Line by Line

 Line by Line is a short narrative experience with platforming elements. Poetic stanzas narrate and guide the player along their journey. Read closely to find instances of double meaning in the text, hinting that there may be a hidden alternative path you may have not noticed otherwise.

Inspired by Shel Silverstein's "Where The Sidewalk Ends", Line by Line puts heavy emphasis on story telling through poetry. The use of double meaning in some of the stanzas is the key feature of this game that sets itself apart from other narrative experiences. The double meaning functions as a subtle way for the game to suggest to the player that the obvious path to platform through may not necessarily be the only path you have to take. 

The games distinct art style was also inspired by the artwork in "Where The Sidewalk Ends" where we took a scruffy hand drawn-esque approach in attempt to make a simple yet charming style complimented by a few technical touches such as its parallax scrolling.

The game project serves as a proof of concept showing how the ambiguity of poetry & language can be used to introduce a creative and thought provoking narrative experience. It provides a unique and elegant way for the game/level designer to hint or even test the players sense of direction narratively and literally(platforming) all while avoiding disruptive barriers that force the player to cooperate with the designers underlying plan.

The Team:

Ryan Normand - Environmental and Character Artist, Rigger and Animator 

Noah Lemaire - Level Designer, Sound Designer and Narrative Designer

Nicholas Johnson - Creative Director and Programmer

Made in 4 weeks for Fitchburg State Universities' "Contemporary Issues in Games" course.