Synthesis Online (Canary)
Synthesis Online, or Canary as it’s later revealed at the end of the game, is an RPG that sets itself up as a faux-MMORPG experience, serving as a front for what becomes an exploration of the main character’s own struggles and memoires.
Being an RPG game that functions both as a traditional story-telling vehicle and party-based RPG, the game leverages narrative, gameplay, and systems design in a way that enhances each craft in a unique and engaging way.
Diegetic Design
Using the character’s slow descent into madness as the theme, I allowed the narrative at points of narrative stress and conflict to serve to open up new gameplay avenues & paths to success for the player.
Because the narrative is a subtle unraveling, it influences how explicit I can make these hidden additions, which means keeping a coherent and engaging experience for both the players that are less curious, whilst rewarding those who’re staying on top of the game’s hints to unlock new items and abilities to play with as well.
This synergy also extends to more general elements of the game as well, both interactable and non-interactable. HUD information, hidden chest rewards, pop-up text, and character introduction and interactions generally all lend themselves to the tonal shift the game takes towards the end of the story.
Enemy AI Design & Balance
Enemy & Ally AI Design was primarily centered around the roles the characters were meant to play in the story, whilst also providing a healthy array of various abilities to keep the immersive MMORPG element in-tact.
Battles That Tell A Story
Because of the design methodology mentioned above, I had to segregate the kinds of abilities I wanted the player to use into three categories:
1) Unique abilities facilitated through story events, obscured and unique to the narrative developments that promote curiosity in the player, giving them an edge in battle.
2) A specified yet flexible set of base abilities tied to the character’s class that promotes the class’s role in the party - (primarily a healing/support role).
3) Abilities that while aren’t immediately the most useful in battle, work as an immersive backdrop to help facilitate the illusion of an MMORPG game.
