Alice through the Fey Realm
Made with
Unreal Engine 5
"Alice through the Fey Realm" is an isometric, narrative-driven game where players step into the shoes of Alice, journeying through a mystical and enchanting realm. As she navigates this otherworldly setting, players engage with a cast of whimsical characters through a branching dialogue system, shaping Alice's story and choices as she seeks a way out.
Role
Narrative Designer
Genre
Narrative RPG
Concepting Stage
Paper Prototyping Quests
Like our reference game Disco Elysium, which began as a pen-and-paper campaign, I dedicated significant time in the concepting stage to experimenting with various quest ideas and game mechanics through paper prototyping. I wrote branching dialogue in Twine, allowing for rapid iteration, while our programmers developed tools to implement the dialogue in-game.
Prototyping Yahtzee Skill Checks
In Alice through the Fey Realm, skill checks are inspired by Yahtzee mechanics. I explored different dice-rolling systems before discovering the engaging potential of Yahtzee-style checks through playtesting. To test these mechanics, I created a pick-a-path story where certain branches were gated by skill checks, allowing me to refine the balance and flow of the gameplay experience.
Performing Research
To understand Disco Elysium’s mechanics and quest structure, I played the game extensively, analyzing its approach to branching narratives and skill-based interactions. Below, you’ll find some of my research documents capturing key insights and takeaways. As our reference book was “Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there”, extensive research was performed on its chapters as well.
Pre-Production
Outlining the Narrative Structure
Using a chapter from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There as inspiration, I created a branching narrative tree to establish the game’s core structure. To maintain consistency in tone and world rules, I also developed a worldbuilding document that guided the writing and design of the Fey Realm.
Core outline of the mission structure of “Alice through the Fey realm”
Creating Level Sketches and Blockouts
To bring the Fey Realm to life, I began by sketching the various areas of the realm. I relied on gameplay metrics established in an earlier gym level to ensure consistent scale and player movement throughout the world. The areas were later blocked out in the engine.
To keep track of branching dialogue and its pathways, I mapped and wrote the entire game’s dialogue in Miro. This approach enabled team members to review and provide feedback before implementation by attaching sticky notes directly to the dialogue.
Writing Branching Dialogue
Examples of branching out the dialogue on Miro
Production Stage
Implementing Dialogue
Using Qade, a custom tool developed by our programmers, I seamlessly implemented the branching dialogue into the engine. The tool’s additional functionality allowed me to bold key text, ensuring that core information was highlighted for players.
Example of an integrated piece of dialogue and it appearing in engine. Through utility nodes, I was able to display different text based on which conditions in the game had been triggered.
Playtesting and Iteration
I conducted extensive playtesting, asking targeted questions to gather feedback that helped us refine both gameplay and writing. It was a joy to watch different players engage with the game and experience the fun firsthand.
To ensure that the dialogue was triggered properly, I created a Conditions of Satisfaction Document in Excel to ensure that the dialogue triggers as intended during key momens.
Quality Assurance
Project Postmortem
After launching the game on Steam, the team came together for a project postmortem. While we succeeded in shipping a bug-free game, we identified areas for improvement, such as closer collaboration in the concepting phase to establish a clearer vision. The absence of artists during the first half of the project also impacted progress, and an initially unrealistic scope led to significant cuts along the way. Below, you’ll find my full reflection on these processes.
Presentations
I gave two lectures at my university, discussing the benefits of paper prototyping as well as “The illusion of choice” in Game Design, both topics having been central to Alice through the Fey Realm´s development. Below, you can find the corresponding PowerPoint slides.