What we can name, we meet with thoughts.
What we cannot name, we meet with intuition.
In the valley of the nameless, our mind is clear.My name is Evan Balster. I am known for my work on
SoundSelf,
Cave Story+, and
Infinite Blank, and as a specialist in audio programming.
I'm making a game called
Wreath. It is personal, ambitious and has been an obsession of mine for some years. After much preparation, I'm promoting it to a main project.
It is a slow-paced, serene game set on an invented world. Central to its plot is the death of a loved one and a journey to restore that person to life. Each step of that journey involves a place, its people, and their stories. Core themes are motherhood, bereavement and compassion.
Gameplay and story are explorative, at two levels. First, the protagonist may walk, climb, and interact with other characters and the world. Second, the protagonist's thoughts may be traversed. Memories, daydreams and stories told by others may be manifested as places, in which still other ideas or stories may be found.
Its guiding principle is
speak little, tell much. It will use few words and understated aesthetics. The story will be told through
,
spirit of place, and the core mechanic of imagination.
I could say much more, but this should entice the interested. I'm looking for a professional collaborator with a deep interest in world-building, storytelling and subtlety. PM or E-mail me if curious.
On practicalities:
This will be a paid collaboration. Not freelance or salary level pay, necessarily, but enough at least to cover the bills. I have a strong prospect for self-funding the project by early 2014.
Its current state is a good deal of design, an interaction/aesthetics prototype for thought-spaces and several in-progress technical systems, predominantly related to body motion. I intend to have a complete tech prototype by the end of 2013.
Jobs
