Sonder
My final major project for my Game Design MA at the University of the Arts London, Sonder, is a short experimental narrative game about the inner lives of commuters. The player is able to switch between different player characters (by landing on them with a glowing blue butterfly) to influence these commuters’ stream of consciousness, thereby changing their moods which are represented visually through their day-dreamed environments. My aim in designing Sonder was to use my research into models of character in video games alongside various case studies to create a game which maximised the player’s narrative experience of the player character.
I documented the outcome of my research in my thesis, “How can games influence the player’s narrative experience of the player character?”, available to read in the “Research” tab of this website.
"My heart's still beating too fast. How long has it been? I've missed this feeling."
"Maybe I'll adopt an old pup who's been in the shelter too long. No one deserves to be lonely. Maybe I don't either."
"I want to feel like she cares. I've achieved so much now, and I just want a little approval. Is that childish?"
"One stormy day, I'll return and watch the colossal waves break against the cliffs. They will echo the storm inside me, and I will feel understood."
"Words spilled from my fingertips. What if they stop tomorrow?"
"Damn, I like her style. The blue hair, the earrings...she reminds me of the ocean."
“It’s a wonderful little game with a beautiful low rez visual style and a premise that really helps draw attention to the fact that EVERYONE is a real person, with thoughts, worries and lives that are just as important as your own.”
— Free Game Planet
https://www.freegameplanet.com/sonder-download-game/