Yao | 女儿谣

Posted Aug 15, 2023 Updated Feb 25, 2024

By Cyan Han 5 min read

OVERVIEW

Logo

Game Concept

Singleplayer
2D
Horror
Puzzle
Indie
Story-Rich
Drama

Story

The player portrays a journalist named Yu Hong, who suffers from depression and is dissatisfied with her job. While conducting fieldwork in a remote rural area, she unexpectedly encounters a case of suicide triggered by “rumors” involving a young girl. Driven by fame and the desire to increase her social media followers, Yu Hong chooses to continuously track and expose this incident. During her investigation, she meets a series of characters and gradually uncovers the truth behind the girl’s suicide, which was fueled by rumors. As the investigation progresses, Yu Hong begins to awaken to the reality and wishes to use her influence to help the girl. However, she suddenly realizes that she too has been engulfed by the spreading rumors…

Screenshot from Yao

Idea

The title Yao carries two layers of meaning in Chinese: the first layer refers to a lullaby for a daughter, while the second layer metaphorically alludes to “rumors.” The story of the game revolves around “rumors,” “superstition,” and “the backwardness of old-fashioned feudal rural China,” showcasing the tragedies of human stories in such a unique environment. We hope to tell a story through this game that immerses players while also prompting deep reflection afterwards.

Inspiration

The inspiration for the game comes from numerous Chinese horror games, such as Firework and the Paper Bride series. Behind Chinese horror often lies reflection on reality.

Screenshot from Firework

MY CONTRIBUTIONS

“Technical Director”

Since I’m the one who has the best knowledge of the game engine in our group, I’m “honored” to be the “technical director” of our group. During the production process, I am often the first one to conduct technical tests and define how to use certain parts of the engine.

At the same time I’m constantly coming up with all sorts of design conjectures related to the game and current technology as I test. Having a good grasp of the technology often helps inspire my designs.

Working with Programmers

As a designer with a degree in computer science, I was able to communicate well with the programmers. During the production, I was responsible for assigning tasks to the programmers and accepting these completed features, and I was also responsible for writing the PRDs (Product Requirement Document) for some features (e.g. cell phones).

This was the first time I’ve worked so closely with programmers (previous projects tended to be done by me alone), and I made some mistakes but also gained a lot from the experience.

Sound Design & Mixing

Just like my other projects, I was also responsible for the sound part of this game. In horror and thriller games, good sound effects often lead to more immersion. Despite the limited ten-day development cycle, I did my best to complete the sound effects and voice acting configuration. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time and energy to create a more perfect atmosphere, as is often the case with development.

Ableton Live 10

ACHIEVEMENT

This game was developed through team collaboration at the Seasun Seed Camp and was awarded the Best Narrative Prize at the 2023 Seasun Seed Camp. Approximately 7 to 8 teams participated, each with its own unique genre and characteristics.

The official link is not abailable yet.

Best Narrative

MORE DOPE PICTURES…

Start Screen: The start button has been intentionally designed as the switch of a cassette player, and all elements here are closely related to the story. On The Bus: Here is the beginning of the game. We’ve used program animation to showcase the environment, introducing several gameplay elements related to mobile social media, and narrating part of the story background through a chat application format. Village Entrance: Please note that some characters on the banners use an old-fashioned writing style from a specific historical period. I proposed this idea and carefully selected specific characters to ensure the readability of the game. Abandoned School: By narrating through the environment, we supplement the details of the game. Graveyard：This is one of the scenes I built, and the placement of each element has been carefully arranged in order to show the depth of the scene created by parallax scrolling. The Witch’s House: A horror scene rich in Chinese flavor. Mobile Social Media: An important interactive element of the game. Comments: When we were collecting in-game comments, we reached out to our friends in other groups, and their messages helped us a lot with the production. The Burial: The setting of the thundering sky sets up the tension of the current scene, a scene that is indeed about to have a climax. The gameplay of taking photos: As a content creator, players need to control the camera in their hands to capture the current subject. Another Interaction Gameplay: Click on the tape strips to gradually fix the tape. The gameplay is relatively simple and mainly serves the plot. We did our best in just ten days of production time.