The Game
What Comes Before takes place on an elevator to the afterlife, each floor a lens into your past. You assume the role of the recently deceased – an unnamed man left to reflect on the memories of the life he’s lived – under the guidance of an unearthly presence whose motives are yet unknown. You’ll be experiencing two memories that shaped your younger years, though how you remember them is up to you: piece together these events and dig deep into your mind to recall what once was, before embarking into the great beyond.
Gameplay
What Comes Before is a narrative RPG in which the player explores different environments, interacting with the world to uncover their past. As the player talks with NPCs, many decisions come up, and the player must play a "mind minigame" to select the answer of their choice. These minigames reflect the main character's state of mind as his emotions are heightened. Each floor comes with new dialogue mechanics as the main character's life unfolds.
Development
Made as a senior capstone project at the NYU Game Center, What Comes Before was developed by a team of 6 people over the span of 8 months. I personally worked as a designer, user researcher, and producer.
As a designer I primarily focused on creating the various "mind minigames" that blended dialogue and gameplay, working closely with the lead writer to ensure a well-balanced narrative experience.
As a researcher, I consistently developed targeted playtests to get feedback on various points of the game. Mostly comprising of 1 on 1 monitored tests, feedback was coded, summarized, and given to team members as reports.
As a producer, I led the project through the early development stages, managing the scope of the project, balancing individual workloads, and ensuring smooth collaboration between disciplines. Later in development, I shifted my focus to managerial tasks, such as securing our spot in various showcases and preparing final deliverables as needed.
Distinctions
What Comes Before was one of six undergraduate capstone games to be featured in NYU Game Center's 2022 digital showcase, and was selected to get a dedicated room for the 2022 live exhibition.
