Torpor
A short narrative game where you find important objects that link together different scenes and piece
together a story. Made in two weeks for Adventure Jam 2016 by Josh O'Caoimh and me. I did the programming,
Josh did the art, and we collaborated on everything else. It was written about on Alpha Beta Gamer, PCGamer, and RockPaperShotgun.
"For a game that was created in just 2 weeks, Torpor boasts an exciting and rich gameplay experience that will leave the player questioning how the events connect to one another..." - Alpha Beta Gamer
I made Torpor in collaboration with Josh O'Caoimh whom I met through Gamejolt. We decided to do a game jam together and chose Adventure Jam. We had a really good brainstorming session all over facebook messenger and Josh recommended a game where you transition between scenes and need to find something in each scene to help you in the next. I had a different spin on this idea in mind, where the objects would link scenes together.
I was inspired by the Kurt Vonnegut novel Slaughterhouse Five. I really liked the narrative device of Billy Pilgrim being 'unstuck in time'. In that book, the narrative jumps around from time frame to time frame seemingly at random, which I read as a metaphor for the main character's PTSD from fighting in a war.
The game was also influenced by my grandfathers, both named Joe. One fought in WWII, and the other had a
prolific career in veternary medicine. The latter was diagnosed with parkinsons. As a child, watching Joe
battle this illness, I imagined he probably spent his last years in a confused state where he couldn't keep
track of time.
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux(untested)