GARY BOUTRY LABIGNE

Vertebrate, Font, Art

ASOBO

PLAGUE TALE INNOCENCE

THE PROJECT

As a Narrative Designer and Game Designer, I've been tasked with proposing new versions of dialogue, and creating new scenes and characters in the world of Asobo Studio's game Plague Tale Innocence. Working on level writing, charcater building and dialogue phases enabled me to come up with innovative ideas for the game world, and working on their design helped me to develop my skills.

Writing a scene in which young Hugo would be dying, or a complete level in the dreaded fortress of the Inquisition were proposals that appealed to Asobo.

The project presented below was carried out as part of a test with Asobo teams. Presented and validated by the Game Director Kevin Choteau at Asobo.

DETAILS:

  • 2023
  • AAA Game
  • Narrative Design Test
Terrestrial animal
Sky, World, Building

MY WORK

My narrative design work focused on character creation, interaction between characters and level writing. My skills as a game designer enabled me to understand and anticipate any problems that the narrative might encounter and, conversely, to better visualise the way in which the narrative action could be played out and translated into the game in hand.

The action in the chapter I've written takes place in a 'What If' reality, as requested by the Asobo studio. In A Plague Tale Innocence, Melie’s brother Arthur is caught by the Inquisition while trying to rescue Amicia and Hugo from a camp where they’re imprisoned. Melie, Amicia and Hugo manage to escape thanks to him, but Arthur is sent to the Inquisition bastion to be questioned. A bit later Melie goes to save Arthur by herself, while Amicia follows an urgent lead to save Hugo.

So my job was to imagine what might have happened if Amicia had followed Melie to rescue Arthur. The level had to be a 30 - 45 minute experience, the cinematics had to be anticipated and created, and the flow of the players in the level had to be designed.

SKILLS :

  • Narrative Design
  • Dialog writing
  • Scenarist
Terrestrial animal
  • User research: Conducting Benchmark and user research to identify user needs, pain points, and preferences.
  • Information architecture: Organizing and structuring information in a clear and easy-to-understand way.
  • User journey mapping: Creating user journey maps to identify user behaviors and pain points throughout the user experience.
  • Storytelling: Developing storylines, characters, and dialogue that contribute to an immersive and engaging game experience.
  • Communication: Effectively communicating design decisions and rationale to stakeholders and UX leaders
  • Empathy: Demonstrating empathy for the user and ensuring that the user's needs and preferences are considered throughout the design process
  • Wireframing: Creating wireframes to visually represent the layout and functionality of the user interface.
  • Visual design: Creating visual designs that are engaging and visually appealing, while also adhering to branding guidelines.
  • Scriptwriting: Writing scripts for cutscenes, dialogues, and other narrative elements in the game.

NARRATIVE SKILLS

Amicia and Mélie discover the mutilated body of a thief, and Mélie fears for her brother, who is being held in the Bastion of the Inquisition. Angry and frightened, Amicia tries to reason with her, telling her that the Bastion is too dangerous and that she will suffer the same fate. Melie refuses to listen and runs off in the direction of the Bastion. Amicia can't bring herself to let her be captured, and chases after her through the streets of the of the city.

Amicia has to watch out for the guards on the prowl, while keeping an eye on Melie, who knows the who knows the alleys and can easily slip between the stalls and hovels. Amicia eventually catches up with Melie and they hide behind a low wall. The bastion is well and the smell of death is in the air.

APPROACHING THE BASTION

1

Window, Biome
Atmosphere, Cloud, Sky, Building, World, Skyscraper

5min - Intensity 5/10

2min - Intensity 6/10

LEVEL WRITING

As the two girls hide, they watch the tall towers whose shadows dominate the small town. A small group of guards pass by and appear to be dragging a man whose feet are chained. The man is trembling, babbling, and his pleas are unmistakable. supplications.

He is dragged forcibly into the Bastion, screaming as he approaches the main gate. He tries with what little strength he has left. The girls see that his mutilated face has already has already suffered the wrath of the Inquisition.

At the same time, pleading voices can be heard from the hanging cages in which the tortured bodies lie. Crows circle the cages, eating the remains of some of the rotting corpses.

Amicia and Melie are horrified by this vision of hell, but Melie seems even more determined to save her brother. As she is about to rush through the door that has just opened, Amicia grabs her shoulder and points out that a group of trapped villagers are coming. She suggests that she join them.

CINEMATIC

II

The player must successfully distract the guards with Amicia's slingshot, and be able to mingle with the trapped crowd.

He walks following the villagers and enters the courtyard of the bastion where a stable seems to be used for interrogation. The group is put in a pen like animals and the surrounding discussions and worries cause a guard to threaten the prisoners with a sword. He asks for silence.

The player must manage to get out of this pen and sneak into the courtyard towards a door that seems to lead into the castle. The guards are watching the prisoners but are occasionally interrupted by a superior asking for a report, or a relief of some kind.

The player leaves the pen and has to dodge the guards' surveillance via carts, or barrels by hiding behind them. He reaches the door and Melie picks the lock while Amicia watches that a guard does not approach, if he does, she uses her slingshot to keep him away for a while.

ENTERING THE BASTION

III

5min - Intensity 5/10

The player will explore the dungeon, and try to find Arthur. The corridors are dark, the player must avoid being spotted by the guards. He may pass several rooms from which shouts or discussions about the plague or the war between France and England are heard.

Melie sees a rather young prisoner passing by and thinks that Arthur must have been isolated as well, so she decides to follow the guard while not being spotted. The bastion is not young anymore, and some walls have fallen down, allowing the heroes to hide. Amicia's slingshot allows them to cross the guarded rooms by creating a diversion, or just by crouching down.

Mole spots one of the guards who captured Arthur and decides to follow him, determined, which worries Amicia. They arrive where the guard is about to urinate and willed him to the floor.

EXPLORING THE BASTION

IV

Mélie hits the guard with force and prevents him from struggling and wounding him violently in the face. Barely conscious, Mélie violently orders him to answer his question: where is Arthur, the little redhead he captured. The guard spits blood in Mélie's face. Mélie gets angry again, and Amicia begs her to calm down or she'll get them spotted. The guard who suffers atrociously agrees to answer, Arthur has been put with other young people in the old chapel, where he will be judged and killed.

CINEMATIC

V

Mélie, panicked, runs off, leaving the guard in her blood. Amicia tries to hold her back, but Mélie slaps her, ordering her to let go. Amicia then goes in pursuit of Mélie who before falling on a guard who tries to stop them. They manage to defeat him and Mélie continues on her way. The level is interrupted by various fights and escapes against the guards. Each fight allows Amicia to catch up with Mélie, who each time gives her a reason for her behavior.

She notably uses the notion of fraternity, and highlights that her behavior is not reasonable but that losing her brother would be even worse for her. She knows Arthur can't survive without her, but not everyone knows how much she can't live without Arthur.


REACHING ARTHUR

VI

Mélie, panicked, runs off, leaving the guard in her blood. Amicia tries to hold her back, but Mélie slaps her, ordering her to let go. Amicia then goes in pursuit of Mélie who before falling on a guard who tries to stop them. They manage to defeat him and Mélie continues on her way. The level is interrupted by various fights and escapes against the guards. Each fight allows Amicia to catch up with Mélie, who each time gives her a reason for her behavior.

She notably uses the notion of fraternity, and highlights that her behavior is not reasonable but that losing her brother would be even worse for her. She knows Arthur can't survive without her, but not everyone knows how much she can't live without Arthur.

Amicia must reach the other balcony and have the guards kicked from the beams to save Arthur who is designated by the torturer as the next to be interrogated.

Amicia can also try to extinguish the torches by hitting them with her slingshot as a diversion. The guards and torturers will think of a divine omen that will scare them.

FREEING ARTHUR

VII

Discover the level writing below or

Extract from Plague Tale Innocence

Extract from Game of Thrones serie that illustrate the atmosphre of the bastion

10min - Intensity 6/10

2min - Intensity 4/10

10min - Intensity 8/10

5min - Intensity 7/10

The neutralized are guards, Amicia and Mélie find Arthur again. Mélie serves her brother very strongly and argues with him for having been captured. The other young people also want to go out and ask Amicia for help, who promises to help them. They pass among the children who see a young girl of her age holding her baby brother in her arms. Amicia asks if she can hold it but the baby is dead and the girl refuses to let it go. Amicia is shocked and sees what she could be if Hugo were to die. With Mélie they choose to go out through the door, a door at the back of the chapel.

CINEMATIC

VIII

4min - Intensity 3/10

Mélie picks the lock, and sees that the door leads to a staircase sculpted on the edge of the cliff along the wall. The guards, on alert after Amicia and Mélie messed up, watch the walls and corners. Amicia then tries to get the children to leave one after the other. 

Suddenly, the guard whom Mélie had injured arrives in the chapel with other guards. Mélie and Amicia confront him to buy time for the others. They overcome it, but one of the guards manages to flee to prevent the children from escaping by the staircase. The heroes must quickly flee along the stairs and dodging the arrow shots from the wall. The children all scatter around the town, and the heroes manage to hide by crouching. Now seeking to reach the University.


FLEEING THE BASTION

IX

7min - Intensity 8/10