As mentioned in my semester one blogs, the memory mechanic is designed so that at certain points in the island the player will be able to open Maive's book and have one of her memories attached to that area or object projected into the world. I was in charge of designing and creating these memories.
The island isn't terribly large, and I didn't want to oversaturate it with things that were surplus to the main story for fear of confusing what the player's priority is supposed to be. The memories give a glimpse into Maive's life on the island, however they are not mandatory to interact with, and so I didn't want them distracting from the main narrative arc. For this reason, I placed one memory in each of the main areas of the island.
The memories use the same brush and confident line strokes as the book mechanic to be visually consistent, however they're not one-line drawings, as the illustrations are arguably more complex.
Fish market
The first memory is in Calico Cove, and features a child Maive and her mother at the fish market, which makes up the centre of Calico Cove.
Maive's connection with her mother is pivotal to the entire story, and is the closing scene of the game. In order to give this extra impact, I knew it was important to include Maive's mother in at least one of the memories. I took care to show Maive's capability by having her be the one to carry the basket of fish. This also implies the responsibility that her mother trusted her with even as a child, and helps to flesh out her self-assured personality.
"Maive: Mum makes the best fish pie. And the best berry pie.
Maive: …Come to think of it, all her pies are amazing."
The thought that goes alongside this memory shows a positive regard towards Maive's mother from Maive. It also ties directly into the end of the game in which Maive gives berries to her mum to make a pie with.
Picnic
The second memory takes place at the campsite, one of the most scenic spots on the island.
This memory is intended to expand Maive's support circle outside of just her mother. It shows Maive in her teens, hanging out with friends, being independent but also being communal. I designed it to add to the mood of the Clifftop Campsite specifically, hoping it would emulate breezy summer days in open fields with friends.
Fiona the ferret from Upside Island is featured here, as a nod to the idea we once had. Fiona is one of the NPCs on the island, and Maive can talk to her, demonstrating a close relationship.
"Maive: This place is so beautiful in the spring when the blossom is high.
Maive: We used to come here all the time
Maive: I wonder where those guys are now"
Maive's thoughts imply regularity of an action, which helps drop further hints that she spent her entire life here, solidifying this as a coming-home story. I hope it also prompts players to question why she'd leave such an idyllic life, and adds to the mystery of her backstory.
Swing
Just outside Silva Settlement, after Maive's interaction with Nomena, is a memory of Maive playing on a swing.
This memory is intended to show Maive's independence and her spirit. It's based off of Kerris' prototype memory of a tyre swing, but without the tyre, which doesn't work in a fantasy setting.
"Maive: Fell off once. Broke my paw."
The dialogue here demonstrates an action-consequence lesson that Maive has carried with her. It's very minor and not serious, but her recalling it injects reality into this idyllic childhood she's remembering.
Pirate Queen
In the hidden cave behind the waterfall, scattered with objects from Maive's childhood, she finds a memory of herself using these objects to play as a pirate queen.
This memory represents Maive's adventurousness and her love for telling stories as far back as childhood. It pulls strongly on my own childhood memories, in which I would cobble together a costume out of whatever was lying around, and more often than not, was armed with a wooden sword.
"Maive: My secret hideout!
Maive: I haven’t been here in forever
Maive: Maive the Pirate Queen! Dare not cross her, she will destroy you!"
Maive surprise at finding her hideout implies she'd forgot it was even there. This hopefully shows a slight disconnect from the aforementioned adventurous side. When she goes in, the memories come flooding back. I also deliberately made her role play as a Pirate Queen to show Maive's own belief in the strength of females. Her fantasy character is strong and ferocious, but notably a Queen - top of the pile - not a princess.
Leaving
At the entrance to Maive's community, she encounters a memory of her leaving.
This memory is purposefully understated, with the only signals as to the situation being the satchel and cloak combination and her expression, showing she's sad.
"Maive: Hmm"
This section of the game is more somber, with the music becoming a little more tense as she approaches the thing she's most scared of: meeting her mother and hoping she'll be forgiven for leaving for so long. The scene is meant to be more thought provoking than anything else, so instead of a lengthy explanation of why Maive left, she shows that she's still struggling with this particular part of her life, unable to speak about it despite being a creature of many words. Her silence is more pertinent than any words I could write for her.