For one of my modules on narrative design I created a Twine game as part of a weekly task.
This was at the end of rewatching all the Lethal Weapon films so I thought it was a good idea to make a the game buddy cop themed.
I used this task as an opportunity to try blocking out narrative for a game with multiple gameplay options that result in different player experiences.
I created a vertical slice featuring what would be the narrative blueprint of the final level of the game.
Premise:
The main game would see the detectives digging into illegal weapons being circulated around New York. They would find evidence pointing to the weapons coming from a private military company, run by a man called Jack Dawes.
It would transpire that he was putting the weapons in the hands of criminals to inflate the crime rate. Then they would be made aware of the Mayors involvement with Dawes and how the two wanted to replace the local police force with Dawes' PMC. The rise in gun crime would be seen as too much for the NYPD and the Mayor would get the greenlight from the general public to bankroll the PMCs.
Before this mission the player would have been faced with a choice. They would have to decide between helping their partner rescue their kidnapped family or attempting to stop a private military company from detonating bombs around the city.
I chose to explore the former option and have the detectives go rogue in an attempt to save the kidnapped family from a fortified facility.
The Game:
I created two approaches to the level. The player could choose to go in stealthy with suppressed weapons or detonate their vehicle as a distraction and go in all guns blazing.
Each approach offers slightly different dialogue between the two main characters.
I then bring the two paths back together for the final scene where the partners must fight their way onto an underground train.
Evaluation:
I think I managed to capture the cheesy buddy cop dialogue with this piece and I also had a lot of fun writing it in general.
It ends rather abruptly though. That was down to time constraints but it remains something that I definitely like to revisit in the future if time permits.
Here's a link to the Itch page so you can play the game if you like:
https://sproigman.itch.io/absolute-weapons
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