Imprint
A game about memory, individual and collective identities, and the longing to belong. Wandering through liminal spaces, players may uncover echoes of forgotten moments and traces of those who came before. With each step between isolation and connection, they're invited to reflect on what defines or bounds us - and to shape their own meaning along the way.
Based on personal experiences of cultural integration and the search for home, Imprint is an abstraction of memory into a symbolic narrative that others can interpret in their own ways. The player is guided throughout a linear narrative in which environments, transitions, interactions, and shifting levels of agency come together to reflect the emotional journey of a character.
Imprint was created for my master’s thesis at The Royal Danish Academy. It is a work in progress, currently featuring two playable scenes - with additional scenes, characters, interactions, and a looping narrative structure in the pipeline.
Concept ∙ Development ∙ Art Direction ∙ Level Design ∙ 3D Modelling ∙ Tech Art ∙ Audio Design
Planning
Storyboards and diagrams were made to plot out the game's visual narrative arch, as well as the expected emotional engagement of players throughout each scene:
Character Design
Characters began as 2D concept art and were later modelled, rigged and animated in Blender. Various proportions were experimented with - I sought a simple, sympathetic design that players could 'imprint' themselves upon. Their noisy transparent surface was created with Unity's shadergraph:
Interaction & Design
Mechanics, composition, and tone correlate with Imprint's emotional narrative arch and themes:
The experience begins with minimal agency, immersing the player in monotony and suspense. It continues on to sentimental reflection, granting them fleeting choices which prompt unique interpretations. Emphasis was placed on the affordance, signifiers, and feedback of interactive elements in each scene.
The experience begins with minimal agency, immersing the player in monotony and suspense. It continues on to sentimental reflection, granting them fleeting choices which prompt unique interpretations. Emphasis was placed on the affordance, signifiers, and feedback of interactive elements in each scene.
The shifting scale of elements - like character and room size, or the camera’s movement from wide-angle anonymity to close, over-the-shoulder views - reflects one of Imprint’s core themes: the ongoing cycle between individuality and collectivity.
