Mending Hearts

Note: We are currently in the process of changing our game title so there may be some content that says Mending Relationships 

Experience both the comfort and the challenge of growing a relationship as Ada, a painter who is moving into her dream home with her scientist girlfriend, Juno. Juno is returning from a years-long research expedition on another planet. Can you mend your relationship with Juno after you've been separated for years?

Mending Hearts is being developed as Capstone project for RIT's MS in Game Design and Development. We are a team of four graduate students, Emily Horton, Rye Ress, Veronica Vitale, and Hanrui Zhang. This game aims to expand the world of interactive fiction by making the story not feel like a simple dialog tree and have the NPC girlfriend feel as close to a real person as possible. 

Meet the Team

Emily Horton - Designer / Developer / Writer

      Emily's  is designing a dialogue and relationship system that engages the player with the emotional experiences of navigating a romantic relationship. She is researching common methods of NPC relationship design as well as the psychology of relationships and how a systems designer might try to quantify relationship status to determine how an NPC should mirror the player’s in-game actions.

Rye Ress - AI Programmer

     Rye is in charge of making Juno, Juno. The are working with A* to create an AI that feels as close to another player as possible.

Veronica Vitale - Artist/ Developer

     Veronica is creating art assets for the game as well as programming the interaction system. For this project, their research revolves around looking at ways to use the interaction system and collectables to keep the player engaged and immersed in the world when they are not hitting story beats.

Hanrui Zhang - Level Designer

     Hanrui is designing the homestead that Ada and Juno have just moved into. His research focuses on looking into how level design can impact narrative games. 

Features

Simple Interactions

Quick and easy to learn interaction system. Focus on exploring the world around you, doing chores, and rebuilding your relationships not perfecting mechanics.

Collect Memories

As you move into your new home, the items you brought with you lead you to reminisce on your past. What will it tell you about your relationship? How can this help you readjust to living with your partner? Are your conflicts really new, or have they been building up for a while?

Not-So-NPC NPC Girlfriend

Juno might be an NPC, but Mending Relationships aims to make her feel as real as possible. Interact with her as she goes through her day trying to achieve her own goals. React to her interactions with you.