Dreams are rather ethereal and vague things which can't easily be represented in 3D space. So to provide something more tangible to work off, I decided to use childhood fears to help create something more visceral. The first way I've begun to do this is through enemy design for The Nightmare Chronicles. Taking the childhood (and sometimes life long) fear of Clowns gave me a clear direction to aim for when creating this enemy for Tedrich to encounter.
At a circus we have this strange disconnect from clowns, They appear human and yet at the same time freakish and devoid of human characteristics. Its like and alien trying to assimilate into the human populous but only picking 3 or 4 characteristics to imitate ignoring the fact that they are made of Jell-O from the waste down. But, I digress... At the circus we know that the clowns are not going to do anything to harm us, however in our nightmares they can be an unstoppable force in polka dot or striped clothing that will twist us into balloon animals or crush us with their giant red shoes. In Tedrich's world they are lighthearted creatures trying to perform their juggling routine, and you happen to be in their way. They cannot be harmed by you but may turn on you and chase you through the dreamscape of your nightmares.
Another thing that using a tangible and largely recognizable icon such as a clown is create a jumping off point for Level design. Clowns are immediately associated with the circus and this can provide a great theme for level assets as well as a more rigid point of reference to bounce off of as I go to create more disturbing and unique nightmare worlds. If I jumped straight into psychedelic worlds that physically made no sense after a while it wouldn't seem that strange, but starting with something as tangible and real as a circus players will be slowly introduced to oddities and obscurities to keep the sense of excitement and exploration fresh as the game progresses. It also provides real world references to help explain game mechanics before throwing players into a full on nightmare with no idea how to fend for themselves.
The Nightmare Chronicles: Send in the Clowns
Posted by awesomepossum on
