Last month we released the first playable demo for A Storied Life: Tabitha and now we’re giving you a peek behind the scenes in our latest dev vlog.
Prior to launching the demo, we spent time adding a tutorial, and trying to find the balance between handholding and guiding players, while still encouraging discovery and rewarding curiosity.
Games writer and narrative designer Cherish spent a lot of time adding item descriptions. Originally the items didn’t have these and we felt that it gave more context to the items and helped inform the player's decisions. For example, is the item heavy? Is it well used? Does it look valuable and potentially a good item to sell? Even down to what an item might smell or sound like, so much thought goes into these descriptions.
Our team of talented artists worked hard polishing the demo levels - the porch and the dining room - adding lighting, shadows, textures and making the rooms look and feel lived in.
The reason behind choosing the porch and dining room was that, narratively, we could show some interesting story progression. The porch is a little sombre as you enter the home of a loved one who has recently died, and it’s very much focused around items that you’d associate with an elderly person. The dining room, in comparison, is lighter and livelier, and with each room you’ll find yourself discovering more about Tabitha’s past and what she was like when she was younger. The items you find in the dining room are associated more with a younger person and very much focused around family, friendships and socialising.
It’s been great fun watching people play the demo, with some players discovering many of Tabitha’s secrets and replaying the levels to discover the different story paths. There are many different versions of Tabitha to meet and we aim to surprise and delight our players with the various things they can discover and stories to uncover, with replayability very much encouraged.
Thank you for feedback on the demo so far, we’re continuing to tweak the game behind the scenes to make it the best possible experience for our players.
If you’d like to see more from us, be sure to tune in to Cozy Quest which runs from 17th-24th November on Steam. The opening showcase takes place on November 17th from 6pm GMT on YouTube. One of our artists, Lucia Pigoli, also features in a broadcast on 18th November specifically talking about the design work that went into the two demo levels.
Cozy Quest is a Steam event which celebrates the best that cozy gaming has to offer, where you’ll be able to find new games and demos alongside some cozy favourites and hidden gems, and it’s hosted by our publisher Secret Mode. You’ll even be able to vote in the Cozy Quest awards. To find out more and stay updated, follow Secret Mode.
Until next time, stay cosy!
- The Tabitha Team
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