DATE: 2017

ORGANISATION: National Film and Television School

ROLE: Story, Design, Development

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Uncanny Valerie was my Final Year project on the NFTS Game Design and Development Course.

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The final submission was developed in collaboration with students on a number of other courses at the school:

• Screenwriting

• Digital Effects

• Sound Design

• Composing

• Production Design

 

and was given an entire year to bring from conception to final hand in.

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The game is the story of Karis, an acerbic roboticist who has just lost her job and been left by her girlfriend, Valerie.  She deals with the task of putting her life back together in the only way she knows how; by programming Valerie’s consciousness into an android, and getting her to help.

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As the days wear on, Karis creates new components to alter Valerie’s personality, and her project gradually shifts from practicality, to recreating her ex-girlfriend, to trying to iron out what she sees as her flaws. But what is Karis’ perfect companion, and would she really want her if she got her?

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Gameplay combines spatial puzzle mechanics and point-and-click exploration, and encourages players to consider questions around power and control in relationships, compromise, identity and acceptance.  A demo was mentioned in alphr.com’s pick of the best games of EGX 2016.

 

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