CURRENT STATUS: Demo completed. Full game in development.
A visual novel developed for my UAFS Studio Art Capstone, "Magical Misery: a murder mystery" is a story about a true friendship turned bloody. two Magical Girls who have known each other since kindergarten end up the center of a murder, with one dead and the other the main suspect. You play as Detective Matilde "Matti" Garcia of the Metropolitan Police Department's Magical Crimes Investigation Department. You and Matti must both unravel not only this mystery but the layered, tumultuous relationship between these two teen girls.
This game is recommended only for ages 16 and older as the story contains profanity, graphic descriptions of death and violence, and depictions of violence, suicide, and abusive relationships.
Capstone Project Statement
Visual Novels have been a part of my experience with art and storytelling. Playing them showed me that the capacity for combining art and storytelling could surpass comic books and 3D video games; they showed me that stories and art could be interactive and engaging in an entirely new way. For years and years, a dream of mine has been to make one myself. I’ve always wanted to craft a colorful story, both visually and in words, and that is what I have set out to do for my Capstone.
Magical Misery: A Murder Mystery is a Visual Novel split into three separate chapters but all covering the same timeline of events. The Capstone covers the first Act/Chapter in the form of a DEMO, but the entire story revolves around themes of corrupted ideals, unhealthy friendships, and personal reflection. In a world where Magical Soldiers are commonplace, the player acts as Detective Matilde “Matti” Garcia, a plainclothes detective in charge of the division to investigate the crimes committed by or against Magical Soldiers. These are young men and women who are hired by extra-dimensional worlds to defeat monsters that threaten both them and Earth. Det. Garcia gets called in to interrogate one of these Magical Girls: Serafina Jane-Young, the only witness and suspect to the murder of the girl’s best friend. The player and Det. Garcia must navigate the mundane, the magical, and the morbid to uncover the truth behind this friendship turned deadly.
As a UAFS student in the Studio Art program getting a minor in Creative Writing, it was important to me that I make something that encompasses as much of what I learnt as possible. It was equally important that I do it in a way that is very uniquely me. My love of anime and video games has influenced my personal style to favour the cute and dynamic, but my experience with stories favours the morbid and complex. Utilizing my experiences with character design, illustration, worldbuilding, prose fiction, script writing, audio production, and graphic design, this project is the first of the three chapters reflecting a story and art experience only I could make.
Magical Misery: A Murder Mystery is a Visual Novel split into three separate chapters but all covering the same timeline of events. The Capstone covers the first Act/Chapter in the form of a DEMO, but the entire story revolves around themes of corrupted ideals, unhealthy friendships, and personal reflection. In a world where Magical Soldiers are commonplace, the player acts as Detective Matilde “Matti” Garcia, a plainclothes detective in charge of the division to investigate the crimes committed by or against Magical Soldiers. These are young men and women who are hired by extra-dimensional worlds to defeat monsters that threaten both them and Earth. Det. Garcia gets called in to interrogate one of these Magical Girls: Serafina Jane-Young, the only witness and suspect to the murder of the girl’s best friend. The player and Det. Garcia must navigate the mundane, the magical, and the morbid to uncover the truth behind this friendship turned deadly.
As a UAFS student in the Studio Art program getting a minor in Creative Writing, it was important to me that I make something that encompasses as much of what I learnt as possible. It was equally important that I do it in a way that is very uniquely me. My love of anime and video games has influenced my personal style to favour the cute and dynamic, but my experience with stories favours the morbid and complex. Utilizing my experiences with character design, illustration, worldbuilding, prose fiction, script writing, audio production, and graphic design, this project is the first of the three chapters reflecting a story and art experience only I could make.
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