Lingua Franca
Type:
Group Project
Responsiblites
Design Levels
system design
Make testing features
design puzzle missions
Software Used
UE5, Blueprints, Premiere Pro, ClipArtStudio, Miro, Trello, Perforce
GENRE
Puzzle Solving, Adventure, RPG
STEAM PAGE
OverView
Lingua Franca is a 3D puzzle adventure game where you explore your neighborhood and take pictures to help others. Not out of the goodness of your heart, of course, there’s an alien on the loose!
Play as Asa, a young girl with a master plan to capture the alien and prove its existence to those around her. All you have is your camera and your wits, and you’ll need them to convince your neighbors to give you the materials you need to build your trap. By showing them pictures of the world around them, you will save a lost cat, crush a one-sided crush, and help two friends meet once again. With their help, the plan will go off without a hitch!
Development Process
Prototypes
Game pitch
Based on our game pitch, I identified the camera as our core mechanic. In this context, the camera involves exploring and recording the areas around the player. Since our game is set in Osaka style of city, I started researching locations and entered the engine to create test levels inspired by my findings.
During the prototyping phase, I created multiple prototypes and documents to explore different directions for the game based on the original game pitch.
Approach 1
This approach draws significant inspiration from the Zelda series, emphasizing player exploration within a sandbox environment. The core gameplay revolves around an album containing various photographs taken throughout the city, challenging players to identify and locate the exact spots where each picture was captured. Along the way, players can complete NPC missions and unlock new abilities, granting them access to previously unreachable areas.
Plaza
Park
Overpass
Street
Testing Mechamic
Jumping Balloon
Gliding
Pushing Blocks
Activate Balloon
Core Game Loop
Approach 2
This approach focuses specifically on the camera mechanic, allowing players to edit the photos they've taken to directly influence the game world. The core idea was to develop a versatile, universal mechanic that could be easily replicated and adapted across different scenarios throughout the game.
Approach 3
This approach was more traditional, relying primarily on the camera mechanic and straightforward player abilities—such as pushing boxes, crouching, and jumping—to solve puzzles. The core concept is to create a 3D experience inspired by Ace Attorney, where players solve puzzles through careful observation of visual clues and character dialogue, capturing pictures as evidence to advance the story.
Level layout
Demonstration video
Iteration
As development progresses, we constantly adjust our level design to align with the evolving mission and story.
As we complete more missions, we begin to expand the map. We've also adjusted our map layout to be horizontal, allowing our environment artist to work more efficiently.
