The Final Journey

Basic Information:

Academic Project (RIT) - Made in under 3 weeks

“The Final Journey” is a game / visual novel dealing with topics of existentialism. The game addresses the physiological and emotional needs of humanity through the use of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. There is a sense of narrative continuity between the visual novel aspects of the game and the gameplay elements, which are events that occur at specific points during the narrative.

Play as an AI trying to ensure the survival of the last human left in the universe and help decide what the human wants out of their life by the end.

The game's story, aesthetics, and tone are the hook of the game. All of the game's components, from the futuristic user interface to the art assets and soundtrack, were implemented to emphasize our theme of being out in space trying to find purpose.

The game's narrative hook primarily relies on the player playing as the AI rather than the human, which is a reasonably uncommon approach in science fiction. In our game, the AI (player) knows that humans can only survive for so long with the resources on the ship. The human, however, have all their physiological needs met and is concerned with their emotional needs. The player’s job is to look at their citation from both emotional and logical perspectives in order to keep the human alive while also satisfying their emotional needs. Our game is an attempt to encapsulate the experience of comprehending the human passenger by interacting with them as the AI (which, in the story, is not human itself; it is a very close imitation of a human). We hope that the gameplay experience delivers our hook well.

Team:

• Adhiraj Bhagawati - UI/UX, Narrative Delivery Script
• Siddharth Menon - Narrative Design & Narrative
• Emma Smith - Aesthetics & 2D Art
• John Heiden - Encounter Design
• Mike Santos - Encounter Design

External Resources:

Royalty-Free Music  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/vHOwS7LIhd/  https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/kp8ixVnpRb/ https://opengameart.org/content/interface-sounds-starter-pack

Greater Narrative:

Prior to the events of the game, a cataclysmic event affected the human solar system. It could no longer sustain life, so humanity began a long, arduous journey to a new solar system in a distant galaxy, traveling on enormous arks. Dire circumstances destroyed all of the arks. As far as the player knows, only one escape pod managed to get away: theirs. The player will be experiencing the journey to a new home, floating through the vastness of space with the ship’s AI.

In "The Final Journey," players take command of the AI, which controls the only remaining escape pod. They must ensure the well-being of the human within the pod, who has just awakened from cryogenic hibernation. During our game, the human will have conversations with the AI. The player’s choices during these conversations will impact the ending of the game and the human’s fate.

Psychological concepts such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs will play a significant role in the game's narrative. The AI, which is controlled by the player, will converse with the helpless human to find them a new home. As they converse, the AI (player) will choose how they want to respond to the human’s needs and emotions. The player, acting as the AI, can choose more logical options, such as ignoring the human’s emotional needs to fill their physiological needs as long as possible. However, the player can also choose to be compassionate to the human and take risks to fill their belongingness and social needs, even if doing so involves taking risks that go against their duty of ensuring the human survives as long as possible. For example, sacrificing time and fuel to investigate a radio signal that means maybe, just maybe, someone else survived along with them. Similarly to a Visual Novel, the player gets to make decisions that affect the story. Ultimately these decisions will determine the planet the AI brings the human to. The human’s outlook on their situation and needs will change based on the gameplay events and conversation choices the player makes.

Artist’s Statement:

What we want to accomplish with this game is an emotional story that is also an exploration into contemplation of the purpose of existence. Space is infinite; there are trillions of other galaxies out there. Humans are tiny specks when compared to the size of the universe. The player will get to choose between the blunt truth and softened blows in an attempt to keep the human calm so that they can make the right choices.

Can the player make the right choices - based on their understanding of humanity - to determine what the human’s final destination should be? Is there a point in trying to encourage humans to have motivation or a purpose when they are the last human in existence?