Different contexts, different answers.
PicNic's initial context was to develop a game where players would be placed in contrasting situations with similar ethical dilemmas.
Creating an interactive and dynamic environment, where the decisions made by the player would impact the course of the story and its end.
Reality is not empirical
Belonging to reality makes you moral
The development of PicNic's narrative was based on a few key elements.
The protagonist is trapped in various simulations, and by interpreting the game's environment, players can come to that conclusion.
Each simulation takes place in different scenarios and with multiple-choice puzzles, which must be solved to reach the end of the game.
After each choice, the game analyzes how players' reactions change as they realize that they are in a simulation, given a different ending according to their decisions.
Circumstances are what define decisions
Especially when you're involved
PicNic was developed in early 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Having its focus on its narrative with a questioning character, aiming to function as a tool for ethical analysis of each player.
The game was initially planned to be a 2D adventure game developed on the Unreal Engine but suffered several cuts due to the pandemic.
Even with that, It was exciting to develop this project during the pandemic, having to write a game about ethical dilemmas while the real world was bombarded with various quandaries and polarizations.