A psychological horror game which consists of finding differences between a normal world and a "flipped" world. Inspired by The Exit 8, The Beginner's Guide.

The game consists of finding differences in the normal world, and the "flipped" world. The "difference" is an object in the mirror world that has not been flipped/mirrored or is out of place.

The gameplay mechanic may give way to different interpretations. Such as:

The mirrored world is the past, but with the instigator that caused the present NOT flipped
The mirrored world is a representation of the player character's own reflection, trauma, etc.
The mirrored world may affect reality in some way (a different interpretation of time-traveling)
The normal-mirror world may aid police investigation, the player character could be an investigator of some sorts
The player character may be subject to supernatural phenomena, urban legends, etc.
Both worlds have no living creatures inside, but the environment sound may fake the effect that "something" is there

Project manager: <qtnull@nekoc.cc>

Due to Unreal Engine 5 experimental compatibility with Git (Git support is still in Beta as noted in the editor), with numerous (large) binary files being pushed to the commit history. This project will not be pushed to GitHub. Instead it will be pushed to G.A.S. Gitea.

Commercial nature

This project will be released on Itch.io using Pay as you wish. The game will be presented to Dimension Game Jam 2025.

Development members

Member	E-Mail Address (GAS)	Role
qtnull	qtnull@nekoc.cc	Project Responsible

Content security, testing and legal compliance advisory committee members: pending.

Roadmap

The project features only an Absolute Deadline: 16th February, 2024 @ 12:00 (GMT+1/Madrid), which is the same deadline for Game Jam submission.

Script/scenario writing format

All scripts will be written in MarkDown format, directly in this document, or in a different location which will be indicated here.

Program

The game will be using Unreal Engine 5 (Version 5.5). Project language is set to English, but Spanish and Chinese localization are planned.

Minimum target

A multi-level find the difference game between a normal world and a mirrored world.

Scenario

The player is spawned in a dream-like world, there is the "normal" world, and a translucent barrier that connects to the "mirrored world" which everything is inverted. But upon detailed investigation, there is always an object (sometimes multiple objects, or randomly selected objects, we will refer these as Target Objects later) that is NOT inverted or upside down, or is simply out of place compared to the "normal world" or the "mirrored world".

Upon interacting with the Target Object, the player will be teleported to the next level, where the world might get increasingly larger, or the difficulty of finding the Target Object might be more difficult, requiring interaction between the normal world and/or the mirrored world.

For example, the player might need to find a key or ride a Metro/Subway in order to find the Target Object.

Sometimes the level may start in the mirrored world, and the player must return back to the normal world in order to find out the difference.

In the end, the player will start in the mirrored world and finds a human figured statue which hung itself. The player should return to the normal world, and will encounter the rope on the floor; the player must pick up the rope, tie it to the ceiling, stand on the chair, then the game will end.

Remarks on the design

The game will feature public domain classical piano music, and passing the world barrier between the normal world and the mirrored world will make the music play in normal or in reverse, as a way to distinguish what world the player is in.

The Target Object will emit a bell sound after a specific time or start to emit light as a form of hint if the player is unable to find it in a reasonable amount of time.

The world will not feature a sky, the world that the player is in is NOT normal. As such the world will be pitch black besides the actual objects and floor. Borders are blocked off by invisible walls, or just with normal walls.

The game will react to the Konami code as an easter egg, it will make the Target Object glow and emit a bell sound from its position. Keep in mind if the player enters the konami code in reverse, it will actually attempt to trigger a system crash (BSoD, Kernel Panic).

The game's sound atmosphere should be unsettling, although the player is alone in the world, the soundscape would make it feel that is not the case.

Sometimes the world design and the Target Object would also be unsettling. Examples of unsettling Target Object could be: any part of the human organ, knife with blood, altered art piece.

The music will mix with static or pitched up/down if the level design is more unsettling.

Level progression and level design

Level zero, will consist of tutorials that will teach the player what kind of anomaly the Target Object might present.

The first few levels will consist of easy to find Target Objects, the difference could be: changing the colors, or inverted scene with one object without being inverted.

There will be also some fun levels, for example, a level with only stairs, and the player must walk through all the stairs, do a little puzzle to find the Target Object, which could be a CD.

As the level progresses, the environment will become more unsettling, the Target Object will be strange. There will be graffiti on some walls with weird messages.

Some level ideas:

A subway/metro where the player finds a skeleton
A level with graffiti hinting the Konami code using Rubik Cube's notation
A laboratory where the cupboard hides an entrance to a place that worships Satan
An up side down house, with an elevator to the normal world

Plot (attempting to convey plot via environment design)

The game is a metaphor for a normal person slowly getting crazy, which ends up committing suicide. The game represents all the stages that the person experience as the person slowly loses its mind.

The center element of the game is not only about Target Objects, which is kind of a symbol of the mental state. But also the clock, as the character slowly approaches insanity, the time on the clock ticks backwards. Any clock in the world, regardless in any world side (normal or mirrored) will begin to tick backwards starting from a specific level.

All the human character which may appear in the game will appear to be deceased, and its head will be substituted with a clock (either digital or analog).

The Target Object will be more and more creepy as the level progresses, examples may include: ordinary items, books, disc, broken wine bottles, defaced photo frames, heart, corpses, diary with "help" written all over the page, knife with blood, paintings of unsettling self-portrait, skeleton, red street lamp, satanic ritual markings.

The game will sometimes display fake Blue Screen of Death messages, after displaying the normal text, it the frown face will be substituted with smiley face, and then a skull head, with the word "help, it is coming" spammed all over the place.