Cape of Storms
In 2021, a few friends and I wanted to make a horror game that had inspiration from the Portuguese culture. I was the Narrative Designer for the team, so I started researching some facts about Portuguese history. My interest was piqued by the names Cape of Storms and Cames' epic poem The Lusiadas! The Cape of Good Hope was once known as the Cape of Storms. Unknowingly, Bartolomeu sailed nearby the Cape and said that it was a terrifying experience due to the heavy storms! Plus, the epic poem, The Lusiads, has a titan that speaks to the Portuguese while they pass through the ocean! So... why not make Adamastor torment the Portuguese while they were there?
Due to time constraints, we didn't have enough time to make a small demo. So in 2022, I met with some other friends and brought this same idea back to life! And so, in May of 2022, we started developing the game with the same narrative basis as before.
Our Adamastor makes the Portuguese ponder their own actions at this time. The feelings they repress and the awful things they have done are brought to light by Adamastor. We made the game a horror experience to showcase the terrifying experiences the Portuguese endured across the ocean. We also want to showcase some dark aspects of our culture, like slavery, for example. We also referenced the legendary king, Prester John, since meeting him was one of the main objectives of the Portuguese at that time.
My work on the game
Since my main role is narrative designer, this time I chose to be the game designer as well, so that I could make the videogame with my personal vision. I chose a minimalistic approach to the game design. The player has a goal and he has someone stopping him from achieving that goal. The first main objectives are getting a key and steering the caravel on the right course. On the second level, things get more complicated. Thetis (the siren) is onboard and wants to kill the player. The main objective is to lower the sails and raise the anchor while hiding from her. As soon as we finish that, Thetis will leave the caravel and we will finally see the Adamastor.
I downloaded the sounds and music from free libraries. I designed the UI and UX to fit my view of the game. I have to say, since I don't have a lot of experience in this field, it is a pretty simple UI. As I said earlier, I was also the narrative and game designer! So I wrote all the descriptions and dialogue you see in the game.
In approximately 4 and a half months, we made this game to showcase the potential of the Portuguese culture. You can try the game here: Cabo das Tormentas