script doc

BIG IDEA:

A former ucsc alumni from the class of 1994 wakes up in the abandoned campus in  the year 2003, which mysteriously shut down in 1996 with no official explanation. The game begins with the protagonist (MC) awakening in a dense forest, surrounded by a mysterious fog and stripped of their memory. Armed only with a worn map of UCSC, the MC must navigate eerie ruins and uncover the truth about their identity and the campus’s dark secrets. Along the way, they discover they are a clone, trapped in a cycle of confusion and discovery orchestrated by a scientist named Markus. Through environmental storytelling, psychological tension, and puzzles using their own lifeless bodies, the player delves deeper into the horrors of cloning gone wrong and the fog that warps time and reality.

MAIN VIBE:

The main vibe of the game is to be a psychological horror game. The vibe should focus on a more eerie and unsettling feel. Should be an atmosphere of constant unease and dread, where the player questions reality at every turn.

The game’s psychological horror atmosphere focuses on unease, paranoia, and isolation. The abandoned UCSC campus is portrayed as an ominous, sentient character, filled with decayed structures and ghostly remnants of its past. As the fog distorts the MC’s perception, doors lead to impossible rooms, objects move inexplicably, and the whispers of failed clones linger. The horror is rooted in subtle, haunting visuals, environmental storytelling, and the erosion of the MC’s sense of time and reality. Every moment keeps the player questioning what is real and what lies beyond the veil of the fog.

GENERAL STORYLINE:

• Prologue: The MC awakens in a forest, disoriented and with no memory of their past. They find a map of UCSC in their pocket and begin following its landmarks to uncover their identity. Early on, they encounter their own lifeless body holding open a door, introducing the game’s core mechanic of using dead versions of themselves to solve puzzles.
• Chapter 1 - The Map: The MC navigates the forest, solving puzzles to acquire a flashlight. The fog shifts and obscures their path, distorting the environment and challenging their perception. They begin to uncover fragments of a deeper mystery through cryptic symbols and environmental clues.
• Chapter 2 - The Forest: The MC finds the abandoned UCSC campus, overgrown and eerily silent. Cryptic messages and abandoned belongings hint at the campus’s past. As they traverse blocked paths and alternate trails, they start recovering fragmented memories of a scientist named Markus and his cloning experiments.
• Chapter 3 - The Labs: The MC discovers the heart of the campus: the labs where experiments on cloning and teleportation created the fog. They learn they are one of many failed clones, trapped in a repeating cycle of discovery and failure. The fog, a byproduct of Markus’s experiments, erases memory and warps reality. The MC must solve puzzles using their lifeless bodies to progress deeper into the labs.
• Chapter 4 - The Truth: The MC finds a hidden chamber containing Markus’s final recording. They learn the fog’s origin and the purpose of the cloning experiments: to create a perfect human. The MC faces a final choice: destroy the cloning machine and end the cycle, or leave it intact, perpetuating the experiments.

ENDING:

• Destroy the Machine: The MC destroys the machine, dissipating the fog and freeing themselves and future clones. The screen fades as sunlight pierces through the ruins. Markus’s voice laments his failure but praises the MC for breaking the cycle.
• Leave the Machine Intact: The MC walks away, allowing the experiments to continue. The fog thickens, consuming the campus and beyond. Markus’s voice chuckles, congratulating the MC on perpetuating his work.