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Game Design
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Level Design
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Narrative Design
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Writing

Characters

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The game follows the adventure of Marc, raised by his grandfather whose entrusts him with an initiatory quest to ensure that he is ready to stand on his own feet. Marc only knows the little stretch of beach where he grew up, this adventure will take him across the island in the footsteps of his origins.

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The grandfather gives him an artifact with the power to enlarge or shrink any object with the mission of returning it to the place where, in his youth, his explorer's greed had led him to steal it. Now too old but consumed with regret, he can no longer put it back himself and asks Marc to do it. This adventure aims to allow Marc to prove his values and discover the truth about who he is to finally leave this island and live his own adventures.

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The lesson this story tries to convey is simply that no matter the adventure, the important thing is not the reward, the treasure that is hidden at the end, but the journey that you take to get there.

The island through the ages

Several stories have taken place on this island, of different temporalities. The goal is to attract the player by his own curiosity and push him to discover each of them piece by piece: the origins of the people who once lived here, the arrival of the Grandfather on the island, then the arrival of Marc, and finally the main story which is the quest for Marc and the artifact. In order not to lose the player in this narrative chronology, the elements of each frame can be identified in the way there are set and told.

The sailor's crew stranded on the island in search of the mysterious artifact. This story relates the arrival of the grandfather on the island.

Marc's quest to give back the artefact in the temple in the heart of the island, accompanied by his grandfather.

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Ancient civilization that has disappeared at the origin of the power of the artifact. The stelae evoke this culture.

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The surviving castaway couple who luckily landed on the island with a baby. This story tells about Marc's past and how he was discovered by the grandfather.

The Present: Marc's Quest

Marc, always rocked by the adventures of his grandfather, dreams of living his own and traveling the world. His grandfather always delay the moment he would let him go, but that moment does come eventually. However, to make sure he was ready, he gave Marc a final request. He gave him a necklace, an ancient artifact borrowed from a mysterious power: Enlarging or shrinking objects in his environment. This request he gave him was surprising: bring this necklace back to the temple in the heart of the island. In his youth, the still adventurous grandfather had stolen it and since regrets had gnawed at him. The necklace belonged to the island, too old, he gave it to Marc. However, this adventure had an underlying goal: to ensure that Marc was ready to stand on his own feet. The grandfather then decided to accompany him in an unusual way ... Marc left the hut and used the power of the artefact on it which instantly shrank to the size of a backpack. . This is how Marc embarked on this adventure, his home and his family on his shoulders.

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During the adventure, the grandfather will guide Marc. He helps him during the puzzles and comments on the young boy's evolution while sharing his own anecdotes. These interactions create a strong relationship between the player / Marc / the grandfather to reinforce the emotional impact of the separation at the end of the game.

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End cutscene script:

The immediate past: the origins of Marc

Marc was not born here. It was taken in by the "Grandfather", a sailor who had discovered this island years before and who was trapped their. Marc's past is then part of the puzzles of the game that the player has the opportunity to discover through notes.

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“I am so worried! It's panic on the deck, but your daddy managed to get us a rowboat. He even fought for it! He recovered a map and a compass. He's going to save us Marc, I'm sure of it! If only this storm could calm down! "

“Two days that he did not come back, he had gone to look for food for us in the forest… I am so worried. I can barely move, the storm has weakened me too much. No, I can't give up, I have to hold on, for you Marc! I will… I will save you… I promise you… I… I love you more than anything… ”

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When the player reaches the cross, the grandfather reacts and allows to contextualize and link the different frames:

"I'm sorry, she was already gone when I found you…"

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“My dear and sweet, it looks like I'm not such a good adventurer. I find myself there, injured and trapped on this lake, while you are in pain and the boy is hungry. But have you ever seen me giving up? I would fight to the end to hug you again. Hold on, I love you… ”

For more details on Marc's past:

The past: the arrival of the Grandfather

The grandfather arrived a few years before Marc on the island. He had come with a crew to reach the island's treasure: the artifact. But very quickly, the greed of his men led them to mutiny. The grandfather, then captain, took the artifact for himself and used it to trap his former crew in the forest, in the company of crabs he enlarged... He could not leave them this object. The necklace had to stay on the island and he made sure of that. It was years later, while traveling the island, that he discovered Marc, then a baby, whose parents had just succumbed.

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"Captain's diary:
Now that I'm no longer alone, we need a safe place. I'm going to set up fires on the beach, that will keep the crabs away and that will give me time to find where to settle… Hold on little one, I'll take good care of you, I promise. "

“Yet everything had gone perfectly. We blindly followed the captain on the beach, in the forest, until this damn tower. We all trusted him. He was a true legend! We all respected him. So why ? Why did he betray us? "

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We are there, a stone's throw from our final objective. I trust the captain, if he dragged us here, the treasure must be worth a lot. To us the wealth and the power! Nothing will stop us!

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The grandfather comments on this note with:

"Someone had to stop them..."

For more details on the grandfather's past:

The distant past: the ancient civilization

The island was once inhabited by a people who based their culture and traditions around the power of the artefact. They worshiped the spirit of the guardian, the true source of the power of the necklace which was only an extension of it, allowing them to use its power in exchange for offerings, in particular the lotus that the player must recover during the second level which allows to be immune to its power (thus allowing to defeat the boss at the end of the game). One day the people disappeared. Fearing the invasion of peoples from across the seas, the tribal chief used the artifact to reduce his kind and live hidden in the forest. Even today, they live somewhere on the island.

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The stelae are the memories and warnings left by this people. Older, only the grandfather had traveled and studied the island for years, is able to decipher their messages. To culturally differentiate these messages, they are written in Alexandrines.

Seul celui qui est digne peut prétendre au fruit.

Si tu n’as pas été choisi passe ton chemin,

Seul l’artéfact pourrait te l’offrir alors fuit !

Ou tu risques d’être là encore demain.

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(Only the worthy can claim the fruit.

If you're not the chosen one run away,

Only the artifact can give it to you so flee !

Or you could still be their tomorrow !)

 

Grandfather's comment:
"The power of the artifact is the only way to reach this fruit!" "

Chef de tribu en cette forêt sois prudent.

Va, agrandit les cœurs et réduit les egos,

Use du Pouvoir en sage et sois bienveillant,

Sans être tenté d’assujettir tes égaux.

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(Leader of the tribe, in the forest be careful.

Go, enlarge hearts and shrink egos,

Use your power wisely and be benevolent,

Don't be tempted to dominate your kind.)

 

Grandfather's comment:
“The tribal chief had to use this power to collect food for his people, without seeking to dominate them. "

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Noble pèlerin, avance sous l’arche, soumis.

Et que te sois accordé la Bénédiction.

Pour ne jamais avoir à nourrir les fourmis,

Fournir le lotus sacré est la condition. 

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(Noble pilgrim, reach the arch, submitted.

Prey to receive the Blessing.

To not feed the ants,

Bringing the sacred  lotus is the condition.)

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Grandfather's comment:
"From what I know, the lotus immunizes to the power of the great Spirit… It is no coincidence that I wanted you to look for some for our meal. "

For more details on this civilization and its fate:

Bonus: The Ultimate Journey

A few days after Marc's departure from the island, the Grandfather, devoured by loneliness, prepares for his final trip. Discover the final point of Haut Comme 3 Pommes in The Ultimate Journey, a short story centered on a new beginning:

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