BRE08 Thalatossa

The prototype would be developed using the Game Jam model, the gaming equivalent of hackathons. The aim of this prototype is to showcase two main elements: a simple, brief exploration of an underwater environment whilst scuba diving; and a one-on-one battle against an enemy at the end. This first element would focus on the player character’s movement through the water, with simple objectives involving movement and interaction with the environment to progress. It allows the player to gain an understanding of marine habitats through an (almost) first-hand experience. The presence of a monster tends to corrupt the surrounding area, which helps to place these isolated threats within their geographical context. The environment could be created manually using simple, stylised models, and/or using ready-made assets available for free. The second element is a synthetic representation of the effects of an ecological threat, as seen from the perspective of an organism affected within its natural habitat. It is designed to be simple and minimalist, stepping back to let the enemy take centre stage. The principle involves focusing on the target by staring at it to charge an attack, then releasing the gaze. In response, the enemy alters its immediate environment and is able to inflict a status effect specific to what it represents, which the player must avoid or mitigate at all costs. For example, the oil spill enemy might release oil onto the surface, coating the player character in sludge and slowly sapping their health, simulating the effect of an oil spill on seabirds.

 

Thalatossa is an immersive serious game that aims to showcase marine environments and the various threats looming over these ecosystems through exploration, resource management and combat. It takes the form of a first-person Action-Adventure game set in an oceanic world featuring a wide array of natural and artificial marine habitats across five regions—temperate, tropical, polar, open ocean, and abyssal—which can be explored by boat or through diving. Throughout the journey, the player will have to manage resources and survive encounters with enemies that serve as symbolic representations of threats to marine biodiversity. Each enemy takes the form of a humanoid sea creature with an appearance reflecting the specific issue it embodies, while its behavior and abilities are directly inspired by the harmful effects of those threats, and must be vanquished to proceed.

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