Contents
We have reached the final part of the first day of Keeper’s Veil!
This part of the story will be crucial in retaining the player's attention and interest. By this point, they would have already invested a fair amount of time into playing, so if a player has been on the fence about the game and maybe sensing day 1 is about to come to an end - as many things come in threes - this part will be the deciding factor that either convinces them to keep playing or stop.
In other words, I’ve got to add some tension and raise the stakes.
Part 3 will revolve around the other lightkeeper who died; in particular, who he was in relation to the Fisherman and the events which led to his death. Whereas the previous parts served more as exposition for worldbuilding purposes, this next part will truly set up the rest of the game.
Plan outline for Day 1 - Part 3, made on Figma.
This part will address a question players may have had from the very beginning after reading The Northern Lighthouse Board message; what was the ‘loss’ that prevented the protagonist from losing his job despite the severe reprimand? The Fisherman will read an extract from the Keeper’s report about the incident that was posted in the local paper. It will read that during one particularly stormy night, a supply box had come loose and - not wanting to receive a fine - the Principal Lightkeeper volunteered to secure it while the player character stayed inside the lighthouse. However, a large wave had swept him into the ocean where he then got eaten by a sea serpent. Side note: this is based on one of the theories suggested to explain the Flannan Isles mystery case!
Although, the Fisherman - after revealing he is the son of the dead keeper - questions this story. He doesn't question the story as such, but rather why his father would be so risky after knowing him as a careful man who wouldn't have put his life in danger over a fine. However, the Keeper will interpret this as feeling interrogated, as though the Fisherman doesn't believe him. This will be the first major glimpse into the Keeper’s mental instability.
The ending of Day 1 should leave the player with uncertainty about the Keeper, as hints from everything they have read thus far merge into the question of ‘Am I playing as a good person?’. I want them to question their previously formed identification with the Keeper; whether that was pre-determined as they assumed their position of this character right away (as is the same with most game protagonists) or if they related to the Keeper’s preference to isolation or feeling like an outcast. I want them to reconsider if the Keeper is a character they want to relate to or simply even want to pretend to be.
More broadly, I hope for players to be completely hooked now if they weren't before. The Keeper’s outburst should tell the player that there’s more to this story than they may have originally thought, making them eager to see how things will play out or - if they have theories of their own - if they were correct.
Moving forward, we will be using a software called Inky instead of Twine (please read Ink Integration for more information) to continue writing the narrative. Stay tuned for Day 2!