Hidden Kingdom

Developed by Jordan Jackson

The Story
 Hidden Kingdom based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm
 Explore a fantasy realm in a new third-person single-player fantasy RPG. Sneak into an
underground castle and experience intense stealth combat, find romance, and uncover the
mysteries of the twelve dancing princesses. Rated T.
 A tyrannical king demands to know where his twelve daughters sneak off to at night, and
enlists the help of a wandering soldier, threatening to kill him if he fails.
 Brief Walkthrough
A hapless soldier is confused for a common thief and is brought to the king to be
executed. The king offers him freedom from execution if he can solve the mystery of
where his twelve daughters sneak off to at night.
The princesses attempt to avoid being caught by the soldier, but he can use stealth
to outsmart them. He sneaks behind the princesses to a colorful fantasy realm. He collects
evidence of the realm’s existence and gets to know the princesses and the realm’s
inhabitants. He uses either diplomacy or aggression to solve various issues in the
kingdom.
The king finds out about the fantasy realm and moves to conquer it, taking away
his daughters’ freedoms. Alek averts the slaughter of the realm. He or the princesses now
rule the kingdom, with the tyrannical king dead and defeated.

 Walkthrough
A princess introduces the world the player, narrating that there is a children’s fairytale
detailing a hidden kingdom hidden within their own world. This story was told to them to
comfort them as their father, King Bardrick, initiated battle after battle in and around his
kingdom.
Alek, the soldier of the king’s army, deserts a battle that becomes gruesome. He traverses
the countryside without ambition or direction. The countryside and the kingdom aren’t
particularly beautiful or colorful. As he nears the castle, he happens upon a mountain of rubble
piled outside the castle. The player sifts through the rubble (Food! Clothing! Hooray!) until he
happens upon a strange cloak. He experiments with the cloak, discovering it’s an invisibility
cloak. As he’s experimenting with the cloak, guards appear to apprehend him. During this
exchange, Alek can either choose to be cooperative or aggressive. No matter how aggressive he
is, her is overpowered, and captured.
Confusing him for a common thief, the guards take him before the King. The King lazily
assigns him to execution, but Alek begs for his life. As they bicker, the king notes the worn-out
shoes collected amongst the junk outside the castle. He’s enraged, much to Alex’s confusion. In
his rage, the king offers to let Alek live if he can solve the mystery of why these pairs of shoes
are so worn out.
Alek is thrown into a bedroom with the king’s twelve daughters. They regard him with
suspicion and discontent. They evidently have a secret.
 Alek has a chance to speak with the daughters and get to know them. Towards the end of
the night, Alek is offered a glass of wine. This can be construed as an apology for the
standoffishness or a suspicious offer. Alek can either refuse or accept the drink.
If he accepts, he goes to sleep and wakes up the next day, with everything appearing to be
normal and unchanged, aside from the presence of the princesses’ worn out shoes.
If he refuses, the girls insist he takes it. Alek can then either pretend to drink it,
aggressively refuse to drink it, or concede to drink it.
Depending on his reaction, he builds or damages his relationship with certain princesses.
The more mild-mannered girls will disapprove of an aggressive reaction and the more intelligent
girls will disapprove of him immediately accepting the drink.
If he pretends to drink or aggressively refuses, the girls concede and they all go to bed. In
the night, Alek hears the girls climbing out a window. He dons his invisibility cloak and trails
after them.
There are moments when the youngest daughter, Kayla, notices the noise footfalls of
someone following them. Alek must stay completely still until the eldest daughter, Lizbeth,
beckons the group forward, or he is caught, resulting in a game over, refreshing at the last
checkpoint. As he trails after them, Alek must avoid running into someone and tripping over
obstacles.
The princesses lead him to an otherworldly realm, beautiful and colorful compared to
their drab kingdom. Alek explores the realm, trailing behind the princesses. However, if he tries
to take bits of the world, such as branches or fruit, to help him prove this world exists to the king,
one of the princess begins to overhear. The player is then prompted that perhaps one the
princesses can help you find proof at the castle.
The princesses make their way to an extravagant dance party where they are treated as
guests of honor. Alek observes, having to stay out of sight.
Alek skulks around the party, overhearing bits and pieces of others conversations. He
overhears that one of the princess has misplaced her necklace. Alek can choose whether or not to
help look for it and leave it conveniently where she can find it again. He finds other items and
skills that he can use to hide himself as a party, including clothing that lets him temporarily
disguise himself as a party guest and mingle with the princesses. One of the items, a silver
branch, he keeps with him.
Eventually, Sarah, the eldest sister, announces that it’s almost morning and they must
leave. Alek must trail after them without being caught. When they return to the mundane world,
Alek must race back into their shared room to pretend to be asleep. The princesses return and
assume Alek has been asleep the entire time.
Alek is wrenched out of bed the next day. The king has found new evidence of the
princesses worn out shoes, and is infuriated. Alek reveals the silver branch he took from the
other kingdom. The King is hesitant to believe him, but recalls the legends of the hidden
kingdom that are popular children’s tales throughout the kingdom. He demands that Alek has
three days to solve the mystery and prove his claims or he dies.
Alek returns to the princesses’ chambers. Comforted by his supposed ignorance, they
take kindlier to him, unless he was aggressive about refusing the wine the night before. Alek has
a chance to chat with whomever he pleases among the princesses. They hint at problems in their
personal lives, as well as the oppressive nature of the king.
 Night falls again, and the princesses again offers the prince a drink. If he pretends to
drink or aggressively refuses, he wakes in the middle night as the girls are leaving. He takes up
his cloak and follows after them, careful to avoid showing that he’s with them.
The hidden kingdom party starts up again. Alek now has more abilities and powers than
he did previously, and can use some of them to mingle with the guests in disguise and disarm
and attack people who catch him. He can learn that the castle is suffering from beasts roaming
outside the castle. He can choose to sneak off and deal with the beasts. When passing by
squabbles occurring among guests, Alek can choose to take a side between them, some options
being more aggressive and some being more diplomatic. The main quest of the night, helping the
youngest princess find a lost toy, rewards Alek with more proof that the kingdom exists. Alek
can choose to deal with specific problems dealing with specific princesses before time runs out
and he and the princesses have to return to the mundane world. One of the princesses tries to
bring one of the boys from the party with her.
Alek sneaks ahead to appear like he never left and goes to sleep. He’s woken up in the
morning by the sound of the King yelling at the daughter who brought the boy home. The boy is
taken to be executed. Alek can let it happen or plead for the boy’s life. If he has garnered enough
diplomatic or aggressive reactions through the game, he can succeed in releasing the boy,
earning the ire of the king. The boy is either banished or killed. Alek is dismayed, but the
princesses don’t seem terribly surprised. He begins to understand the appeal in getting away
from the castle every night.
The next night at the fantasy party, the mood is more morose. Alek’s in-disguise
interactions with the princesses are more serious, and he is able to learn more emotional and
personal aspects of the princesses’ lives. In turn, Alek can either react diplomatically or
aggressively to their stories, and can initiate a romance with whichever princesses he chooses.
For example, with the princess whose brief love interest was executed, she can confide her
history of falling in love too easily and her father’s swift and thorough eradication of those who
catch her eye. During his romance scenes, Alek can choose whether or not to reveal his true
identity. If he only reveals his identity to one girl, she will keep the secret. If he reveals his
identity to multiple people, all of the girls will know.
The group returns to the mundane world, with Alek still cloaked. If he revealed his
identity to someone, he accidentally steps on someone’s dress. The princess notices and smiles.
The next morning, the King notifies Alek that it’s his last day. The princesses over hear
him and are shocked to learn that the King has murdered those who have tried to solve the
mystery of where they go in the past. They don’t want their escape route to be found out, but
most of them don’t want random men to die for it, but many are not willing to part with their
small freedom. A debate erupts among the girls. If only one person knows Alek’s identity, she
stands up for him and the idea that Alek cares for them and they should return the favor. If
multiple people know his identity, they argue that he does not care about them. If no one knows
Alek’s identity, the point is not made. Alek assures them they can go to their hidden kingdom
tonight, party hard, and he can decide what to do in the morning. If he has no revealed his
identity or has accepted the wine every night, he does not specify about the hidden kingdom.
The group sneaks out, and the princesses don’t bother putting Alek to sleep, allowing
Alek to come along with them. The have a final party, and Alek is himself as he pursues side
quests assisting guests and princesses at the party with the skills and inventory he’s built up over
the days. He can have a dance scene and an argument scene with the princess(es) he has initiated
a romance with. The argument regards what he is to do in regards to telling the king where the
princesses go. Not wanting Alek to die, the princess gives the soldier something that will prove
that this realm exists, a bejeweled chalice that was stolen from the king long ago and used in the
hidden kingdom, stained with glittery, otherworldly residue.
The group returns home, and Alek doesn’t have to sneak back home anymore. The next
morning, the king calls the group before the throne and asks where the princesses sneak off to at
night.
If Alek has been gifted proof by one of the princess about nature of the other realm, he
can tell the King the truth and provide evidence with the branches and fruits, etc. If he confesses
without proof, the king does not believe him and sentences him to die.
If Alek chooses not to tell the truth, the princess who has approved of Alek the most
throughout the game and has initiated a romance with him will speak up and confess in order to
protect his life.

If evidence has been provided or a princess has confessed:

The King is pleased and, without consulting the daughters for their opinion, offers one of
the daughters in marriage so that he will finally have a male heir to continue his legacy. Alek is
forced to choose, and his choice locks in his romance option.
If the King does not believe him:
Alek is taken prisoner and awaits execution. The princess with highest approval rating
breaks him out.

The princesses are now kept under oppressive supervision. They are kept under constant
guard—princess stuck in a tower.
The King launches an invasion attempt on the docile and unprepared hidden kingdom.
Alek’s chosen princess pleads with him to protect it. He gathers a small group of princesses and
sneaks them out with his stealth skills.
When the group reenters the realm, it’s ravaged and pillaged. Alek finds the King in the
castle where the parties were held. He reveals himself and use aggression or diplomacy to try and
talk the king down. He does not fight the king, but rather uses his stealth to avoid his attack. As
the King bumbles around trying to attack, he tires and grows weaker, injuring himself on strewn
objects. Alek’s cloak gets caught on something and he loses it, rendering his stealth ineffective.
When the King is about to deliver a killing blow, Alek’s new wife or princess with highest
approval steps in, shooting an arrow in between them, but does not strike her father. The king is
furious, and his bumbling become more erratic. He advances on the princess, but multiple arrows
stop him. The citizens of the fantasy realm, who have grown familiar with the princesses, have
moved to protect her.
Alek can choose to either kill or spare the king. If spared, the king tries to kill Alek when
his back is turned and the hidden kingdom saves Alek. They bow to Alek, their new king.
Alek is now the new king, either a notably aggressive one—a tyrant replacing a tyrant--
or a notably diplomatic one ushering the kingdom into a new age, and the chosen princess is now
a Queen.

Emotional Beats
 The first time Alek’s discovers the fantasy realm the princesses sneak off to. It’s colorful
and beautiful and a feast for the eyes, contrasting the hyper-realism of the “normal”
world.
 Alek and a Princess, who the player has come to care for, argue over whether he should
confess to the king where the princesses go at night, risking their lives, or keep it to
themselves, risking his.
 As Alek is about to die, a Princess attracts the attention of her father whom she has spent
her life fearing in order to protect Alek.
 Alek, in attempt to protect the life of the princesses, chooses not to tell the King where
the princesses go at night. His love interest speaks up and confesses in order to save his
life.
 At the “final boss” stage of the game, it seems Alek is about to die, but his wife/love
interest saves him. When the love interest is about to die, the community of NPCs whom
the player has interacted with and helped throughout the game step in to help them.
 When Alek reenters the fantasy realm to stop the king, the setting that was once strikingly
beautiful is now charred and full of carnage.
 On the final party night, at the party, Alek can dance with a princess as himself without
disguising his identity. It is among the only honest and carefree moments the two can
have together while under the King’s time limit.

 Logline: A compassionless soldier secretly follow twelve princesses to a fantasy realm in

order to expose their whereabouts to their father and save himself from execution.

Characters
 Alek – the Soldier
o Put to death by the king, ally of the princesses
 Bardrick - The King
o Uses Alek as a tool, and then grows into his fierce enemy
o Uses daughters as a tool to further his own reign and exercise his power

 The Princesses (4 main, 12 in total)
o Sarah – The Eldest
 Keeps a close, sometimes too-strict eye on her sister; is the most
dismissive of Kayla; feels the most fearsome resentment towards the king
o Hannah – The Kindest
 The most empathetic towards her father; often at odds with Sarah. She has
the most empathy towards the plights of those around her.
o Nina – The Combatant
 She dreams her dad will one day let her be part of his army if she follows
all of his rules. She’s particularly close with Hannah.
o Kayla – The Middle Child
 Kayla doesn’t like the king either, but her sisters are mean to her, too.
Family is not a huge value for her.
Protagonist Development
Alek was a kingdom soldier who received an injury on the battlefield and deserted, not
willing to put his life on the line for his comrades. He then wanders the kingdom haplessly,
limping as he goes. When he is accused of theft by the king and found out to be deserter, he is at
risk of execution unless he can discover the whereabouts of the
kings several daughters. Alek’s desire line changes throughout the
game, but begins with simply wanting to live. Depending on the
player’s feelings on the matter, Alek can come to care about
someone or something other than his own well-being. Alek’s
original desire to live is portrayed through an opening scene where
the player helps him desert the battlefield. As a deserter, he lacked
any real authority in the real world, but as he infiltrates and helps
those in the fantasy world, his reputation increases until he becomes
their unofficial leader.
The player controls him from a third-person perspective and

is his ally throughout the game. Alek begins the game with no particular sympathies, but comes

to care about only what the character cares about and completes the player’s thoughts through a

dialogue wheel. He has increasing stealth and combat abilities throughout the game, and can

make himself invisible, disguise himself as a stranger, and make people forget he was there.

Antagonist Development

King Bardrick was born into his power and is paranoid of losing it. Power is the gauge by

which he proves himself and fully believes that getting

more makes him a better king and better person. He is

utterly devastated at his lack of male heirs; how will

his power reach beyond his own lifetime without one?

When the princesses, whom he keeps tight control on

to exercise this power and out of discontent for their distinct female-ness, go behind his back to

do something he did not approve, he takes this as a direct affront to his leadership and abilities.
He does not at first anticipate the random military deserter to act as a threat to him, but when he

does, he goes mad with rage.

The character possesses a deep, booming, authoritative voice and harsh, lined features

that become more prominent as his madness becomes more evident. He walks with a great stride

as to contrast Alek’s clear limp, lording himself over him and his daughters.

Ancillary Character Development

 Sarah (The Eldest)

o Sarah feels the heaviest sense of responsibility towards her sister,

but sometimes treats them unfairly in effort to do what is best for them.

She is effectively the strict mother of the group, but only has the best

intentions. She makes the hard choices, but she isn’t cruel.

o She approves of logic and pragmatism and disapproves of overt sentimentality.

 Key Quests

 A teenager runs away from their oppressive parents. Should they

try and talk it (approves) out or help them flee (disapproves)?

 Elissa (The Kindest)

o Sarah might take on the mother role, but Elissa is the

most nurturing and maternal. Kindness and

forgiveness are essential values to her, even towards

strangers, and even towards her father.

o She values mercy and empathy, and disapproves of cruelty.

 Key Quests
  A dangerous criminal that has terrorized the city, but has turned

himself in after a come-to-Jesus moment, expecting to forgiveness.

Should you sentence him to death (disapproves), lesson his

punishment (approves), or clear him of his charges (greatly

approves)?

 Nina (The Combatant)

o Nina resents being born and princess and not a knight or a soldier, but

does not feel as though this is a threat to her femininity. She often sneaks outside

the party to chat with militia of the fantasy realm and train in her combat skills.

o She approves of displays of skill and knowledge and disapproves of

frivolity.

 Key Quests

 Spend unused treasury funds on castle décor (disapproves) or

military advancement (approves)?

 The kingdom receives a shipment of weapons. Should you arm

every able-bodied citizen (disapproves) or begin a rigorous training

routine for a select militia (approves)?

 Kayla (The Middle Child)

o Nobody listens to Kayla. She’s insistent that someone is

following them to the hidden kingdom, but the group does

not take her seriously. She is over finding this frustrating,

and feels it is now simply her lot in life. She’s given up on

the idea that someone may take her seriously one day.
 o Kayla values helping the poor and downtrodden. She’s indifferent about family

and disapproves of silencing or ignoring people.

 Key Quests

 A teenager runs away from their oppressive household. Should

they try and talk out (disapproves) or do you help them flee

(approves)?

 The Other Princesses

o The princesses outside of the main NPCs are mainly concerned with being found

out by their father. They each have an important value that guides their

personality and approval:

 Wendy - Family

 Clara - Ruthlessness

 Stasia - Wealth

 Emilia (youngest) - Politeness

 Laura - Pacifism

 Danielle - Fame

 Lizbeth - Fun

 Mimi - Self-Interest

 The Militia

o The fantasy realm has no official government system, but there are a group of

amateur soldiers at the ready in case of emergency. Nina tends to hang out with

them, and Alek can talk to them and help train them.

■ Story
■ Seven Key Steps
 ■ Weakness/Need - lack of compassion and empathy
■ Desire - survival
■ Opponent - the king
■ Plan - solve the mystery of the princess's whereabouts and free
himself from death row
■ Battle - taking back the fantasy kingdom from the king's attempted
invasion
■ Self-revelation - he's come to care for the princesses and the people
living in the fantasy kingdom despite having already earned his
freedom from death row
■ New equilibrium - he rules over the kingdom, and cares about his
subjects
■ Victory condition: ascending the throne
■ The player and avatar desires are in line with each other at the beginning of the
game and at the final battle. There is variance in which NPCs the player comes to
care for.
■ What works: I think the strongest point of my story is the agency I allow the
player, but it remains the be seen whether or not it is effectively rewarding.
■ Weaknesses: I cannot ensure that the player will care about the NPCs I want
them to care about in order for the story to make sense. If the player thinks the
NPCs are whiny and annoying, their motivation for completing the final battle
after earning his freedom would be less informed.
■ Characters
■ Cast
■ The Soldier (Alek, can be changed) - protagonist
■ The King - villain
■ The Princesses
■ Sarah (Oldest)
■ Elissa (Kindest)
■ Nina (Combatant)
■ Kayla (Middle Child)
■ the rest of the princesses
■ Avatar relationship
■ The player feels kinship with the avatar, as the avatar cares about the
things they care about and reacts to situations in a way that the player
deems reasonable.
■ How to illicit those feelings?
■ The dialogue system would be a thought-completion
system similar to Mass Effect, where the player selects a
 general statement and the avatar interacts with the NPCs,
sort of like a middle-man.
■ Naming and customizing the character provides the player
with an immediate connection with who they're looking at
the whole game.
■ The main NPCs, the princesses, are meant to illicit sympathy, with a
particular affection toward whichever princess the character chooses.
■ How to illicit those feelings?
■ The princesses are the first people in the game
to not be aggressive with him.
■ The player can interact with the princesses as
he chooses, so they're not forced down his/her
throat.
■ The princesses undergo the most suffering
throughout the narrative, and often undergo the
same trials that the player does.
■ World
■ The game takes place in two parallel worlds: a dreary, bleak kingdom and a
bright, colorful, fun kingdom hidden within it.
■ Game Environments
■ the forest
■ The King's Castle
■ The Bedchamber
■ The throne room
■ the passageway between the kingdoms
■ The Fantasy kingdom
■ The Castle
■ Outlying Villages
■ Main Environments
■ King's Kingdom
 ■
■ Hidden Kingdom

■
■ Map
■

Fantasy world on the left, kingdom on the right

The giant tree is the passageway between them

● Backstory
○ The kingdom has been standing as long as anyone can remember, and the
structure of its monarchy has always been hierarchal. The current king stumbled
into his power and has always lived in his aging, secluded castle.
○ The kingdom is not terribly populated, and it has very few valuable resources to
leverage with neighboring powers. He does, however, have fabulous wealth. As
such, the king sends out his military to conquer other kingdoms as often as he
likes in order to ensure that he has power over something.
○ The grounds surrounding the castle is made up of many battlefields. Men have
fought and died defending the castle. The king has made many enemies.
○ The hidden kingdom, so infantile it’s not even got a name, has not even been
populated long enough to have definite rulers. Citizens of the barren kingdom and
refugees of conquered civilizations searched for a place to call home. Eventually,
they found passageway tucked into a large tree in the castle by the forest. When
they entered the tree, the stumbled onto a brilliantly colorful world, rich in
resources and hidden from the king’s watchful eye. The eventually started a small
civilization down there.
○ As the princesses explored the forests, they discovered the passageway
themselves. The budding civilization was hesitant to trust relatives of the
tyrannical ruler, but eventually, it became clear the princesses meant them no
harm. They only wanted to hide from the king as well.
● Value Oppositions
○ The King values power and control, reflected in his castle being monotonous and
orderly and his rooms locked and his castle sequestered from the world with giant
metal doors and tall walls.
○ The princesses value freedom, at odds with the King’s control. Their room
reflects the king’s control over them in its symmetrical, orderly structure, but their
freedom is expressed in the hidden kingdom. They wear vastly different clothing,
and the castle is messy and unkempt. No one really tracks of everyone, and
everyone’s all over the place.
● Beats
○ Weakness/Need - the soldier deserts a battlefield with his dying comrades,
asserting his lack of compassion and need to care about something outside of
himself. - Vast and sprawling, but chaotic with a bunch of people dying and all.
○ Desire - Survival - in the king’s castle, Alek considers his survival strategies. -
The castle is largely neat and orderly and grey and expansive, and would make it
difficult for one to perceive living any sort of fun life inside it, and encourage
escape.
 ○ Opponent - the king - the throne room - The king sits at a position of power and
inhabits the aesthetic of the entire castle.
○ Battle - the fantasy kingdom, pillaged and destroyed - A place that has been warm
and inviting and fantastic throughout the game is destroyed.
○ Win state - the throne room, with Alek sitting at the position of power instead of
the king
● Evolving World
○ Alek visits the fantasy kingdom multiple times throughout the game. At first, the
place is inviting and fantastic, and welcome change of pace from the bleakness of
the normal kingdom. At the end of the game, the king attempts to conquer the
fantasy kingdom. When Alek returns there, he finds it pillaged and destroyed, full
of the king’s soldiers - the worlds have collided.
○ The throne room symbolizes powers throughout the game, with the king lording
above the protagonist from his throne. At the end of the game, should Alek
becomes king, he will sit upon the throne instead. The throne room would be
more colorful and less suffocating, symbolizes Alek’s lack of obsession with
power.

 Victory condition: becoming king

o This level is final boss level in which you defeat the king as the new heir. This is most
direct way to achieve the victory condition, as the character becomes king at the
conclusion of the level when the former king is dead.
o This level is the culmination of the all the relationships you've formed over the course of
the king, as well as the conclusion of the king's arc. The king has quietly sought power
through the whole game, and this is biggest power play that will either make him a
glorious conqueror or kill him. For the protagonist, it solidifies that he's gone from an
uncaring man to one who would put himself on the line for an entire kingdom.
 7 Steps
o Weakness/Need - Compassion, same as overall story, which the protagonist attains in full
during the level
o Desire - prevent the king from the destroying the hidden kingdom
o Opponent - the king
o Plan - follow the king to the hidden kingdom and prevent him from killing your friends
and damaging the kingdom
o Battle - "final boss fight" with the king
o Self-revelation - His friends help him, and they were worth caring about.
 Also “oh no, me being the heir makes me the KING NOW."
o New Equilibrium - The protagonist now rules the king's former domain, and depending
on choices, can be also the king of/well-respected dignitary of the hidden kingdom
 Narrative Design
o Dodge/resist the king's blows
 The protagonist can use his invisibility cloak to remain unseen, and the king will
bumble around erratically trying to fight him
  The protagonist can have enough defense built up to simply take the king's blows
without dying, focusing on attacking
 The protagonist can forgo invisibility and just hide behind crates and barriers,
slinking around when the king gets to close - friends you've made throughout the
game can help damage the king
o Lower the king's health
 The protagonist can use the stealth combat skills he has mastered throughout the
game in order to approach the king without being struck and attack
 The protagonist can utilize range weapons to defeat the king without ever getting too
close
 The protagonist can utilize the world, hiding behind crates and barriers, causing the
king to bumble into them and damage himself
o Follow the king to the castle - It mirrors the previous story element of following the
princesses to castle in order to serve your own self-interests.
 use invisibility to remain unseen
 be obvious about following the king, inviting the wrath of the king's lackeys as you
trail after him
 use stealth to try to get close to the king and injure him before the final boss battle
 Level Design
o The space will be familiar, being a room that the player has visited multiple times and
explored with the most depth, but overturned and chaotic, invoking disappointment in the
player and an instinct to "fix" it.
o The movement of the king guides the flow of the gameplay and story. While still in the
original kingdom, "stop the king" is the vague objective, so the instinct is to follow him.
The protagonist trails after where the king goes, and defeats any challenges that hinder
his progress towards the king.
o Time will feel like an element while following the king, as the player should feel the
urgency to not lose sight of him. However, the king always goes to the same spot for the
final confrontation, so if the player loses sight of him while looting or defeating smaller
enemies, they can still reorient themselves and find the king.
o Depending on skills built up through the rest of the game, the player can spare or kill the
king in the end. This effects approval ratings for companions, but if you spare the king,
a friend will kill him instead as he tries to betray you. It's more of a reflection of the
player character rather than a choice that reflects the outcome.
 Weenie
o a banquet table at the back of the room can help reorient the player if they get confused
traipsing around the room
o While trailing the king, the castle building acts as a weenie as well.

(Script samples of cutscenes attached as PDFs or available upon request)

These scenes serve the story by introducing both mechanics and characters important to
the creative vision of the game. They introduce the primary stealth mechanics, hiding with the
invisibility cloak, as well make use of the diplomat/warmonger dialogue system. The scene
regarding revealing proof of the hidden kingdom to the king is the most important scene of the
game, as it illustrates the culmination of the protagonist deciding where his journey of becoming
a compassionate person will take him. The closing sequence summarizes the journey of
compassion, as well as deciding how the protagonist cares about people—with diplomacy or
aggression, and then puts all the people affected positively by his development in front of him.