can convey so much, then multiple interconnected stages can offer an even wider range of narrative experience. Transitioning from one stage to the next can intensify or ease the tension. For example, encountering a darker atmosphere and more enemies will heighten tension, giving a sense of moving toward the heart of danger. Conversely, meeting and joining up with civilian survivors can bring relief and a sense of companionship.
Today, we’d like to introduce the “Checkpoint” stage, giving you a preview of the narrative we’re currently developing and showing how the stage narrative is structured.
Checkpoint: Neither Forward nor Back
The checkpoint sits between a main road and the Pleasure District. Originally, it served as the “Gateway” for those entering the district, surrounded by barricades. In peaceful times, it was a frustrating but necessary checkpoint for those eager to experience the decadence of the Pleasure District.
As a place designed to control entry, the checkpoint has facilities for the stationed guards, including equipment, areas for meals and rest, and spaces for conducting inspections.
Then, disaster struck Remore. The darkness, which turned all living beings into creatures, spread both inside and outside the district. The surviving residents fled to the checkpoint, seeing it as an “exit,” but they hadn’t imagined that the creatures had already spread to the outside.
Thus, the checkpoint became a “prison” for the survivors of the district. The guards who once defended it were slaughtered by the creatures, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves, attacking anything that approaches to ensure their survival.
For players, the checkpoint is the gateway to enter into the Pleasure District. Amid the chaos of both human and creature enemies, they’ll need to pass through unscathed. It also serves as a starting point for players to directly experience the concept of the district that lays before them.
To enhance understanding of the checkpoint's unique setting and the apocalyptic situation, we’re considering quests and other narrative devices. We’ll share more details about these as our development journey continues.
Next week, we’ll introduce another stage with even more exciting stories.
Thank you once again, Survivors!
REMORE