The story of Nightmare Circus began as a simple idea: a small troupe of traveling circus performers who, unfortunately, strayed into the wrong place and found themselves trapped in a nightmare. From the beginning, we knew that we wanted Nightmare Circus to have a story that would integrate with Peppin’s journey throughout the game, visually and mechanically.
From the base idea of just defeating bosses, saving our friends, and escaping the nightmare, we worked on expanding the story, using each troupe member’s fears and personality to build upon each world and its mechanics, hoping to give more prominence and importance to each battle Peppin faces and the bonds between him and his friends.
Environmental Storytelling
To create a sense of immersion between gameplay and story, we created Nightmare Circus’s environmental storytelling system: aspects of the story are woven throughout the worlds, allowing for exploration while keeping the overall story understandable in easily digestible segments. As the player journeys through each world, they will see decorations and items throughout their surroundings, designed to give clues about the personality, fears, and characteristics of the troupe member that each world is based on.
Since the game is told through the eyes of Peppin, each world was designed to have an overarching puppet-like style, befitting of our protagonist’s preferences and identity. Scattered throughout the game are also diaries, notes, and objects that the player can discover to unlock even more lore of the world and each character on their own volition, allowing players the ability to explore Nightmare Circus’ story at their own pace and preferences.
This means that for those who will be more inclined to explore each level thoroughly, they will be rewarded with extra pieces of what is really happening in the Nightmare Realm.
Story and gameplay evolving together
In Nightmare Circus, we also decided to blend elements of the story into the gameplay mechanics. From the protagonist’s choice of weapon being a Puppeteer’s Control Bars and its unique abilities to the various skills he unlocks with the help of each of his friends.
Every fight is purposely designed to show each step of Peppin’s growth in character and his abilities as he learns more about himself, his companions, and the mysterious realm that traps them. To give purpose to each of Peppin’s skills and power-ups, we gave him the base weapon of a Control Bar, a familiar item that has been with him since his start as a puppeteer. Then, as Peppin grows stronger and can defeat more nightmares, he, in turn, receives assistance in reciprocation in the form of items and mysterious skills based on the personality and specialties of those he has helped, giving meaning and connection to the bonds built between Peppin and his friends, both old and new.
To further build on the story of Nightmare Circus and the world within the game (after all, it’s too much of a coincidence for the Nightmare Realm to exist without explanation), we introduced villagers as a tool for storytelling. Villagers are NPCs whom Peppin can meet throughout his journey, with each villager allowing Peppin to learn more information about the realm’s existence and origins.
As to what it is, you’ll have to play the game to find out!
The challenges we faced while developing our storytelling system
The process of developing Nightmare Circus in the aspect of Storytelling has come with its own set of challenges. The balancing act between storytelling moments and gameplay is one that we must continuously adjust throughout the development process. On one hand, we want to tell as much of Nightmare Circus’ story as possible, ensuring that each part of the crafted lore makes it into the game; however, we also need to be mindful of how the story flows and is experienced through the unique playstyle of each gamer, as well as the feasibility and limitations of what can realistically be implemented into the game while maintaining the intended complexity of Nightmare Circus’ concept. All in all, it boils down to finding a delicate balance between fun gameplay that has a good combat experience and a straightforward yet engaging plot that players can enjoy.
Despite its seemingly straightforwardness, the story of Nightmare Circus has always been intended to be open to players’ interpretation; every person has their own experience with fears, uncertainty, and emotions, and while there is a story we want to tell, we also want the players to develop their own understanding of the story and the fears of each character, and their journey to overcome their nightmares. Ultimately, we want the player to craft their own connection to the story through Peppin’s eyes.
If you’re interested in exploring the realm of nightmares and taking on Peppin’s journey, good news! The demo for Nightmare Circus is available to try! We invite you to delve into the Nightmare Realm and experience the story of Nightmare Circus yourself. We hope that the demo will give you a taste of what’s to come in the full game, and if you want to uncover the full story of Nightmare Circus, please feel free to wishlist our game.
The circus awaits! 🎪