Soul-Bound: A Game Concept

This year, I've come to my final year of study at University. I wanted to create something that would best showcase what I'm capable of as an artist and help build my portfolio ready for industry. "Soul-Bound" is a story about a girl named Agnes. Agnes awakes in Purgatory, with a fuzzy memory of how she ended up there. To help herself remember, however, she must first help others to remember, so that they all may atone... or perhaps not all. It's a story of morals and choice, where you decide the final resting place of others.

Agnes Sallow- Main Character

When creating Agnes, I already had a strong idea of how I wanted the main character to look. I wanted a character that was almost the personification of the world around them, almost to suggest that they belong there. For Agnes, I used a lot of rounded facial features to give her a softer appearance, combining that with the lighter tones used for clothing and hair. I tried to be very deliberate with style and colour choices, such as the outfit being predominantly white to highlight the fact she’s someone with pure intentions, she wants to help the souls around her uncover what happened to them and get them to their final resting place. 

The lantern is a very important tool throughout the game, it’s given to Agnes at the very beginning by Charon and serves to assist her in navigating through the fog-shrouded valleys of Purgatory. I designed the lantern with no base, as it’s something she isn’t meant to place down at any point and it has been adorned with a cross to assure her safety when exploring the landscape.

Charon- The Ferryman

Initially, I never considered Charon as being a character in the story, it wasn’t until I did research that I discovered who they were and what an integral role they serve in the afterlife. They transport souls harvested by Thanatos along the River Styx to their respective resting places. I wanted to give them a warm colour palette to contrast the cold tones of the river and extra limbs to allow him to efficiently light the way whilst they row their boat along it. In terms of their design, the existing depictions and beliefs varied and so I had quite a free range to work with. I surprisingly ended up looking at a lot of Western wear influences with the pinched-front hat, layered ponchos and brown leather boots. I wanted to incorporate gold coins into their design as well, to reference the Ancient Greek belief that the deceased were buried with drachmas in their mouths to pay the ferryman for the boat ride in the afterlife. Choosing between both the initial designs was tricky as there were many elements of both that I liked, however the four-armed man felt more unique and more cohesive with Thanatos and Raphael’s design.

Thanatos- The Reaper

Creating Thanatos was a fun challenge for me, to reinvent a character so widely recognised as a hooded skeleton wielding a scythe into something original that still represented death personified. I wanted to have their colour palette oppose Raphael’s to not only compliment them as the two featured angels in the story, but to also show in a subtle manner that they differ in terms of good and evil and not in the order you may expect. When designing their character I had a whole range of different ideas of what could be incorporated but not a solid plan on how I was going to compress and unify those elements into one design. This resulted in two initial character designs that felt a little busy and all over the place, I knew I was on the right track but I needed to refine elements in my favoured design to get something more coherent and I’m confident enough to say that I believe I achieved that in the end.

Raphael- The Archangel

I think out of all my characters, Raphael would take the cake by far in terms of my favourite. They were very similar to Thanatos in the sense that a lot of widely-known depictions exist. In the case of angels, there are a lot of variations and types that exist. I knew I wanted something at the halfway mark between human and something else entirely. I also tried to incorporate a lot of sharp points into their design to show that they may not be the symbol of benign good that they proclaim. Raphael’s final design was one of those rare moments where I started drawing a character and everything just fell into place. I went through a lot of different sketches that never felt right, many designs that didn’t click or ideas that didn’t mesh together before everything coming together in that one drawing. In the beginning, I thought I was set on basing their design on a Cherubim, however I never felt the designs stood out or felt original enough to stick with. I wanted Raphael to look uncanny and unnerving, his appearance to be deceiving and so I knew a design like the one on this page wouldn’t achieve that.

Iver Rigg- The Ghost Pirate

 Iver was a Pirate Ship's Captain from the sixteenth century, whose demise revolved around his own greed, wanting a better life for him and his wife at the cost of his own shipmates. I chose a green and gold colour palette, a similar combination associated with money, to highlight the material greed he valued over his found family. I didn’t want to give him a big overcoat or extravagant Captain’s hat as that would give the impression he has enough wealth to not want a “better life”. Although that would fall under greed, having enough but wanting more, his greed is one that lies in selfishness and deception. 

Eesha Muni- The Ghost Witch

Eesha was a herbal practitioner from somewhere around the medieval period. Her demise was one stemming from pride and the inability to let a lost cause scorn her glowing reputation. Her outfit is quite simplistic due to the time period, however I tried to make it look as witchy as possible with the dark gown and wide-brimmed hat. I chose to give her a braided hairstyle as it seemed very prideful, maintaining a clean and tidy image. Similarly, with the outfit, the gown felt cleaner and more like a uniform than the other design. As with my other character designs, I wanted the appearance to tell a story about the type of person they were and not just who they were in a general sense.

Chephren & Seti- The Ghosts of Ancient Egyptian Brothers

Chephren and Seti were brothers from the Old Kingdom in Ancient Egypt. Their demise was fuelled by envy, wanting what others have and they have not. Though their intentions good, their means and methods of getting there were not so. Their clothing is the kind of attire that would typically be worn by poorer people in that time period, white linen and usually no footwear. I originally never planned for Seti to be just as important as Chephren in the story, however, I liked the idea of him being another playable character and not just the catalyst to Chephren’s death.

Mary Yagi- The Ghost Musician

Mary was a musician from the emerging grunge scene in Seattle. The success of her band, Mary and the Wraith, would ultimately lead her to a gluttonous end. I wanted her appearance to be very reminiscent of the “riot girl” era occurring in the same time period. Her main accent colour is red, which is a colour that tends to be worn by people who are extroverted and who like an element of danger in their lives. It can also lead someone to be quite impulsive. These are traits that can very well fuel someone to become gluttonous socially in terms of substances like drugs and alcohol.

Evelyn Vice- The Victorian Ghost

Evelyn was a Lady of the Manor in Victorian England. She was a victim of circumstance, her end catalysed by her lust for another man when she had already committed herself to one. The heavy use of blue in her clothing is to represent the sadness and loneliness she feels. Roaming the halls of a large home, with only herself for company and only the extravagant events from time to time to look forward to.

With each of the ghost characters, their deaths cause them to end up in the middle ground, so to speak. They did a bad thing, and committed a cardinal sin but they died in a state of grace. They’re not deserving of eternal damnation but they aren’t yet pure enough for eternal salvation. It’s up to the player to decide, by seeing their story, where they may finally rest.

Barry Fisher- The Ghost Builder

Barry is the final ghost character you encounter and the one who ties the story together in the end. Initially, he seems like your everyday construction worker in vibrant orange from head to toe, however it’s his sloth that eventually brought him to an end. His lack of care for the real world and overall detachment from life itself cost someone else’s. Orange is a very common colour seen worn on criminals, which could very well represent how he’s trapped with the guilt of what he’s done and being the only one who knows that he was responsible.

Purgatory

Purgatory is the main realm in which the story takes place. Agnes is taken here in the beginning and it is where she will find herself returning to after helping each ghost that also roam the fog-covered lands. Purgatory is a limbo state, a grey area for people too good for Hell but not quite good enough for Heaven. Over time, when more and more mysteries are uncovered, the fog will clear and finding things within the world will become a lot easier.

As well as the lantern, Agnes is also guided by the street lamps all across Purgatory. They usually light up going towards a certain destination to minimise the chances of her walking around in circles. Statues of high-ranking angels can also be found in places around the world, not only paying homage to Heaven but to provide Agnes with a place to remember her progress so far and blessing her on the journey ahead. One area of the world is home to a giant weighing scale. This is where ghosts that have remembered their past and know the reason they are in limbo, can weigh their souls to find out if they may finally atone.  When replaying each ghost’s run up to their death, Agnes must go into their subconscious. She achieves this by going through a door, as eyes may be the window to the soul but a human trying to squeeze through someone’s eyes would likely cause a lot of pain. This door in particular is Agnes’ own door, however each ghost has their own unique door that reflects their personality and respective world accordingly. From within their subconscious, she must replay their last moments, discovering why they died and how they ended up in Purgatory. She assists them in remembering by finding three items of significance along the way, to then present to them as a method to trigger their memory.

Iver's World

Iver’s world is set in sixteenth-century France, in a small town on the coast. There are lots of small market stalls on the port selling fabrics, fish and fresh produce, either gathered in the town or imported through trade. Iver’s ship is quite large, acquired using questionable methods and by no way a signifier of wealth. The townsfolk are impartial toward the band of pirates, mostly out of a lack of desire for trouble.

The three items of significance for Iver:

* The treasure map in Iver’s office

 * The fake pearl given to the crew

 * The boot knife Iver uses to free his wife

Eesha's World

Eesha’s world is set in the medieval period, in a settlement guarded by woodland. There are lots of opportunity for foraging and gathering of materials in that area, perfect for a practitioner of herbal medicine to set up shop and perfect her craft. Eesha chooses to live just on the outskirts of the town in the woodlands for this very reason. The rest of the village find her peculiar as a result, but they keep in good spirits because of the skills she possesses.

The three items of significance for Eesha:

* The letter of invitation from the town mayor 

* Her book of recipes for various medicines

* The ingredients used to produce the poison

Chephren & Seti's World

Chephren and Seti’s world is set in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt during the intermission period between the Old and Middle Kingdoms, where a shortage of crops and resources occurred causing lower-class communities to suffer hard. Their house was built by their father, an architect who died in their youth. They know little about his character, however in desperate times Chephren discovers there may have been more to his father than many knew about.

The three items of significance for Chephren & Seti:

* The rolled-up blueprints for the tomb layout found in their father's study

* The Pharoah’s guard’s sword Chephren takes as a last attempt

* The satchel woven by their mother

Mary's World

Mary’s World is set between the late eighties and early nineties in Seattle, where the grunge music scene was quickly on the rise. Mary and her two bandmates have been friends since high school, starting the band as something they did for fun after school, but deciding to take it more seriously once they graduated. They play at small venues, quickly catching the eye of a big-time manager. To these venues, they’d bring with them their grandparent’s rugs, cheap amps and speakers and their well-used instruments. However, it was all part of the image and what got them noticed.

The three items of significance for Mary:

* Her diary

* Her bass

* An empty bottle of sleep medication

Evelyn's World

Evelyn’s world is set in Victorian England, in a large Manor in the countryside. That Manor belonged to Lord Vice, a wealthy businessman and socialite. Tri-monthly, the Manor is home to an extravagant masquerade ball, where the best of the best gather in attendance under facial disguise. It’s the one event that Evelyn anticipates, as it’s her only opportunity for real socialisation.

The three items of significance for Evelyn:

* The mask she wears to the balls

* The secret love letter given to her 

* The revolver belonging to the Lord

Barry's World

Barry’s world is set in the current day, the same time period and town as Agnes herself. He lives in a run-down apartment in the central area of the large town they live in. His apartment is small, unkempt and sloppy, almost a reflection on himself. He works for a large construction company, putting up buildings and structures for the town council. He assisted in the building of a train bridge in a quieter part of town, to which he unfortunately had no interest in working on and as a result does half the job. It’s never mattered on any other job, but he soon learns it should’ve.

The three items of significance for Barry:

* The newspaper revealing some terrible news

* His drill used on the bridge

* His VR set he uses after work