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Pharmakoi
⊹ ࣪.⋆~⊹₊⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆✩࿐
Xinyi Wang (Camellia), Zhili Chen (Jenny)
For MFA Thesis
A unique puzzle game that plays with time, perspective, and interconnected narratives that are inspired by the "Pharmakoi"(scapegoats) in ancient Greek rituals.
Interview:
✧ In one or two sentences, describe the main themes present in your game.
Pharmakoi is a 3D “jigsaw” puzzle game that plays with perspective and interconnected narratives between different times. The game’s narrative setting is inspired by the "Pharmakoi"(scapegoats) in ancient Greek rituals.
✧ What was the inspiration of the game? What made your team decide to make this game specifically?
At the core of our game design, we wanted to experiment with perspective and time, not only as gameplay mechanics but as narrative tools. Perspective determines what the player can see, understand, and act upon, while time reshapes the meaning of those actions. Together, they mirror the way individuals navigate complex systems that are often larger than themselves.
✧ What were some of your most memorable moments from making this game? What did you learn from those moments?
We experienced at least 5 iterations through out the year. The most recent iteration of the game only surfaced about a month ago! We had hard lessons trying to merge “time” and “perspective” into a core puzzle mechanic. Testing the boundary between innovative mechanics and confusing gameplay became a routine in our year long development. We are continuing learning and trying in different ways to convey our game design ideas better!
✧ Talk about your teammates! What was everyone's role?
Yilin Yang (Evelyn): Visual Art, Model Artist; Zuoyi Tang (Zoey): Project Manager, Programmer, Designer; Xinyi Wang (Camellia) Game Designer, Narrative Designer, Animator; Zhili Chen (Jenny): Tech Artist, Shader Support.
play this game on itch.io