Rive by Logan Olson and Justin Lin
"Rive" by Logan Olson and Justin Lin
The main concept for our game comes off of two innovative influences: Katamari Damacy and Zone of the Enders 2.
Katamari Damacy takes the simple concept of rolling a ball in 3d space in order to roll up anything the character wishes under a time limit. The controls were intuitive and the worlds were expansive. Katamari took simplicity to a whole new level of complexity.
With Zone of the Enders 2, we have a game whereas non-stop fast paced action was an appealing feature. The game basically allowed the robot character in the game to perform "ballets of destruction" via an auto-targeting system that would push the action forward. It provided enough spectacle to wow the viewer throughout the whole game.
By combining the two we came up with a game about a ribbon that would be able to go through 3d spaces and interact with the obstacles within an expansive world with no time limit, while providing a fast-paced visceral experience. Hence we coined the idea: "Rive"
Controlling a free flowing ribbon through a dream-like environment, the player of Rive, French for "strand," travels through the mind of a hospitalized sick child, fighting his internal demons and exploring the depths of his psyche to beat his ailment. The ribbon/strand is innocent, searching for freedom and a better world, fighting through the odd and sometimes evil worlds of his imagination in order to find his better place, in order to come out of his comatose state.
The overall artistic designs are based on movies and artists such as H.R. Geiger, Salvador Dali, Monet, Akira, and the Matrix. These will all be represented in the many unique and differing worlds within the child's psyche.
The most unique and appealing feature of Rive is the player-character and control scheme. Using the Nintendo Revolution controller, the player will guide the ribbon as if playing with a streamer to explore and manipulate the environment, as well as fight the enemies which inhabit it. The player will use the complete control of the ribbon to create his or her own combos, assisted by an auto-targetting system that will make sure that all enemies will be within range to perform attacks with the Revolution's wand. In addition to the self-created combos, there will be in-game combo/skill system that relies on the player performing certain movements with the wands and/or the button, allowing for special moves, actions, transformations, weapons, etc. to appear. The intuitive, physical control of the ribbon and abstract dream world will convey a sense of wonder and excitement to the player in the artistic and unconventional Rive.
Through our combination of innovative control aspects, engaging and unique production design, and hybridization of inventive game schemes, we hope to create a game that is accessible to all ages. We hope that this game will create complexity through the authorship of the player via our simple, but potentially expandable scheme and concept for Rive.