We finally have a title!

We finally decided to go for a title which is similar to the Portopia serial Murder case. This is our final title:

'The Osaka Case of Helianthus Annuus'

Basically, Osaka is where our game will be set and the Cult which the case is investigating is called Helianthus Annuus, which is latin for Sunflower.

Our game will also be for PSN and XBOX Live and Steam, as well as for the PS Vita and on the App store. We chose this as we want our game to have episodes, chapters where the player must buy the next chapter to continue the story. We also feel that players are more inclined to buy games on the console itself as all they have to do is download and play, it is very accessible. 

Propp Presentation

For our Presentation on Propps theory for Contextual studies, Me and Liam picked a game each to study. I chose Fable 3. Propp identified that in each narrative there are set character structures. These are:

• The Hero
• The False Hero
• The Villain
• The Princess and her Father
• The Donor
• The Helper
• The Dispatcher

In each narrative a character fits into this theory. In Fable 3, they are as follows:

The Hero

The Hero of Brightwall is basically the character that the player plays as who they can make their own. The Hero makes their way through the story being the good guy, eventually saving Albion.

The False Hero

Logan is the current King of Albion when you start the game and he is seen to be a good guy, trying to save Albion. However, he is not and his alternative motives are brought to light.

The Villain

Reaver is the Villain as he encourages the player to make bad, immoral decisions. He is a selfish arrogant character whose lack of morals lead him to enslave children as well as other terrible things.

The Princess

Elliott and Elise are the love interests in the game and at one point in the game can be either rescued or sacrificed. If the player rescues them, they help by giving the player items etc.

The Donor

Walter Beck is the  Donor as he is with the player from the beginning of the game who constantly gives advice and quests.

The Helper

The dog is the helper as he is constantly with the player finding items as you make your way around Albion.

The Dispatcher

Ben Finn gives the player the first major quest which takes them off the mainland of Albion, and from here Ben gives the player more objectives.

Fallout 3

The Hero

You, the player. It is your mission to escape the vault, find your dad to finish what he started and restore order to the Capital Wasteland .

The False Hero

President John Henry Eden. His goal is to restore the wasteland back to its original glory for the good of the country, but he ended up being the antagonist by trying to do things his way. He tried to take over your fathers project and ended up killing him, making you want revenge. During the game, Eden sends out a national broadcast over the radio feeding the wasteland survivors his false propaganda so they would turn on the true savoir (you) .

The Villain

The World. This is because of a nuclear fallout, the world has turned terrible and unforgiving. It is a dangerous place.

The Princess

Your dad: seems like the oddest character to be known as the ‘princess’ of the game but during the main story he goes missing and as his son/daughter it is your mission to rescue him.

The Donor

Amata is your childhood friend.She is the Vault Overseer’s daughter. During the vault escape in the beginning when your dad leaves the fault, she gives you her dads key to access his office to use his private escape tunnel.

The Helper

Fawkes is a super mutant that you can free during one of the quests. If you play as a good character (good karma) he will become your sidekick/helper and assist you in fights and help carry your gear. You are able to interact with him and tell him to leave you if you want. He is one of many helpers you can acquire in the game, but I chose Fawkes because he was my helper.

The Dispatcher

Fallout 3 is a free roam game, where nearly every character you meet in the game does have a quest of some kind to carry out. As an example I have Moira Brown (top) from Megaton and Dr Madison Lee (bottom).

Shaun Digital Painting

This is a character concept digital painting for the character Shaun. I wanted to give Shaun a dark, sinister side, and also test out the art style on a character.

Digital Painting, Final Art Style

This is the first digital painting I have completed for our game, to help us determine what art style we want to go for. We knew that we were going for a graphic novel style, so thick lines, and we also decided on going for black and white with one colour standing out, to give a totally unique feel to the art style. This is the opening scene in the game where Jason finds his ex wife and daughter dead on an investigation.

Progress Images:

This is the final four images I came up with, each with different colours used to give a different feel.

In the end this is the final image I created.

I decided not to have the black border as I like the unfinished surrounding it has to it. For the art style we have decided to go for this style, bold lines as well as drawn scruffy lines, and strong lighting. We really love the water colour look to the image, and this is something we would love to see in our games art style. We have decided to keep the colour yellow in colour in our game as its connotations fit perfectly into the theme of our narrative. The connotations of the colour yellow are conflicting ones, as on one hand it connotes happiness, and on the other connotes cowardice and deceit. It is also the colour used for hazard signs and warnings. Also, yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited for their loved ones to return from war. They are also still used nowadays to welcome home loved ones. This is perfect for our story, as it is centered around deceit and the importance of family and loved ones.

Final Character Drawings

This is Jason, our main character. Jason is 35 years old and lives in a small apartment by himself, and occasionally has his daughter at the weekends. He has a scruffy but neat look about his appearance and always dresses smartly. He has short black hair, with stubble around his face. Jason is a happy person despite the circumstances but there is a deep sadness behind the surface which he tries to hide. He is always happy to help people, which is why he joined the police force with Shaun.

This is Susan, Jasons Ex-wife. She is 2 years younger than Jason, aged 33. She has medium length dark brown hair which she almost always ties into a bun. She always dresses smartly, and always looks presentable. Susan used to be a happy person but has recently become more and more paranoid about Jason, as well as life. She is a nervous person now, always on edge.

This is Lily, she is 7 years old and the child of Susan and Jason. She is caught up in the middle of a divorce but always has a smile on her face. She has short brown hair, in which she wears a black band across her head. She is always dressed in pretty dresses which her mum buys for her. She is a happy, friendly child and is always happy to see her Dad.

This is Shaun, he is Jason's partner and best friend. Shaun is aged 37, and joined the police force with Jason. He is quite scruffy and has short blonde hair. He dresses casually even for work, and has a scar across his lip from an early police fight. He has a very laid back and charismatic personality. 

Narrative, opening scene

Game Concept Story

Opening Scene

Character (Jason) is on his way to work listening to a voicemail from his ex-wife Susan, talking about their divorce, and regarding access to his daughter Lilly. Jason receives a call from his work partner Shaun about a house he must investigate.

Game play (Tutorial)

Jason arrives at the house. He meets his partner Shaun and two officers who are already at the scene. From a general perspective the house looks perfectly normal. Jason) is able to ask Shaun and the officers a selection of questions, to gain a better insight on what happened at the house. When Jason enters the house he can see messages and symbols surrounding the infrastructure. He is able to free roam the house to look for clues, in order to advance the story. This gives the player practice to how the game’s mechanics are going to function. Jason has to find a series of items for use of exploring further or to obtain as evidence. He finds a toy box in a children’s room downstairs. It requires a specially shaped key to open.  He searches around the room and finds a loose floorboard. He removes the board and finds a necklace. It appears to have some form of cult symbol attached. He looks over at the toy box again and notices that the key to unlock it matches the symbol on the necklace. He slots the necklace in the shaped slot on the box and unlocks it. The wall behind the box moves to reveal a hidden passageway. Before Jason can enter the room a disturbed cultist falls at the player’s feet screaming. The disturbed cultist is covered in scratches, his clothes are torn and blood stained.  He runs off. Feeling needless to chase after the cultist the player continues his investigation and enters the secret doorway. A spiral staircase lit with candles twists deep down into what appears to be a bottomless abyss. He looks at the walls around him and notices there are blood drawn symbols, dead flesh and scratch marks embedded in the wall. He reaches the bottom of the stairs, and is drowned in darkness. At the far end of the room there is a loud shudder. A flicker of light then appears, the light grows until it illuminates the entire room, revealing a massacre of dead bodies. He steps around the bodies to what appears to be an alter in the center of the room. He finds a journal on top of it. The player is able to flick through the book, to look for clues. A photo falls out, and lands by his feet. He picks up the picture. It is a picture of his ex wife Susan and his daughter Lily arm in arm with a strange man wearing a necklace similar to the one he found in the floorboards. The photo triggers a flashback to the night the photo is dated of Susan going out for the evening and taking Lily with her. He puts the book down on the alter and looks up to the other end of the room. He see’s three ruined bodies fixed to the wall. He doesn’t make out their identity until he is staring them in the eye. It was Susan and Lily, with the strange man he saw with them in the photo. The necklace is hanging from his slit neck. He gets a positive match on the symbol by comparing it with the one he obtained from the floorboards. As Jason continues to examine the bodies a strange hooded person sneaks up behind in and hits him round the back of the head, knocking him out.

Jason wakes up a week later in hospital. Shaun is sitting across from him. Jason is suffering from some form of amnesia and has no recollection of what happened in the house a week ago. Shaun tells him they were investigating a lead on a murder case, and they were sent to the house to look for clues. The search lead them into the basement. Nothing was found in there either, apart from a journal of some kind. Jason had pocketed it without Shaun noticing. The power suddenly went out. Jason forgot his flash light, so he tried to retrace his footsteps but tripped over something and knocked his head. Shaun leaves the hospital, leaving Jason with his possessions to tend to in the meantime. Sifting through his pockets he comes across the journal he picked up. Having no memory of picking the book up, he flicks through it and finds the same picture he previously discovered. It triggers a flash back of a row between him and Susan an hour before she took Lily and left the house, to attend the cult meeting. This gave Jason a burst of knowledge, remembering the scene in the basement. Eager to re discover what he remembers to returns to the abandoned house and navigates back to basement. Totally the opposite of what he was expecting there was nothing other than exactly what Shaun told him. A couple of boxes and a battered up coffee table. Jason wasn't convinced so he uses his UV flashlight to look for signs of blood. He finds no traces what so ever. Shaun arrives in the basement, asking Jason what he is doing back. Nothing ever happened in the house. Was it all a dream? Illusion? Some form of cultist spell his wife had cast on him before the divorce?

First pieces of Artwork

As we decided to go for a graphic novel style to our game, I began work on the characters. This is the art style I will exploring a lot throughout the project to find the exact type we want to go for.

Cult Research

Cult Research

http://www.elistmania.com/juice/10_of_the_world_s_most_bizarre_cults/

Additional link and cult to check out:

Jonestown

listuerse.com/2007/09/15/top_10_cults/ 

Ordo Templi Orientis

Also known as the Order of the Temple of the East and Order of Oriental Templers, is a fraternal international and religious group which was created in the beginning of the 20th century. Aleister Crowley, an English author and a known Satanist occultist is one of the most renowned members of the order.

Initially the cult was anticipated to be modeled after and connected to Freemasonry, a form of a Gnostic Order, however, under the headship of Aleister Crowley; O.T.O has been documented around the Law of Thelma as its fundamental religious principal. This law is expressed as “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love under will”. These laws for the cult were promulgated in 1904 with the dictation of The Book of the Law.

The O.T.O is well known for practicing Black Magic. The creepy cult is branded to include sexual rituals that are both heterosexual and homosexual in nature. Many of the practices that O.T.O teaches are related to magical orders which enlighten the system of Masonic style of sexual magic. However, the O.T.O still restricts access to its “inner secrets”. The controversial book,Secret Rituals of the O.T.O, was withdrawn from print by the publisher after receiving a threat of legal action by the O.T.O. Nevertheless, as there has been a growing interest in the writings of Aleister Crowley, his work has been reprinted due to which various new societies have come into existence and have modeled themselves as the new generation of O.T.O.

Aghori

The Aghori or Aghouri is a Hindu cult that is considered to have split off from the Kapalika order in the fourteenth century AD. Many Hindus condemn the Aghorias non-Hindu due to their cannibalistic rituals. The streets of northern Indian cities are littered with followers of this cult carrying a kapala, which is a cup made from a skull! These bizarre people will eat anything from rotten food to animal faeces. In order to achieve the highest citadel of enlightenment, the Aghori will perform horrendously crude rituals. The finality of their rituals is attained from eating the decaying flesh of a human. 

According to Hindu mythology and practiced beliefs, everything emanates from “Brahman". Therefore, there is no evil. The Aghori believe everything to be god itself and to abandon anything would be equivalent of abandoning god. This is the bizarre philosophy followed by theAghori Babas.

The roots of the Aghori date back to ancient times. An Aghori ascetic who went by the name of Kinaram is responsible for the present-day rituals and beliefs of the cult. Since the Aghori worship lord Shiva with all their fervor, they believe that Kinaram was a reincarnation of lord Shiva.

The Aghori cult dwells on cremation grounds, daubing themselves with the ashes of the corpses and eating from a cranial begging bowl or a kapala. Many Aghori opt to roam around baring all. This is their representation of their detachment from the ways of life that normal people abide by. A strong belief which surrounds them is that by doing so they are above and beyond the normal worldly emotions of human beings.

The Body of Christ

The Body of Christ is a diminutive authoritarian group that focuses on “direct revelation” and not the Bible for its direction. As of late this cult has been in the news as two children have died pointlessly. Samuel, the ten month old baby of the founder’s son, Jacques, died of malnutrition. The little baby was not fed, because the cult believed that they were going to get a sign from God to feed him. The other child who died was Jeremiah, son of Rebecca Corneau. The baby died shortly after the mother gave birth. The reason for the death of the baby has been attributed to the lack of medical care provided.

Ten years ago, Dennis Mingo a former member of the cult, left the group. He gave a diary to the police in which he described the deaths of the two babies in depth. Regardless of the effort the police has put into finding the bodies of the children, they have remained to be unsuccessful.

The cult denounces the “seven systems” of a conventional society. These primarily, include: education, government, banking, religion, medicine, science and entertainment. The members of the group have consistently denied any cooperation with civil and governmental authorities. They have also refused any forms of legal counsel. They have constantly been refusing to assert their primary constitutional right against self-incrimination. This bizarre cult expects that the world will soon erupt in outrageous violence and turmoil, and that they alone will be the sole survivors of the disaster that they predict.

Ideas and feedback

Feedback & Ideas

After brainstorming ideas , we had a sheet of notes to take to our feedback session. The concept itself is solid, but there were a number of plot holes in our understanding of how to construct a solid/believable  narrative.

In a nutshell we want to design a point and click third person perspective horror crime game.

You play as a detective called Jason Ross going through a difficult divorce, with a daughter, Lilly stuck in the middle. One night, Susan, his ex wife and Lilly go out for the evening and don't return that night. The next morning Jason gets a call from his partner, Shaun requesting him to attend an investigation. When arriving at the scene, he finds that the mystery, him and Shaun must solve is more complicated than first anticipated.

Here is a tidier version of the page scanned below:

• Cult based murder/narrative (investigation horror genre)
• Horror elements (Amnesia, Silent Hill, Alan Wake)
• Flash backs activated when interacting with objects/clues found in the game (e.g. picks up a photograph, activates a flashback. Flashback visuals disoriented and grainy
• Visuals: Dark, creepy (makes it harder to find things, intimidating atmosphere, environment changes day and night; during the day everything is normal but at night new objects/clues appear and out of the ordinary events occur. Crackdown 2, zombie freaks come out at night and hide in the day. Minecraft: All the monsters: creepers, zombies and spiders come out at night.
• Settings: Family mansion, modern home (suburbia), dungeon, castle, generic working class house (makes it realistic and relatable) to the audience.
• Investigation: Missing people, supernatural murder
• Crime is a setup for the detectives
• Character memory loss
• Player can choose gender/back story of their character (all back stories are pre made; like Mass Effect)
• Game's initial story perhaps isn't about solving the actual crime. Could be detective trying to find himself and start a fresh life. Makes player feel empathy for the character and have a personal/relatable connection (LA Noire; personal flashbacks).
• Back story is the same for either gender player chooses
• Family character
• Child kidnapped by cult family
• Personal vendetta
• Personal kidnapping linked to the case
• Dark, gritty, deep story - makes it scary
• Daemonic cult/supernatural
• Human Sacrifice (The Wicker man movie 2006)
•  Third/first person point and click (Amnesia game play)
• Detectives partner could be possessed by the cult, undercover cultist. Possible kidnapper
• South episode: City Sushi; character has multiple personalities. Partner could have multiple personalities and be behind the whole crime. The Walking Dead: Main characters best friend betrays him by sleeping with his wife.
• Detectives wife has a secret back story, she hides everything from him and their family lives in a false reality.
• Sin City: Has a series of short stories in a random order that interlink and come together at the end. Keeps the audience guessing. The art style is mostly black and white, only revealing the bright colours: greens, red, yellows.

As a sum up we were told to investigate in depth to cults, work on character profiles and work on a solid narrative, covering every aspect possible regarding characters back stories, plot twists, continuity and make it convincing in a realistic sense. Research into other supernatural crime films, games and TV shows. It is important to gain an understanding of how other games, TV shows and films were able to express the horror/crime genre so well and become successful. E.g. The X files, CSI, Alan Wake (examples of a film, TV show and game).

Contextual Studies, "Creating Coherent Worlds"

Our first brief for contextual studies explained that our title for the project is:

"Creating Coherent Worlds"

This basically means creating believable and coherent worlds. We have to work in groups for the research side and then do a presentation by ourselves and also hand in separate work. This is what we must complete:

• 10 minute presentation
• Reflective journal
• Back up work, such as an essay.

We then discussed different types of games.

• Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) - Involve players in real time stories (trans-media) Players must collaborate to solve a puzzle. For example a Blast theory game called 'Can you see me now?' Where virtual players online are pursued by runners on the real life streets of the city.

• Augmented Reality Game - Allows players to 'project' images onto reality. For example a new game coming out called 'Wonderbook', in which the player has a blank book in real life which comes to life on the screen with the use of the Playstation Move camera.

• Beat 'em up - Raw combat. For example the 'Scott Pilgrim' game.

• Platform - Players explore and conquer environments.

• Puzzle - Test reflexes in a confined space.

• Racing - Beating the clock or a rival.

• Rhythm Action - Coordinate interaction to music.

• RPGS - Role Playing action games, let you become a character in a narrative.

• MMORPGS - Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, allow many players to play in a fantasy world online.

• Shoot 'em ups - Use of weapons against many targets or enemies.

• Sports - Based on real life sports such as football.

• Strategy - The player must use strategic moves to beat enemies.

From this we were given different genres to investigate. Our chosen genre was Adventure. We had to create a list of Adventure games. Here were the ones we came up with:

• Uncharted
• Tomb Raider
• Skyrim
• Fallout
• Banjo Kazoee
• Spyro
• Bioshock
• Mass Effect
• Assassins Creed
• Far Cry
• Just Cause
• Pokemon
• Dragons Dogma
• Deus Ex
• Minecraft
• Little Big Planet
• Journey
• Borderlands
• GTA
• LA Noire
• Dishonored
• Fable
• Limbo
• Dear Esther
• Half Life
• Heavy Rain

After this we had to pick a game and answer these questions about it:

Narrative/Structure

• How is the game structured? Does it have levels?
• Do you have to follow a set path to complete the game? How much freedom do you have to explore the game world?

Visual

• What does the game look like? What feel does the game give through its visual style?
• How do the visuals affect the player?

Me and Liam chose Mass Effect 2 for our game. This is what we said in our presentation, as well as the supporting images we had on the slides.


Narrative/Structure:
How is the game structured?
Mass Effect is an Action/Adventure RPG. It is structured using set missions following a narrative towards a final conclusion. The game also includes side missions that have their own sub-narrative, which can affect the main story in some way; (for example: if a player doesn’t complete a characters loyalty mission that character will surely die in the final mission).

Does it have levels?
In reference to levels, Mass Effect does have levels, but they are open party, which means the player isn’t forced to complete the majority of the missions in a set order, or is locked out from missions because they are a lower level. This gives the player control over what they do in the game. Mass Effect does have a character levelling up system. Levelling is gained through completing missions, engaging with other characters in the game, or discovering new worlds/materials across the galaxy. For each level you gain access to unique perks to improve your combat skills and better equipment.

Do you follow a set path to complete the game?
There is a set path to complete the game. However, the game path can vary on how you play side missions and engage with characters; (e.g. take sides with characters). In the end, the game’s initial story is still focussed around the set missions leading to the final conclusion. One vital aspect in the game is how it is based on consequences and repercussions, so any mistakes made; e.g. not completing a loyalty mission or falling out with one of your characters/crew members, can dramatically affect how the game plays out and its ending.

How much freedom do you have to explore the game world?
There is a substantial amount of freedom to explore the game world. When you aren’t completing a mission you can explore different planets throughout the galaxy. Not all planets are accessible, but you can scan them, extract materials and information from them. When doing a mission, the player must go to the planet set and cannot deviate from the planet until the mission is complete.

Visual Style:
What does the game look like?
Mass Effects visual style is fundamentally based on the sheer scale of games universe, both in missions and during free roam.

What feel does the game give through its visual style? 
The camera is set in 3rd person, to give the player a full 360 degree view of both their character and surroundings. The cut scenes and dialogue in the game is camera based, enabling a full visual experience.

How do the visuals affect the player? 
The visuals have an immersive impact on the player as they are realistic and linear, depending on how the player interacts with the games narrative. The realistic style also enables the player to create attachments between them and the characters, enhancing the players experience.

Our Chosen Game

Me and my team mate Liam chose to reinvent The Portopia Serial Murder Case, as we thought it would be a game that other teams would avoid as it is an old game. We like the concept of the game, and feel that the investigative genre hasn't been touched on as much as war games such as Medal of Honor. We have been discussing the limits we can push this genre to make something totally unique. As a starting point will thought of looking at these points:

• It is a game developed by Yuji Horir, what other games has he done?
• first person perspective/narrative
• Investigation adventure
• Looks?
• Story? Change the story, murder case?
• Retro way?
• Look at different art styles?
• Films, murder cases, what makes them interesting?
• Unique elements
• Murders committed using modern technology - the internet?
• Drawn quality of art
• Look at fictional and non- fictional murders
• Is this an exciting game?
• Would people be interested in this?

The Portopia Serial Murder Case
Firstly, We had a look at some game play of the original game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) from 1985.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6UQWvjC12I
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xRqdy88cJujTY3_wSKES18RCTUv4EjnrIyyOsA8KGRc8LVyOA3vknQz4zTN7olmzTzoSurIXdIAjt-m2Cjm4T-mOf7a118pXvdidoO5xVEUoedssVGsm1uxjcwVByPyQVOa6Fhv2xf0/s1600/DSC01599.JPG
http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM29/RTM29.html
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers3.htm
http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6120427/p-2.html


We learnt from this video that it is a 2D text based game, it uses low resolution graphics and the colours are very bold. As well as a sum of the games style I conducted some thorough research covering its art style, gameplay and narrative.  

The PSMC (Portopia Serial Murder Case) was an investigation adventure game designed by Yuji Horii, who works for Enix, a Japanese game design studio. It was released in 1985 on the SNES.
PSMC was very sophisticated for its time. The aim of the game was for the player to solve a murder mystery, by searching for clues. To find them the player must search an array of scenes/settings and interact with characters. The game follows a first person, perspective narrative. The game has a number of various events, which are followed through still pictures and text appearing on screen. The player is able to interact with the images and text by using the keyboard provided in the game. The keyboard isn't an actual keyboard; on screen the player gets a list of set commands, which must be examined and selected using the consoles controller. The aim of solving riddles in the game is finding the exact words to type. PSMC has an element of non-linear game play, giving the player a sense of freedom being able to travel between different areas in the 'open world', allowing the player to achieve objectives their own way. The dialogue is very important. The decisions the player makes redefines the outcome of certain events in the game. Depending on how you play the game the outcome can be frequently different. As a bonus, you have a phone, which you can use to call non playable character's and an inventory system that can be used to collect evidence. The game also features a point and click aspect. It allows the player to use a magnifying glass to search for clues, and when found, click to interact with them. There are also branching menu selections. The magnifying glass being one of them and the other is your character using his fists or a hammer to be used when carrying out an interrogation or beating suspects.

Although the game is fiction, it is set in real Japanese cities such as Kobe, Kyoto and Sumoto.
The detective in charge of the investigation is never seen. His assistant, Yasuhiko Mano is the character who initially speaks to you, giving you commands.

The game sold over 700,000 copies, making it very popular in Japan. The USP was the flexibility with how the player could solve the mysteries, its well told story line and the surprising twist ending. It was Square Enix's first real detective adventure game. Along with Super Mario Brothers it was inspired by Hideo Kojima, who was the creator of Metal Gear Solid. Hideo praised the game for its mystery, drama, humor and its proper background explanation behind murder's motives and expanded the potential of the game.

As a team, we had the idea of having a horror aspect in the narrative as we feel without this an investigation game may get boring. Also, it is a mixture of genres which we can explore in depth. We decided on having the majority of the game set in one area, a normal large family home, which hides some dark secrets. From this ideas came flowing and we picked some games to study as reference to our ideas. 

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent - In reference to the use of a house/mansion.

• LA.Noire - Investigative crime game, in reference to the use of clues and interrogation.

• Heavy Rain - In reference to the use of drama and third person view, as well as investigation.

• LOST The Game - In reference to the flashbacks used to gain clues.

• The Walking Dead - Episodic game, graphic novel art style, third person point and click adventure.

• Resident Evil 5 - In reference to the use of third person camera.

• Slender - In reference to the use of a torch, and the survival aspect of it.

• Alan Wake - The difference between light and day, and the horror aspect of the torch.

• Limbo -  The use of black and white in the art style.

• Silent Hill - The use of survival horror, with the use of a torch and third person.

• Borderlands - Graphic novel art style.

We also looked at some films which had similar ideas to our game characters and narrative.

• Memento - The use of memory loss.

• Flight Plan - The use of a missing child and a large plot twist.

• Wickerman - The use of crime investigation and cults.

• The Woman in Black - The horror style and use of a mansion.