.heartbeats

.heartbeats is an experimental game focusing on interactive narrative and dynamic music in order to evoke feelings from players. The game tells the emotional story of four individuals in four different moments in life (a teenager facing depression, a young man regretting his actions, an adult woman looking back on her life choices and a young girl enjoying life). The game features plenty of different connected branches, featuring a “try to learn” approach, and an interactive help system which tells you tidbits of information about each individual’s story. Each decision will affect every character’s life imminently, as everybody is connected (by their hearts beating in unison).

.heartbeats is all about decision making, and plays like an interactive storybook, where you live each of the characters’ stories and help them decide on their outcomes. In order to activate the player’s imagination, the visual aspect is handled in a minimalistic way, yet giving strong feedback on each character’s mood by playing different music tracks and sound effects. The different heartbeats play as indicators of each character’s chance of living or dying. Should a heart beat too fast, then the character may trigger another person’s death. Should it beat too slowly, then he or she will die.