Overview:
There's a certain satisfaction and higher level of immersion that comes from knowing you can choose what happens next and that the game is reacting to the choices you want to make.
The Boarding School is a truly non-linear adventure game where different choices can result in completely unique experiences. Mystery, murder, puzzles, humor, exploration and adventure! Play it safe or break all the rules... It's up to you how you solve the terrible mysteries of The Boarding School!
Story:
A boarding school sits alone on a small island in the middle of the great ocean. Looking out across the endless grey icy water, the students are reminded everyday that they're here to stay for a very long time. Just get to graduation, they say, and what ever you do don't make things any harder than they need to be. This fearful attitude has forced many unanswered questions to the back of Max's mind... until recently.
During a morning role call, Max's friend Teddy whispers that he's made a frightful discovery and needs to talk in private. Just moments later three men, only one of which Max recognises as a teacher, march through the door and seize Teddy, threatening to expel him and anyone else involved in “his childish games”. Kicking and screaming as he's dragged out through the door, his last words... “You can't let them take me! I have no family, Max!”
As if some hidden valve deep within Max's subconscious was just released, questions started flooding into his mind, one after another. Each of which left him feeling more frightened than ever...
Who are my parents?
How did I get here?
Where do I go if I graduate?
What happens to all the students who are expelled?
What did Teddy discover?
Where are they taking Teddy?
What will they do to him?
You play as Max, doing everything and anything you can think of to save your friend Teddy and uncover the terrible secrets of The Boarding School.
The Game:
The Boarding School is a traditional 90s looking RPG developed with a non-traditional approach. The focus is on decision based puzzle solving rather than levelling up etc. A bit like an old Lucas Arts point and click adventure within an RPG frame.
Decision driven games are all the rage these days. However with The Boarding School, your decisions don't merely alter an already set path to the end of the game. They take you down one of many adventures leading to many endings. The only way to truly uncover the complete mystery of The Boarding School would be to play it again and again.
Your adventure is shaped based on:
How you respond while in conversations
What items you collect along the way
What you choose to do with an item
Which puzzles you choose to solve
What methods you use to solve the puzzles
How you respond to situations
How you treat other characters
and so on...
In the end what we will have is mass of possible experiences all fitting into the story of The Boarding School. Each unique set of choices will uncover unique pieces of the puzzle another set of choices will never see. At the end of the game your choices should have constructed enough of a puzzle that although most pieces are missing, there's enough to see the overall picture and feel you've completed the game... or maybe things might end for you before you manage to uncover much at all.
Although it's an RPG, at this stage you'll be able to get to many endings without having to battle.
Personality Points:
As you make choices you will acquire different types of personality points (unusable items) that will, at the end of the game, reveal exactly what kind of person you are... So far I've just got Intimation and Friendliness points will include more.
The Music
As a composer this game will double as a kind of game soundtrack showcase and hopefully help me become more established in the video game music industry. The music will also feature heavily in future development logs. I'll be temporarily uploading tracks and explaining the creation process and how they relate to sections of the game.
Unlike most RPGs, the setting for The Boarding School is not an epic fantasy land that spans an entire world. So I'm obviously not treating the music as if it was. The music should perfectly represent the game itself in every way. On the outside we're in a small secluded school but underneath it has a dark secret and is full of mystery. Therefore the music will be calm and minimalistic in essence, with mysterious and dark undertones.
The primary instrument I'm using is a Moog Little Phatty monophonic analog synthesiser. As usual, I'll be steering well clear of chiptune music. I aim to create a soundtrack that is modern and unique while also respecting what the great composers of mystery and adventure films (eg Joe Hisaishi, Bernard Hermann) have already done.
The Room of Dead Bodies
Visuals:
In order to save time and allow myself to focus on more important elements of the game, I'll be building the visuals using available tile sets, sprites etc and modifying or creating my own art only when required. Although I'm not a fan of this method, I'm quite content with what's currently available and need to be realistic with my work load if I'm to be one of the few who actually complete their project...
There's a lot more elements of the game to discuss but I'll leave them for further posts. I should note that I am using RPG Maker VX Ace. Hopefully you stay tuned an enjoy this devlog and ultimately The Boarding School game.
Thanks,
Leo J
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