What happened here?

 

That's Not How It Happened is a 2D beat ‘em up / dating sim / point and click adventure game, where you play through several family members' contradictory stories of how their family-run inn was burned to the ground. 

A humorous interactive take on the Rashomon style "multiple versions of the same event" trope that lets players switch between characters, whose conflicting accounts are represented through narrative, gameplay and art style. 

The different versions of events and corresponding gameplay styles serve not only to illuminate each character's perspective of what happened, but are also a window into their psyche, exposing their insecurities and reflecting their idealized and ultimately fictional versions of themselves. 

Game Details

  • Genre: Narrative, Beat ‘em up, Dating sim, Point and Click

  • Platform: PC and Mac

  • Game Engine: Unity

My contributions

  • Directed a 28-person team across multiple disciplines while communicating a clear and consistent vision.

  • Wrote 25 page script, consisting of 3 overlapping narratives which humorously contradict.

  • Designed and prototyped core gameplay mechanics and scenarios.

  • Maintained design documents and project macro to help communicate to the team which assets need to be created, and features built.

  • Chosen as one of 8 projects to be accelerated in USC’s capstone Advanced Games Project class.

  • Scheduled for release in May 2022.

 

George - Beat ‘em up

Though overweight and over the hill, bombastic family dad George portrays himself as an all mighty hero in his story.

Alan - Dating Sim

Awkward teenager Alan sees himself as a charismatic romantic, telling the story as a dating sim.

Zoey - Point and Click

Hyperactive 8 year old Zoey sees herself as a genius detective and tells the story as a point and click adventure.