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Welcome again to another narrative-based blog post; this time discussing the second piece of text that players will read – a letter from the fisherman’s wife.
Tonally, this should starkly contrast with the Northern Lighthouse Board message; more so as a reflection of the fisherman’s wife’s personality rather than how she feels about the lightkeeper. The fisherman’s wife is a recurring character, so it is important to build and shape her personality to allow players to emotionally invest in her. Whereas the NLB representative can come across as simply cold and distant as this isn’t a major role in the plot; simply existing to add pressure. The player should instantly like/trust her.
She will come across as warm and caring – a complete 180 from the previous text – despite not personally knowing the lightkeeper, only the rumours about him. The letter will, once again, hint towards events that occurred before the game began, ask about the approaching storm, and inform the player of her husband who is setting out to sea despite the previously mentioned sailing restrictions. Aligned with her love of poetry, her writing style will be soft and, in a sense, romantic. Using rich, complex language and long, flowing sentence structures will create a sense of a loving wife and an intelligent woman who is deeply concerned for her husband. Not only will this give the fisherman’s wife depth in her limited ‘screen time’ but also pushes the narrative forward as it slowly reveals more of the plot.
Plan outline for the first Fisherman’s Wife’s letter, made on Figma.
The types of questions I aim for players to ask themselves include: