Introduction
In the game, players take on the role of an assassin who must eliminate their target in a bar. Players can create assassination opportunities by interacting with NPCs and engaging with the environment. They must prevent the target from noticing the danger and escaping while also avoiding capture after carrying out the act.
Strategic Interaction
Decision-Making
Immersive experience
Design Process
Core Statement
- User Experience Goal
- Target Audience
- Core Idea
Immerse players in the tension and thrill of stealthy decision-making to achieve their goal: assassinating the target without being caught.
Players who like strategy games and puzzle games, and are interested in crime-themed stories.
Combined with immersive gaming, this creates a unique experience where every interaction matters.
Design Process
I started with the theme of the game. I wanted to make a game in a bar setting.
When I was creating the protagonist, I easily connected the bar setting with a gangster character.
I originally wanted to make a math game with gambling elements around the theme of bars and gangs. Players need to perform addition operations with the poker cards in their hands so that the final answer is equal to the multiplication result of the dice thrown by the gangster NPC sitting across the table.
But before I actually started making the game, I felt that creating a math-based game would be a bit boring and didn’t align with my personal style. I prefer games with storytelling and interaction, so I changed the content of my game to make an adventure game with puzzle elements.
- Research
My original bar setting and art inspiration came from The Red Strings Club, an adventure game that takes place in a bar in a cyberpunk world.
I referred to the art style of The Red Strings Club and the atmosphere of the entire game, but I did not choose the cyberpunk worldview. Instead, I used the 1990s as the background of my game. I want to create a game with my own soul, so the protagonist and the story must be different.
- Play Tests & Interaction Process
I conducted a playtest for my prototype.
Player feedback indicated that they were deeply impressed by the game’s visuals and music right from the start. They found the bar theme and the gameplay mechanic of triggering key information through button clicks very engaging. However, the win condition of the game wasn’t clear enough. Players didn’t fully understand why they were given a shooting button but couldn’t win by directly shooting the target, instead needing to use the interaction button to poison the target to achieve victory. Additionally, while the original camera cutscenes helped address some of the confusion around the win condition, players expressed a preference for taking direct control of the gangster avatar to eliminate the target themselves and claim victory. Based on the playtest feedback, two key iterations were made to improve the game:1. The multiple assassination methods have been eliminated, making the purpose of each button clear. This ensures players understand how to achieve the win condition without confusion.2. The game's presentation was enhanced by merging previously split scenes into a single, cohesive environment. This allows players to navigate more freely within the bar, providing a smoother and more immersive experience.
Player feedback indicated that they were deeply impressed by the game’s visuals and music right from the start. They found the bar theme and the gameplay mechanic of triggering key information through button clicks very engaging. However, the win condition of the game wasn’t clear enough. Players didn’t fully understand why they were given a shooting button but couldn’t win by directly shooting the target, instead needing to use the interaction button to poison the target to achieve victory. Additionally, while the original camera cutscenes helped address some of the confusion around the win condition, players expressed a preference for taking direct control of the gangster avatar to eliminate the target themselves and claim victory. Based on the playtest feedback, two key iterations were made to improve the game:1. The multiple assassination methods have been eliminated, making the purpose of each button clear. This ensures players understand how to achieve the win condition without confusion.2. The game's presentation was enhanced by merging previously split scenes into a single, cohesive environment. This allows players to navigate more freely within the bar, providing a smoother and more immersive experience.