FREE WILL
2023 - 2024 | Engineer | Unity 2D
Help a young boy find his family in a corrupted world where puzzles happen outside the game. Dig deep into computer files and system code, solve puzzles to defeat adversaries, and uncover answers that might be better off hidden.
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THE GAME IS CORRUPTED. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED?
PROJECT DETAILS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Free Will is a 2D psychological puzzle RPG suffering from "corruption." The player must solve a series of meta puzzles within the game's files and the player's computer system to defeat glitched-out enemies and help Will discover what happened to his family.
EXPERIENCE GOALS
The player bonds with Will and empathizes with his helplessness and frustration about not having control over his life as the game seemingly toys with the player's device. As a result, the player feels clever as they solve meta puzzles to help Will break free from the game's machinations. However, upon reaching one of several endings, the player experiences guilt over the outcomes of their actions and curiosity.
DESIGN GOALS
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The game creates a friendship between the player and Will through fourth-wall-breaking dialogue and choices.
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Meta puzzles go "beyond" the in-game universe and involve manipulating files and the computer system itself.
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The glitchy elements and "corruption" evoke fear within the player as they wonder if their device has been broken, paralleling how Will's world has been compromised.
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The endings motivate the player to replay the game and discover alternate outcomes.
CORE MECHANICS
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TALK to Will and help him EXPLORE the house
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SOLVE puzzles by MANIPULATING game files and the computer system
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CLEANSE enemies to defeat them during battle
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DECIDE whether to save Will or delete him from the game
CONTRIBUTIONS
I contributed as an Engineer, focusing on the Battle System
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
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Designed and implemented a reusable battle system structure based on UnityEvents and ScriptableObjects, allowing for the quick and adaptable implementation of player actions (and the corresponding buttons), characters and enemies, dialogue, sprites, animations, and audio, as well as any bespoke battle functionality, such as puzzle integration, cutscenes, and dynamic UI
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Designed and implemented a system for toggling between different UI states during battles, including the action selection screen, the inventory selection screen, the dialogue display, the narration log, and the computer system's text
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Set up basic data (sprites, animations, dialogue, sfx, etc.) for the Cleanse, Kipps, Sequence 11, and Wendy battles
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Implemented bespoke gameplay, puzzles, cutscenes, and UI for the Cleanse, Kipps, Sequence 11, and Wendy battles
TOOLS
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Unity 2D (C#)
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Perforce
TEAM MEMBERS
Celine Tang, Lena Jeon, Grace Ng, Vittoria Barone, Michaela Chang, Xiaodan Zhang, Mingye Fan, Mike McVey, Hao Liu, Daniel Yu, Julia Wang, Jerry Xu, Kevin Hu, Tobi Xu, Johannah Chung, Justin Shin, Alex Le, Skylar Robinson, Timothy Xayasomloth
GAMEPLAY DEMO
GALLERY
