What was left to be forgotten now festers below.
Investigate in the Depths
2 weeks have passed since the disappearance of Research Crew R-013. As the Director of Operations, Lux Van Buren, descend into the depths to investigate the deep-sea research base, the Nuatic-7, in search of any leads to the mystery at hand.
Sift through reality and half-realities to put together the events of the past.
Game FeaturesCurrent Progress Video
Image Gallery
Documentation
The Research Process
Throughout the development of DEADWATER, research has played an important role in placing a realm of reality in the world of Daocarro. Where the player may not necessarily notice it on the surface, there are many details and considerations taken into place to make sure the story makes sense.
Here are a few examples of some details!
- All the tanks within the base are pressurized, hence the seals on them. Many fish deep in the ocean cannot live outside of a pressurized environment, so live specimens are transfered in a pressurized capsule and place in the tanks.
- Despite Luminetomycosis having a normal incubation period of approximately 1 week, Lux experiences symptoms within an hour due to the high quantity of spores in the moonpool. The spores contain the same toxin as the main plant and inhaling them let them being absorbed into the bloodstream through the nose. It was almost like any snortable medication.
- The Coral Net Fungus/Luminetomycosis is similar to invasive aspergillosis (a mold infection). It's like taking that and multiplying its strength by 100.
- Water purification is important! There's a central purifcation station that is constantly cycling water in. It is purified and then sent to tanks that the station draws from.
- Getting rid of trash isn't easy when you're 2000 meters below the surface. Most of the trash is biodegradable, in a way, and can be incinerated. All trash cans in the base are incinerators.
Project Statement
DEADWATER is a narrative detective game exploring the isolation and struggles of infection and caring for the ones you love most. Investigating the disappearance of a research crew, the player discovers that something more sinister happened. The player must utilize odd hallucinations they have begun to experience since boarding the crew’s research base. The game should challenge the player’s morals, presenting characters that are complex and morally grey instead of a perfect black and white story.
I have always been passionate about fiction and the hearts that can be touched through it. When deciding what to do for my senior project, I chose to explore what I could tell through a completely fictional world of my own, giving me free reign to push what can and can’t happen. From my artistic background, I wanted to take advantage of the game medium to create visuals to enhance the story I want to tell. I value challenging myself with my work, so I wanted to create an environment to make the player feel as immersed in the world as the character is. Research has been an important part of the process through not only creating an alien environment, but also one based in reality due to the similarities between the planet of Daocarro and our own Earth. I hope I can show just how much visual creativity has affected me through the game and inspire that same awe in those who play DEADWATER.