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Game Information
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Name: The Deserter
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User Tags: Single Player, Action, Survival Horror
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Platform: PC
Video Walkthrough
Research & Purpose
Human trafficking is a severe issue in Southeast Asia, notably highlighted by a well-known transnational incident in 2021. The region has seen a shift from online gambling to scams due to crackdowns and societal factors, causing labor shortages. Exploiting this, fraud groups, often targeting Mandarin-speaking individuals, engage in cross-border operations, subjecting victims, including Chinese tourists, to forced illegal activities. My game is created against the backdrop of this societal context.
In-game Screenshots
Main Gameplay
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This is a 2D escape-themed game. As a victim of abduction and trafficking here, the player wants to survive and escape from this place and general buildings after losing both legs and an arm. To live is his only belief.
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The player slides to control the left arm of the game character.
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The direction the mouse moves represents where the character will go next. Pressing the left mouse button means the character is grabbing the floor. By sliding the mouse while pressing the left mouse button, the character can move. The speed of movement is based on the player's operation frequency.
Project Management
It is crucial to outline a weekly plan before diving into work. At the beginning of this project, I drafted a schedule, allocating tasks for game design, programming, and art weekly.
Game Map
Project Processing
Core Concept:
A crippled body cannot suppress one's pursuit of spiritual freedom.
Keywords:
Physical Torture
Mental Control
Concept 1: Second World War
The protagonist, a wartime soldier (era unclear, potentially WWII), is gravely injured, losing their left arm and both legs, with only their right arm and torso remaining. Despite ongoing frontline warfare, their intense will to survive drives them to drag themselves away from danger using their right arm.
Concept 2: Buddhism (Cult Version)
Buddhism, as the sect with the largest number of believers in Southeast Asia, has a great spread and influence. When it comes to places such as Thailand and Myanmar, the first thing people think of is temples and Buddha statues. However, faith is also the most prone to extremes. So I seized this point as the entry of my story, which made the players feel more convincing and recognized the setting of the story.
Concept 3: Burma's Scam Syndicate
While advancing the theme of the malevolent Buddha, I couldn't help but notice the news surrounding scam criminal syndicates in Burma, which left a profound impact on me. I believe that, rather than crafting a fictional story, it's crucial to focus on real societal phenomena and critique them. Therefore, I pivoted the game's theme to align with the current scenario.
Art Design
Overall Art Style
I drew inspiration from ink painting and Chinese shadow puppetry, incorporating a distinctive East Asian cultural style that aligns well with the thematic elements.
I aimed to avoid using excessively gory visuals to depict dismemberment, and this art style effectively avoids such situations.
Protagonist Design
The highlighted area shows the junction between the body and limbs, showcasing noticeable yet seamless layers.
Enemy Design
Top Down View Guards Body Parts and Foot Print
Art & references to Mouse & scorpion
Level Walkthrough
Level 1 -- Mood
The primary focus of the first level is to establish the concept of a terrifying atmosphere for the entire game.
From the initial small room to the final restroom ventilation duct on the ground floor, each element conveys to the player the urgency to escape quickly, as this place is perilous.
The narrow and confined corridors provide players with a specific path to follow while also instilling a sense of oppression.
Level 1 -- Design ideas
When entering different small rooms, the player will
encounter varying numbers of enemies that pursue them.
Originally, during the design phase, I intended for players
to use a dash maneuver to evade attacks.
However, considering factors like energy bar recovery rates and other numerical aspects, we decided to provide players with an alternative way to avoid danger—hiding. In rooms with a higher number of enemies, we introduced scene-appropriate objects that players can use for concealment.
For example, in the two images provided, players can hide under the bed to escape the pursuit of the guard mice and scorpions. While in hiding, enemies lose track of the player. The object the player is hiding behind becomes semi-transparent, allowing the player to maintain a clear view of their concealed position.
The two narrower rooms have a higher level of gameplay intensity. Players tend to remain cautious in environments where they can observe the entirety of the map, paying attention to where enemies
might emerge. Therefore, we strategically placed a significant number of scorpion mice in these rooms.
The intention behind this design choice is to help players understand that the abundance of enemies serves to discourage them from lingering and motivate them to swiftly progress to the next area.
some references for the map designs
The spacious bathroom area provides players with a temporary moment of respite. After a prolonged pursuit, players' heightened focus requires a slight relaxation. This segment corresponds to a dip in the intensity curve of the level.
I believe that the decision to have the escape from the restroom ventilation duct to the second floor adds more complexity to the story, which is why I made this choice. Crawling through a narrow passage allows players who have just relaxed to gradually build up the tension again.
Level Walkthrough
Level 2 -- Enter the Bizzare world
After leaving the incinerator, the player crawls into a profoundly sacred room. As a vital part of the religion, offerings and prayers are indispensable. In a brainwashing cult like this, prayer holds immense significance, making this room a designated prayer chamber.
The Church -- Climax of the story
In the prayer chamber, the player discovers a large hole leading to the adjacent room, which happens to be the organization's leadership office.
Both of these levels are virtually devoid of enemies, but the focus lies in crafting the atmosphere. Players can imagine that while they are praying, the leader next door is secretly eavesdropping. The devoted prayers of the cultists are seen as potential leverage by the leader, a tool to manipulate their thoughts and beliefs.
Close to the truth
After passing through those two mysterious rooms, at this moment, players need some time to contemplate and organize the information they've just obtained. Therefore, this relatively leisurely corridor serves as a buffering point.
Once players have some understanding of a certain amount of information, the intensity of the level gradually increases. This intensity keeps rising until players finally reach the end of the game—the rooftop.
The Rooftop and the Helicopter -- Ending
After players struggle to reach the rooftop, they gaze at the sky and the helicopter awaiting on the rooftop. They feel a sense of relief, believing they can finally escape from this place of turmoil.
However, the helicopter drops off more victims, leaving the protagonist in utter despair. With a heavy heart, the protagonist jumps off the floor, bringing an end to their own life.
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