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"DREAM MACHINE" PROJECT

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

"Dream Machine" is a poignant and immersive video game that explores the bond between a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world. After surviving a cataclysmic event, they find refuge in an underground bunker, their sanctuary and prison. To combat the stifling monotony of their existence and to educate his son about the world before the disaster, the father invents a remarkable machine that allows the control of dreams.

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The son, who was too young to remember the world before, is given the opportunity to live out diverse adventures each night, learning vital skills for survival. Unbeknownst to him, these nightly escapades are a labor of love from his father, who stays awake to operate and troubleshoot the machine, sacrificing his own rest.

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As the game progresses, the father's health deteriorates due to sleep deprivation, adding a layer of urgency and tension to the narrative. Upon completion of all dream levels, the father passes away, leaving behind instructions for the son to escape the bunker.

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Emerging into the world, the son is confronted with the reality of their situation. "Dream Machine" is not just a game, but a journey of love, sacrifice, and survival, offering players a unique blend of adventure and emotional storytelling.

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CONCEPT ART & NOTES

  • Player can move around bunker during the day with some limited actions available throughout the bunker. Entering the dream machine triggers the levels.

  • There will be times where the player has to switch from playing as the son to playing as the father. Mostly for bunker maintenance but once the final dream level is complete, the player becomes the father who is fighting off zombies (Revealing the “ fake event”) in the ducts of the bunker. This scene should be scary and unexpected from the player. He gets injured and slowly returns to the son, removing him from the dream machine. He lays on the bed switching the player back to the son.

  • Playing as the father during the night will have different actions available that aren’t available to the son.

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LEVEL CONCEPT ART & NOTES

  • Player gains one skill point per dream level. Spends points once they can leave the bunker. Many options to choose from.

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FIRST TIME OUTSIDE BUNKER NOTES

  • 3rd Person Survival RPG

  • Eat, Drink, Sleep, Sanity Requirements

  • Scavenge for resources (Weapons, Ammo, safe homes, crafting materials (Poison Antidote), armor, food, drinks, luxury items, fuel)

  • Different types of zombies and strategies to kill them

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THE "TWIST" NOTES

  • Player eventually gets called back to the bunker. Once he returns, he awakens from what appears to be a dream again all along and his father is actually alive still.

  • This reveals to the player that the machine is making it hard for the son to determine real vs a dream.

  • The son explains to his father what happened but finds out that the dream he lived was far from the actual truth and much worse.

  • The father determines that the son is finally ready to learn the truth. (Explains the real event, Spiders)

  • The player must then leave the bunker for real this time and return with supplies to help his father survive who is too weak to leave the bunker. 

  • It will be up to the player to keep his father alive with constant supplies or fail and returning to the bunker finding his father dead. 

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