Imprint
A meditative game about collective versus individual memory - and the longing to belong. Wander through liminal spaces, uncovering echoes of forgotten moments and those who came before. Drawing from personal experiences of cultural isolation and integration, the game transforms memory into symbolic environments, interactions, and shifting levels of agency. Each scene nudges players to reflect on what shapes us - and what traces we leave behind.
Originally a vertical slice created as part of my master's thesis at The Royal Danish Academy, Imprint is currently a work in progress.
Roles: Solo Developer (concept, design, 3D art, animation, tech, and audio)
Mapping the Experience
I developed storyboards and structural diagrams to chart the game’s emotional arc - mapping where tension builds, where reflection softens the pace, and how color and agency shifts over time. These helped anchor the project, aligning narrative intent with visual rhythm and helping define how the experience is expected to unfold.
Character Design
I began with 2D concepts exploring anthropomorphized primitive shapes and loose proportions. The goal was a unified stylized look, charming and simple enough for players to "imprint" themselves upon. These informed later 3D modelling, rigging, and animation in Blender. In Unity, I recreated the grainy aesthetic using shader graph, experimenting with custom lighting and procedural noise textures.
Interaction That Carries Emotion
Imprint's interactive elements are tightly woven around its themes and tone. The experience opens with limited agency, immersing players in monotony and quiet suspense - before offering them brief yet meaningful choices that invite sentimental reflection. Each element was considered for its affordances, signifiers, feedback, and emotional impact: how players discover it, what it suggests, how it responds, and the mark it leaves.
Perspective With a Purpose
Composition also plays a narrative role: shifting scales of rooms and camera transitions from wide-angle detachment to an intimate over-the-shoulder view mirror a cyclical tension between individual and collective identity.
