About
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Indie Story Driven games are a bit of a rarity, as they can be a challenge to get right. So many games I've played, both indie and AAA, lose focus on the story, but for me the story is the most important part! I have played games where the story starts off well but then loses the plot half way, and for me that game then loses itself. I have worked hard on Alaska's story, even stopped developing for a moment to just solely work on the story, the script, and because of this I believe Alaska's shining light really will be that plot line.
The game can be split into two parts, the good then the bad. You start the game off living a week in the life of our main protagonist Blake. He is in the midst of getting over a divorce and decides that staying in all day, all week, isn't doing him any favours.
Blake lives in a very small community in the Alaskan mountains, in the small town of Silka, and after some convincing by the Mason the Mailman, Blake decides to spend time with his neighbours in hopes they could cheer him up, this is where our story begins.
In the first week of the game you will really be living the Alaskan dream, you will be hunting, fishing and chopping trees to help your neighbours and you live life in Alaska. While completing these tasks, and any other tasks your neighbours need help with, you will truly be bonding with the them, getting to know them, knowing there characteristics.
I always wanted a lot of dialogue in the game, so you can truly get to know your friends, connect with them. I believe this makes the story more personal, and making it personal is vital to the feelings I want you to feel when you find one of your friends laying head first in the snow, covered in blood (...Nice!)
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This is a first person adventure, with similarities to the fantastic 'Firewatch', you will be walking (you're in the great outdoors, of course there was going to be walking) but this is far from a walking sim!
The full game will have fishing, hunting, wood chopping, ice skating, equipment repairing, firework set ups, all displayed as mini games. All these skills you will be learning will also be vital for later on in the game.
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STORY DRIVEN
Alaska is to feature a deep, dark story that will have you feeling many different emotions. Once the first body has been found, murdered on the airstrip, YOU must make the decision on who to trust and who to not.
Your best friend starts acting strange; the recluse on the other side of town has disappeared; Mr McWilliams’s rifle has gone missing and bloodstains have appeared outside the Andrew’s property. All this, plus more, will have you constantly second guessing who the killer is.
Will you solve the mystery before the next murder is committed?
SKILLS
In Alaska there are skills you must learn to survive the last frontier. These skills will help weave the story together as well as help you care for yourself and your neighbours.
Some of the skills in the full game include:
- Fishing (As shown in the demo)
- Wood chopping
- Hunting
- Repairs
- Ice-skating
- And much more!
PUZZLES
Along with the skills, there are also puzzles along the way. These puzzles will need to be completed as part of objectives. Objectives with puzzles include repairing water tanks, powering on electricity generators, setting up fireworks and many more.
MULTIPLE CHOICE CONVERSATIONS
The conversations with your neighbours are to be a lot deeper in the full game, with multiple choice options that will truly shape your journey.
OBJECTIVE CARDS
Alaska displays a novel way of displaying your next objective... Postcards. Press ‘Q’ at any point of the game to reveal a post card of where you need to head to next. This is held in Blake’s left hand.
MAP
The map is also displayed on a card, the map is held in Blake’s right hand. Press ‘E’ at any point of the game to display.
MUSIC
Alaska’s soundtrack is full of wonder and curiosity for the first half of the game, but as things start to get tenser, as the atmosphere changes, the music changes with it. The high notes of the piano, so whimsical, start to get lower and darker in tone.
Having certificates in music composition, technology and performing, I feel more than capable that I will be able to make the soundtrack of Alaska exactly how I want it. Music will play a large part in Alaska, creating the atmosphere for this dark story.
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KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE BOARD GAME
FOR ALL BACKERS
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I have always found it hard to admit that I need help. Even at school, I was that quiet child who wouldn't ask for help, and so inadvertently failed, I can't let that happen to Alaska.
Really I need to work on this game full time, or it is going to be extremely difficult to complete. I have put a staggering thousand hours into it so far and must only be 40% through. 1000 hours at a rate of only 4-5 hours a day, plus balancing life, work and family as well, has been hard. If I could work on Alaska full time, I could really start picking up the pace on the development.
As previously mentioned, the other huge part of launching a kickstarter campaign is the community. When your whole mind, body and soul is plugged into the game, sometimes it's hard for you to see it's flaws, it's issues. With you amazing people on board, I am sure we can make sure that Alaska is released with no issues.
With your help, I believe the game will be finished by December 2017, and before that, a Beta by October.
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A LAST LOOK
Thank you for taking the time to look at this Campaign!
FAQ
Upon release, will there be a DRM-free version for download, instead of just steam?
KICKSTARTER SHOUTOUT:- Check out Epitasis, a puzzle exploration game with real character. The colours really stand out and fill my eyes with wonder. Can't wait to play it!
Risks and challenges
Developing games isn't an easy job, and creating one alone isn't any easier. From releasing games prior to Alaska, I know so many things can go wrong along the way, scripting issues, business issues and many other issues that you'd think could never happen, but with the experience I have from the previous games mishaps, I am confident in my ability in fixing any issues that occur.
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Funding period
- (30 days)