Before the events of Road 96, in an apartment complex, Zoe tries to maintain her friendship with Kaito as he questions her beliefs and convictions about the country, which she believes is just.
Road 96: Mile 0 is a single-player crossover adventure set in the Road 96 universe that incorporates gameplay elements from Lost In Harmony.
Narrative Design
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Collaborative design of the narrative structure with the Writer and the Creative Director
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Contribute to the development of characters and their arcs
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Structuring narrative information distribution
Level design
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First-person level design (Road 96-style)
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Collaborating with other level designers, artists, and animators to ensure consistency between storytelling and gameplay
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Overseeing playtests and iterating based on feedback
Technical Design
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Prototyping reusable mechanics and systems
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Debugging and porting to Xbox One, Series, and Game Pass
Challenge #1: Design a single-player gaming experience centered on the relationship between two protagonists while preserving the player’s sense of agency.
Why is it important? Keep the player invested in the story between these two characters from different franchises.
Approach: First, prototyping mechanics and interactions; then, co-creating the narrative and characters; and finally, translating these into level design in collaboration with other disciplines.
Key Learning: Storytelling and game design evolve together through iterations, and prototyping and iteration help refine the narrative.
Challenge #2: Create a seamless transition between the narrative sequences of Road 96 and the rides in Lost in Harmony.
Why is it important? Maintain emotional continuity and avoid a jarring effect.
Approach: Build each level around a complete emotional arc where the “ride” serves as the resolution. By designing the pacing so that the transition feels natural and by working closely with all other disciplines.
Key learning: Ensure that any variation in gameplay is grounded in a clear emotional objective, so that it feels natural rather than disruptive.
Ian Reiley (writer)
Kham Hillaire (designer)
Virgile Nebulone (designer)
Niels Enault (designer)
Benoit Villain (designer)
Theo Pons (technical artist)