The war of two planets for LOVE

Writer · Narrative Design · Game Design

June 4, 2024

The Light Behind Your Eyes

Two planets, a trade, a betrayal, an infiltration, hope, fear, and a rescue.

In your path you will eat hallucinogenic mushrooms and find explosive weapons, you will use these abilities to endure the death and the lifelessness that represent TIMOR planet.

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Writing Reflections

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1. Here’s what I was trying to do

My goal was to create a game that tells a deep, meaningful story without interrupting the gameplay experience. My goal was to build a world in which players experience the narrative unfolding organically through emotions, colors, exploration, and surreal abilities rather than through exposition.

2. Here’s why

The narrative allows players to live the story. I didn’t want menus or voice-overs to break the emotional flow. I also wanted to explore how fear and hope can reshape a person’s identity, especially when family is involved.

3. Here’s what I was interested in achieving
  • Emotional gameplay: where the character’s emotions influence the visuals and mechanics.
  • Seamlessly merging story and systems.
  • A metaphoric world where spiritual energy and technology conflict.
  • Player Agency: Allow players to experience joy, fear, and hope, not just observe them.
4. These are choices I made
  • There are no cutscenes or dialogue trees. The narrative is conveyed through light, mechanics, and world design.
  • I created a system where the character’s eye glow changes based on emotion.
  • Mushrooms were designed with unique sensory and gameplay effects to externalize emotional and surreal themes.
  • The level structure mirrors the story arc: hope, loss, chaos, confrontation, and rebirth.

Writing & Narrative Design

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Story World

Two planets, SPE (Hope) and TIMOR (Fear); were once connected but are now at war. Spiritual energy clashes with cold, calculated technology. A secretly artificial child becomes the last beacon of hope. A father must rescue his son and face the truth.

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The Big Twist

The son is an AI built by TIMOR… but SPE’s spiritual energy gave him a soul. That soul rewrote his mission.

Design Vision & Art Style

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My Vision

Games can tell stories without words. My goal was to show rather than tell through gameplay, emotion, and visuals.

“The story is in the skate, the light, the silence.”

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Themes

Fear restricts. Hope creates.

Family and identity aren’t just DNA; they’re felt.

Death doesn’t end stories. Energy does.

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Art Style

Inspired by sacred geometry, neon bioluminescence, and emotional color theory. Characters glow. Worlds breathe. Light is life.

Gameplay & Mechanics

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Core Loop

Explore ➜ Eat mushrooms ➜ Unlock surreal abilities ➜ Endure traps ➜ Find your son ➜ Save your planet

Key Mechanics

  • Emotional Light System (based on the father’s feelings)

  • Mushroom abilities (time, perception, euphoria)

  • Fluid combat: from shooting to skating to desperate melee

  • Puzzle-like level design that doubles as emotional metaphor

Level Design (Demo)

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Intro Level

Setting: SPE PLANET

Highlights: Introduces emotional light states

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Level 3 | Part 1

Setting: NEW HOME

Highlights: Weapons introduction and Dimension switch

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Level 1

Setting: TIMOR PLANET

Highlights: Dark tone, first mushrooms

Belisario Fosca The light behind your eyes - Level 3-1 Design

Level 3 | Part 2

Setting: NEW HOME

Highlights: Boss 1 battle, skateboarding, high-stakes action

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Level 2

Setting: TIMOR ➜ NEW HOME

Highlights: Advanced tech and transport systems

Key Mechanics

Main Objective: Rescue your son and reignite SPE’s energy

Player Rewards: Emotional artifacts, mushroom powers, clues

Penalties: Only death. No story interruption.

Progression: Bosses unlock new gameplay tools + narrative depth

Personal Thoughts

I created this project to challenge my approach to traditional storytelling. To me, it wasn’t just a game, but rather a meditation on fear, hope, and parenthood. I designed personal mechanics. I hope players experience them, too.

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The game of life.
Let's play it. Together.

With love, you become fearless.
With Faith, you become unstoppable.