PDM-R was a video game project by AkelaMorse, combining the roguelike gameplay from the Shiren the Wanderer series (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon) with game mechanics from Wii party games like Poképark.
In a world plagued by a global catastrophe leaving only a few pockets of survival, the player takes on the role of a member of a reconnaissance team tasked with rescuing and helping the survivors.
To this end, he travels the world, represented by procedurally-generated dungeons, where he comes across creatures driven mad by the catastrophe, with the aim of helping those still in their right minds. To progress, he must fight these hostile creatures, but this also gives him a chance to bring them to their senses and rally them to his cause. These makeshift allies can then be purified and join the player’s team.
Another aspect of the game is the construction of a pleasant environment for the survivors to live in. The player will search for items needed by the survivors in the dungeons, talk to them and carry out activities with them, in the form of mini-games, to strengthen the bond in the camp.
On this project, I was in charge of system design, narrative design and UX. I consolidated the gameloop by ensuring that all the mechanics formed a coherent whole. I also analyzed similar games and sources of inspiration to understand what players were looking for in these games.
As storytelling plays an important role in this project, I worked closely with the narrative team to see how the gameplay could best reflect the story being told.