No Evil

Co-Op Puzzle Game

With sight and sound distorted, rely on your partner to explore the ship and find a way home.

Project Overview

Players work together to solve puzzles that revolve around sight and sound problems.

The main puzzles within the game will revolve around these two main senses. However, side puzzles that divert from this norm may be implemented to allow players to extend their knowledge of the story and increase variety.

Each main puzzle will focus on a different area of the ship. For example, the cargo bay of the ship utilizes one player that is blind but can see colour whilst another player has full sight but is colour blind.

Players will need to work with one another to find a route to the next section of the game.

High Concept

With sight and sound distorted, rely on your partner to explore the ship and find a way home.

Game Genre

Co-op Sci-Fi puzzle solving game that relies on partnership to reach the end.

Target Audience

This game is intended to be played by people of all ages.

Plot

Awakening from a power fault, two test subjects awake from sleep on an unknown ship. It becomes clear that these two need to work together to find a course back home before anything unnatural happens. Even if unknown entities begin to make their work even more troubling…

Game Objectives

Short Term

Explore the ship, find lore pieces, Discover how you became abandoned.

Mid Term

Solve puzzles, use the environment to communicate with eachother.

Long Term

Escape the ship with the help of your ally.

Key Features

1

Explore and solve multiple puzzles that rely on you and your partner’s combined senses to get to the end of the ship, repair it and head home.

2

Experiments on players have caused their colour vision to be impaired. Certain areas of the game may cause one player to become colour-blind, forcing players to work together.

3

Environmental changes cause paths to change between players. Use communication to guide eachother through changing landscapes.

4

Sight impairment between players requires communication between players. Share sight and colour to be successful.

5

Sounds will also play a role in some of the puzzles within the game. Players may hear some sounds that other players may not hear, requiring communication between both players.

6

Sight and sound manipulation don’t just occur during puzzle stages, work with your partner to interpret the surroundings to learn more about your situation.

Gameplay Mechanics

Gameplay mechanisms primarily compromise of the lack of senses players will encounter, with mechanics that utilise this sensory deprivation. As this is a puzzle intensive game, puzzle ideas will also be included within this section.

Puzzles

No E.V.I.L is a puzzle heavy game. Puzzles within earlier sections of the game will focus on players needing to work together. Ranging from players needing to push a button at the same time to different sounds and sights that both players need to join together to find the answer. Cryptography puzzles may also be included but will only be included to add variation to the flow.

Morse Code Puzzle

One of the players may hear ringing in the sequence of Morse code, with which they will need to describe to the other player to enter a code to allow progression. A key of Morse code will be provided. In the example above, this puzzle is combined with the sensory overload mechanic to prevent both players being able to see the key in the main room. One player must hold a button that shuts off the senses that causes players to feel overwhelmed. The use of separation is key to give players the feeling of isolation.

Prop Manipulation

Colour Blind and Full Blind

Using disruptor fields, one player needs to navigate through a cluttered area whilst the other player gives them directions. The use of colour can be used here to change how players interact or to include new obstacles (see Map Layouts for more information).

Starting Section

Players need to maintain a close distance with one another otherwise both players will lose their vision and sound. Therefore, if they want to explore, they need to do so together or risk being blind and needing to restart the level.

Sensory Overload

One or both players will have problems with sensory overloads. When multiple senses are within a room player will not be able to pass through until these senses are cleared. Whilst this is not a puzzle as such at first, this will be combined into other puzzles to add an extra layer. As such, this will be introduced early into the game.

Locations

Crew Quarters

The starting area for players. This section introduces the player to the mechanics of the game with disruptor fields and uses simple puzzles to reinforce the idea of cooperative play. This section of the game will have an enclosed environment that limits the mistakes players can make to allow for easier learning of the game’s mechanics.

Cargo Bay

A larger area of the game, the cargo bay sections incorporate a larger, more open space for elongated puzzles. As players will be more familiar with the game mechanics, bottomless pits and other dangers for players will be active. The section will reset should players fall through.

Control Room

A closed section of the game, but with multiple paths that players can diverge through. A mixture of puzzles can occur within this section to fix the required parts and continue. Optional objectives of fixing other parts of the control room can lead to other parts of the game.

Characters

Players

Test subjects on an abandoned testing ship, these two characters will need to work together in order to escape the ship.

Ship A.I.

The ship’s A.I that has been active for hundreds of years. It may have been corrupted over this time as it tries to help the players reach their destination.

Comparative Games

Portal 2s Co-Op section puts a heavy emphasis on co-op play that forces players to work together in both shared environments and in separate environments to advance the story. Driver San Francisco implements 2nd person perspective very well within a driving game. This perspective could be replicated within a puzzle game to add new layers of communication.