Project: To Be Saved

on

Narrative dark psychological drama


Role: Game Writer (story, lore, dialogue) / Narrative Designer (Logic, Arcweave)
Format: Prototype Arcweave (personal project)


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1.  About

An interactive psychological drama that explores the fine line between medical duty and personal revenge. The player takes on the role of a surgeon in an 1890s hospice whose past suddenly catches up with him in the form of a relentless journalist.

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2. Story Flow & Branching Logic




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3. Environmental Storytelling

Goal: To show pain and disturbing 18+ moments in a decent way without losing the atmosphere.

Solution: Don’t describe the harsh moments too directly. Let the player imagine for themselves what really happened.






Goal: To make the doctor, the main villain, feel morally complex so the player cannot easily say whether he is a monster or a victim. This adds more emotion to the story.

Solution: Through the doctor’s memories, the player can understand what really happened to him. He did terrible things, but he also lost the woman he loved. His inner pain is shown through his actions.





Goal: To create a heavy, haunting atmosphere.

Solution: I used images that shift in color from warm to cold as the story moves forward. At the beginning, the story does not seem threatening, but by the end, the horrifying details are revealed, and the overall atmosphere helps reinforce that change.




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4. Emotional & Logic Mapping

The game has three narrative paths:

1. Distance / Denial
If the player avoids going deeper into the doctor’s memories, the doctor keeps an official, restrained tone and refuses to fully explain himself.
Ending: the journalist does not believe him and kills both himself and the doctor. The true evil survives — the young doctor.

2. Full Descent into Memory
If the player explores the doctor’s memories, they relive the most painful parts of his past and uncover the full story. On this path, the doctor feels more human: he is tired of hiding the truth and hopes the journalist might finally understand him.
Ending: the doctor dies, but the young doctor does not get what he wanted.

3. Trust in the Protégé
If the player chooses early on to trust the protégé, they can still learn the full story from the doctor’s side.
Ending: the young doctor wins.

My goal was to create a dark and disturbing story in a beautiful, atmospheric way, and to make the player reflect on how every action has motivation and hidden details. Evil may come from seemingly good intentions — but it is still evil.