Project Atonement - GDD

Contents

High Concept........................................................................................................................................... 3
Theme & Setting ................................................................................................................................. 3
Unique Selling Point............................................................................................................................ 3
Plot Outline ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Target Audience .................................................................................................................................. 4
Market & Competitors........................................................................................................................ 4

Design Documentation ........................................................................................................................... 5
Visual Development ............................................................................................................................ 5
Visual Inspiration............................................................................................................................. 5
Colour Palette & Lighting ................................................................................................................ 8
Gameplay Influences........................................................................................................................... 9
RPG.................................................................................................................................................. 9
Action & Combat............................................................................................................................. 9
Level & World Design....................................................................................................................10
Narrative Techniques....................................................................................................................10
Asset List ...........................................................................................................................................10
Player Character................................................................................................................................11
Controls ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Mechanics .....................................................................................................................................16
Character Statistics .......................................................................................................................24
Equipment..................................................................................................................................... 25
Items .............................................................................................................................................27
Money & Shopping .......................................................................................................................29
Levelling ............................................................................................................................................30
Skill Tree............................................................................................................................................30
Body ..............................................................................................................................................30
Mind ..............................................................................................................................................31
Soul................................................................................................................................................ 31
Quests ...............................................................................................................................................32

Heads-Up Display ..................................................................................................................................33
Narrative Design ...................................................................................................................................34
Enemy Design........................................................................................................................................34
World Design.........................................................................................................................................34

The Hamlet and Briary Woods ..........................................................................................................34

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Southweald .......................................................................................................................................34
Cwenland & Gwynfeld ......................................................................................................................34
Solstice ..............................................................................................................................................34
Level Design Plans (Demo)....................................................................................................................36

Level Narrative ..............................................................................................................................36
Location Aesthetics & Focal Point.................................................................................................36
Height Map & Scale.......................................................................................................................37
Key Areas & Quest Locations ........................................................................................................38
Critical Path & Level Goals ............................................................................................................39
Level Pacing...................................................................................................................................42
NPC Locations ...............................................................................................................................43
Enemy Locations & Heat Map.......................................................................................................45
Script (Demo) ........................................................................................................................................46
Quest Related & Multiple-Choice NPCs............................................................................................46
Conversation NPCs............................................................................................................................55

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High Concept

Project Atonement is an open-world Action-RPG aiming to provide an interesting take on western
fantasy and magic. Its challenging narrative will require the player to piece together their own
understanding of the world from the flawed knowledge of its denizens. The aim is to truly immerse
the player, making them challenge their own logic and morals to make the right decisions for the
world they are in rather than guiding them down a “right” or “wrong” path.
The game will feature an Action-RPG combat system, focusing on fun, smooth, hack-and-slash
gameplay with RPG elements such as equipment-based stats, skill trees and levelling. Players can
adapt their builds to their own playstyle using the three core skill trees: Body (strength and power),
Mind (dexterity and trickery) or Soul (magic).

Theme & Setting

Set in the post-apocalypse of a devastating holy war, the people are left with a fractured knowledge
of their history. A mysterious source of power and life known as the Aether is waning. The world sits
on a knifes edge and a decision to be made; prepare for a world without the Aether or find a way to
bring it back. The player will uncover a variety of interpretations and opinions on the world’s history
and the nature of the Aether as they explore. By the end of the game the onus is upon them to
decide to let the Aether die or bring it back, and deal with all the consequences of either choice.
The Aether and humanity will be the core of thematic exploration for the game’s narrative. The
Aether while clearly a real, tangible thing is beyond human understanding and comprehension.
Because of this the people of the world (and by proxy, the player) have little understanding of what
it does. The characters’ various interpretations aim to explore themes of religion and mysticism.
Additionally, the strange complex working of the Aether and how humans can use it for magic aim to
raise moral questions and touch upon themes of the human condition and cosmic consciousness.

Unique Selling Point

Shunning more traditional fantasy tropes of dragons and the arcane, Project Atonement is set in a
truly creative and unique world with a strong sense of self. The unique nature of the main character
and his younger brother being trapped together in one body creates an incredibly engaging and
unique narrative device that has a lot of emotional potence. The setting of a post-medieval
apocalypse is also incredibly unique, as the world is a magic-tainted, warped mess opposed to the
scorched, empty and dry wastelands of other post-apocalypse settings.

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Plot Outline

The main character, William is a young man from a hamlet on the edge of the world with no
understanding of the dire history of the world or the Aether. He suddenly finds himself pushed in the
deep end when his young brother Lawrence falls deathly ill due to a surge of Aether power
destroying his body. William must venture into the dangerous, Aether-ravaged world to engage in
the old practice of Coalescence and combine Lawrence’s mind with his. This will save Lawrence from
impending death and grant William access to the power coursing through Lawrence’s body, granting
him the ability to perform “miracles”.

With these newfound powers and his younger brother without a stable body to return to, William
embarks upon a quest to find a way to allow Lawrence to return to his old body and live a normal
life. However, as one of the few successful mind merged miracles users (known as Virtues) left,
William is a key tool in a fight over the future of the Aether, forcing him into becoming a deciding
factor in the future of the world.

Target Audience

The primary archetype this type of game would appeal to is the Explorer. With its large open-world,
complex lore and side-content that put the onus upon the player to piece together, Explorers would
feel right at home. The Explorer is a growing market, with larger, longer video games becoming more
and more marketable as players feel they are getting more value for the product.

The game will target a young adult audience (18-35) who tend to be the most active age-range in the
RPG video game communities online and purchasers of video games. The game’s setting and
gameplay means it would potentially appeal to fans of other successful fantasy RPGs like the Dark
Souls, Witcher and Elder Scrolls franchises. The less traditional approach to storytelling and
interpretation of western fantasy would potentially make the game appealing to fans of JRPG titles
which are well known for unique take son western concepts, and creative and refreshing narratives.

Additionally, the narrative and world of the game is dark and unforgiving, featuring many adult
themes that would likely require an 16/18 PEGI or M/AO ESRB rating. This would allow more
freedom to present deep and challenging themes of humanity’s evil.

Market & Competitors

The open-world RPG market is quite saturated, as many franchises and triple-a developers have
shifted their games to the open-world format. However, by focusing on the unique setting and the
brotherly dynamic of the main characters, the game will find itself competing more with linear
narrative, set protagonist action-RPG open-world games like God of War, Nier: Automata and
Horizon Zero Dawn as opposed to more traditional RPGs and action-RPGs like The Witcher, Elder
Scrolls and more recent Assassin’s Creed titles.

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Design Documentation

Visual Development

The games aesthetic is a deconstruction of western fantasy and medieval history. The post-
apocalyptic setting makes the world sparse, barren and lonely as opposed to vibrant and populated.
The world of Project Atonement is built upon an ancient golden age of man. Thus, the barren world
will be filled with relics of ages past. Adding a grand scale, fantastical mystery and intriguing history
to the games environments is key for both atmosphere and storytelling.
These huge, empty civilisations are surrounded by blissful yet oppressively quiet fields and forests
which are spotted with encampments of surviving human communes and warped landscapes
ravaged by war and the Aether.

Visual Inspiration

Architecture
The Souls franchise is a fantastic example of sparsely populated, dark fantasy worlds filled with
stories of the past. Shadow of the Colossus and Nier: Replicant/Gestalt are also great inspiration for
wide, ruinous expanses.
From an architectural standpoint however, I would prefer to focus on an exaggerated pure-medieval
style as opposed to the Dark Souls mixed medieval and gothic aesthetics. A perfect video game
example of this is Kingdom Come’s faithfully recreated, real-world examples of medieval
architecture. The architecture and setting of Dragon’s Dogma and the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI
also have strong medieval architecture to draw inspiration from.

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Flora, Fauna & Monsters
While largely mimicking the forests, fields and wildlife of Europe there would also be a variety of
flora and fauna warped by the Aether wherever it surges uncontrollably. Rather than explicit fantasy
creatures, Project Atonement’s monsters are predominantly animals and people corrupted and
warped by magic.
Some great examples of this style of monster include the creature design in Alex Garland’s
Annihilation and the Metro series. Annihilation features an abnormal biological aura from a meteor
crash site that mutated the wildlife. The Metro series is a post-apocalyptic world based in Russia in
the near future. Both feature warped and transformed versions of real wildlife like bears, wolves,
crabs, rats and bats.

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However, it would be nice to balance these designs with more outlandish, large scale and
wonderous creatures that appear rarely (e.g. as boss encounters or key story elements). When it
comes to creative and large-scale bosses and creatures, Shadow of the Colossus, Bloodborne and
Bayonetta are all fantastic examples. The angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion are also very unique,
intimidating designs and with the likely religious themes of the game, would fit well into the game
world and story.

Aether Scarred Environments
Aether magic has a drastic effect on more than just animals and plant life, the actual landscapes and
environment of the world can be altered by the overwhelming power of the Aether. Often acting like
an anti-reality substance, in areas of concentrated Aether the lines between reality and non-reality
can be blurred, warping landscapes into unrecognisably alien locations.

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Magic
The Aether magic of Project Atonement takes a somewhat traditional visual approach to its magic.
The use of glowing runes and light and element-based projectiles to represent magic are ideal for
video games as they are great signifiers to show what magic does mechanically in the world.

Colour Palette & Lighting

The games colour palette evokes a sense of lush emptiness with a colourful and natural palette that
is mildly desaturated, akin to games like Twilight Princess, Shadow of the Colossus and NieR. Lighting
ranges from bright god rays to moody and colourful depending on the location. The wide, empty
expanses of the world are supposed to feel like calming and serenely empty landscapes. Filling these
with bright, warming sunlight helps make them feel disarming and in sharper comparison with the
darker, gloomier areas of the game.
In areas of high Aether magic energy, the lighting and colours can vary drastically. From vibrant
greens, oranges and blues creating a dreamlike ambience to dark, low light caverns and dungeons,
these areas are supposed to feel drastically separate from the world they are in.

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Gameplay Influences

RPG

The RPG elements of Project Atonement are borrowed largely from linear narrative RPGs like God of
War and Horizon Zero Dawn. These games feature typical RPG tropes like different equipment that
effects stats, levelling, skill trees etc. However, they have a less extreme catalogue of equipment and
different skill paths that games like the Elder Scrolls or World of Warcraft have. The game will
feature basic armour and weapon equipment but will largely focus on the three skill trees to allow
players to improve and adapt the way they play the game.

Additionally, the game will feature both main and side quests. These will be more akin to “quests” in
franchises like Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda. They will be tasks and plot threads provided by
characters, often with rewards upon completion but without the commonly seen quest journal and
quest marker design. The quests in Project Atonement are a narrative and world building mechanic
as opposed to progression. The game’s focus on its narrative and themes means it makes more
sense to make the players progress tied mostly to fighting enemies and progressing the story. This is
seen in many similarly narrative focused RPGs like Nier: Automata and God of War which rarely
require things like grinding or optimised builds.

Action & Combat

The combat of the game is a mix of fantastical hack’n’slash with some grounded elements. The
players will be playing as a character with enhanced abilities that allow them to achieve superhuman
feats. Yet the world itself is grounded and supposed to feel oppressive, players are not expected to
feel supremely powerful against the challenges they face. The games that inspire this balance of
theatrical, yet grounded combat include the Monster Hunter franchise, Nier franchise and elements
of the Dark Souls franchise (predominantly certain weapons in the games that push the boundaries
of the games grounded combat).

The timing-based combat of Monster Hunter and Dark Souls requires players to pay attention to
cues from the enemies they face. Forcing players to know when and where is best to strike. This will
be the focus of Project Atonement’s combat. However, the game will feel lighter and floatier than
the franchises mentioned, feeling more akin to Final Fantasy 7 Remake or Devil May Cry in speed.
Additionally, some unlockable skills will add some combo-based action and special abilities to be
used in combat, but more akin to games like Sekiro or Blasphemous rather than combo-centric
games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry.

The game that best encapsulates calculated timings with high speed hack’n’slash is Bloodborne
which, in combination with the extra mobility games like Monster Hunter provide is the best
example of how Project Atonement’s combat should feel.

The game’s magic is inspired predominantly by Kingdom Hearts and more recent Final Fantasy titles.
These feature melee focused combat that allows for a selection of magic to be easily accessed via a
pop-up menu/alternate control method. Project Atonement will allow players to toggle a magic-
using mode which will take over from the melee combat inputs until magic is used or cancelled. This
is the quickest and smoothest way to add magic into the combats flow without time-slowing menus
slowing down the pace of combat, or obtuse and restrictive one-button, scrolling based magic seen
in the Dark Souls franchise. Players will be able to assign magic and skills to these inputs freely to
best shape the gameplay experience to be as smooth as possible for each individual.

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Level & World Design

The world of Project Atonement is designed to feel open and sparse at points, while at others
cramped and anxiety-inducing. The Dark Souls franchise is a big inspiration for this design, alongside
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In these games, the openness and design of each area is
intrinsically linked to the atmosphere and tone the game is trying to set. This will be the key focus of
the game’s world and level design. The general overworld will echo Twilight Princess’ Hyrule Field or
the map of Shadow of the Colossus. Bare and beautiful, a nice downtime between the warped and
chaotic Aether scarred locations and the darker, dingy interiors of ancient ruins and tombs.

Narrative Techniques

The game will feature a somewhat traditional narrative for its main plot, that being the act of
William (the main character) trying to find a way to return his young brother Lawrence safely to his
body. However, during this plot, subtle narrative delivered discreetly through world building, level
design and detached dialogue will attempt to expand upon the world’s history and aid the player in
making their own personal moral decisions based on the history and future of the world, alongside
their stance on the pros and cons of the Aether.

The final act of the game will involve the player being forced to make complex decisions based on
the information they uncover during the game, so it is important that all players have a chance of
receiving an understanding of the world whether they seek it out or not. While the main inspiration
for the discreet and visual storytelling is the Dark Souls franchise, it is worth noting that its best to be
a little less discreet than those games as they can often leave players with little to no understanding
of the world should they not explicitly seek it.

Instead, adopt the Dark Souls narrative method of telling stories through the eyes of those living in
the world. Rather than using NPCs as a method of explaining the world clearly and directly, have
NPCs explain their view of history and the Aether from a unique perspective. The people of this
universe will not understand the Aether and their knowledge of history is closer to myth and legend.
Because of this, it is up to the player to piece together wildly different interpretations given to them
by various parties during the games runtime if they want to truly make a sound moral judgement of
the events preceding the game and the future they wish to force upon the world by the end of the
story.

Asset List

Hardware
PC

Software
Unreal Engine 4
Adobe Photoshop
Wonderdraft
Microsoft Office

Meshes
Asset Store (Unreal Marketplace)

Framework
RPG Framework

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Player Character

William, the player character is a Virtue which are magic users who draw strength from through
those who they have merged with (in this case, his brother Lawrence). Because of this, William has
access to a wide array of superhuman and magical abilities (known as miracles). Additionally, his
exploration of the world leads him to discovering combat techniques with classical medieval
weapons and equipment like longswords, warhammers, maces, shields and armour.

Controls

Keyboard & Mouse

Mouse – Camera
L-Mouse Click – Heavy Attack/Magic Slot 1
R-Mouse Click – Light Attack/Magic Slot 2
Middle Mouse Button – Lock-On

E - Interact/Cancel Magic
R - Cycle Magic
Q - Got to Use Item slot 1
Tab - Select Use Item
F - Use Item

WASD – Move
L-Shift – Toggle Run
Spacebar – Jump/Dodge/Magic Slot 3

L-Ctrl - Aim (for ranged miracles when not locked on)
X - Toggle Combat/Non-Combat stances
Escape – Pause Menu
I – Inventory
M – Map

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Controller

Top Face Button - Heavy Attack/Magic Slot 1
Left Face Button- Light Attack/Magic Slot 2
Bottom Face Button- Jump/Dodge/Magic Slot 3
Right Face Button - Interact/Cancel Magic
L-Analog Stick – Move
L-Analog Click - Toggle Run
R-Analog Stick – Camera
R-Analog Click - Toggle Lock-On
D-Pad Up - Got to Use Item slot 1
D-Pad left/Right - Select Use Item
D-Pad Down - Use Item
R-Trigger - Block/Parry/Dodge with X
R-Bumper - Cycle Magic
L-Trigger - Aim (for ranged weapons/magic when not locked on)
L-Bumper - Toggle Combat/Non-Combat stances
Start - Pause Menu
Select – Inventory/Map

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Player Camera
The camera for the game will change dynamically to best suit the current location and situation.
During normal exploratory gameplay, the camera will far enough from the player to properly
appreciate the surrounding environment, aiding immersion and allowing players to get a better
sense of where to go. (Note: all example diagrams will use 1920x1080p simply as an easy reference
for sizing and placement. The game will not be limited to 1920x1080p resolution)

Inside house and interior segments like caves, the camera will be automatically adjusted to better
suit the environment’s size.

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In combat, whilst locked-on, the camera will zero-in on an enemy or for larger targets, places where
players will likely want to strike (allowing targeting of things like legs and head). The diagram below
shows the area of acceptance where the camera will be forcefully moved to keep the enemy within
the general centre of the screen).

In combat, when not locked-on, similarly the camera will adapt to the situation. Should the creature
be large then the camera will move far away, allowing players to better navigate around the enemy.

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Then, should they lock on or get close to the base of the enemy, the camera could focus in on the
areas most beneficial for the player to see during combat like the legs.

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Mechanics

Movement
The characters movement abilities include walking, running, jumping, mantle/climbing and dodging.
Initially, the players movement is restricted but upon receiving superhuman abilities by becoming a
Virtue, they are all enhanced significantly.

These improvements open more possibilities for the player and the difference in their mobility
before and after Coalescence will show the player mechanically that they are more powerful than
before. (For more on the changes to player’s abilities, see the Becoming a Virtue segment on pg. 22).

Combat & Weapons
The player has five primary available options in a combat scenario: Light Attack, Heavy Attack,
Dodge, Jump and Block. These options are largely restricted before William’s Coalescence, showing
the basics of the combat system before expanding upon it.

There are four Weapon Classes in the game: One-Handed Light, One-Handed Heavy, Two-Handed
Light and Two-Handed Heavy. The table below shows the types of weapons that fit into each class.
(Note: before becoming a Virtue, the player character can only use the One-Handed variety of
weapons)

Weapon Class Weapon Type
One-Handed Light Dagger, Shortsword, Longsword, Scimitar, Fist Weapons
One-Handed Heavy Mace, Flail, Hammer, Axe
Two-Handed Light Spear, Stave, Scythe, Warhammer, Halberd
Two-Handed Heavy Large Club, Large Mace, Greathammer, Greataxe, Greatsword

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Each Weapon Class has different attack speeds for both Light and Heavy attacks. Attack speed still
depends on the subclass of each Weapon as well as the Weapons rarity which will often have faster
attacks for a Weapon of that subclass.

Weapon Class Attack Speed (in seconds from start to end of animation)
One-Handed Light 0.5 - 0.8
One-Handed Heavy 0.8 – 1.4
Two-Handed Light 0.8 – 1.6
Two-Handed Heavy 1.3 – 2.0

They also have different base combo lengths. Combos can be expanded upon through certain
levelling routes in the Skill Trees for Body and Mind. (For further information on how the skill trees
effect combat, see the Skill Tree segment pg. 30)

Weapon Class Combo Length (Light Attack) Combo Length (Heavy Attack)
One-Handed Light 4 2
One-Handed Heavy 2 1
Two-Handed Light 3 2
Two-Handed Heavy 2 1

Additionally, the Weapon Class also effects things like player Speed and Jump height to show the
difference in weight and how unwieldy certain Weapon Classes can be. (Note: some Equipment can
improve mobility while using certain associated Weapon Classes).

Weapon Class Base Player Speed Reduction Base Player Jump Reduction
One-Handed Light 0% 0%
One-Handed Heavy 10% 10%
Two-Handed Light 5% 10%
Two-Handed Heavy 20% 35%

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Similarly, there are two Weapon Equipment slots available to players. These can be filled with a
combination of the following: 1 One-Handed Weapon and Off-Hand Equipment, 2 One-Handed
Weapons or 1 Two-Handed Weapon.

Weapons can be found and bought while adventuring. Each Weapon has its individual Damage stat
which increases the higher the items minimum Equip Level and rarity. (More on Weapons in the
Equipment section pg. 25)

Off-Hand Equipment
Similarly, to Weapons but unusable for combat attacks or abilities, Off-Hand Equipment is often used
simply for Stat increases or Blocking. Off-Hand Equipment cannot be equipped in the Main Hand Slot
and cannot be equipped in combination with a Two-Handed Weapon. Off-Hand Equipment includes
Shields and Relics. Shields are used specifically for Blocking and Parrying, while Relics are designed
for increasing the strength of Miracles and benefiting Soul related abilities.

Dual-Wielding
One-Handed Light Weapons can be equipped in both the Main and Off-Hand Slots. When Dual-
Wielding, the players attack animations, combos and speed will change. In a way Dual-Wielding is
like a Weapon Class of its own.

Attack Speed Combo Length (Light Attack) Combo Length (Heavy Attack)

Dual-Wielding 0.3 – 0.8 5 3

Base Player Speed Reduction Base Player Jump Reduction
Dual-Wielding 5% 5%

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Dodging
Dodging allows the player to use invincibility frames and a sudden burst of movement to avoid
taking Damage in combat.

Blocking
Blocking will reduce incoming Damage when used. Weapons and Off-Hand Equipment have a Block
percentage which is the amount incoming Damage is reduced by while Blocking. Blocking has no
effect when being hit from behind. When Blocking, the Equipment in a players Off-Hand is the
Equipment used in Damage reduction. When wielding a Two-Handed Weapon, Blocking will ignore
the lack of Equipment in the Off-Hand and take the Damage reduction of the Main Hand weapon.

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Parrying
Some attacks can be parried. When parried, an enemy’s attack is completely negated and they are
Vulnerable for three seconds. While Vulnerable like this they take double damage until recovering. A
Parry is performed by blocking at a specific point in the parryable attack’s animation. Rather than
holding the block in anticipation, players can time their blocks to take advantage of the full damage
reduction and bonus damage of a parry.
Stagger
The player and most enemies can be Staggered if hit with enough force. Being Staggered will cancel
an attack animation and stop them from being able to initiate a new attack, block, dodge or move
for 0.4 seconds.

Critical Hit
Every attack from the player has a chance to hit for double damage. Critical Hit chance can be
increased by weapons and equipment as well as the secondary stat Precision. (more on Stats pg. 24)

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Damage Types
There are multiple damage types that weapons and enemies can inflict. Damage types come in two
classes, Physical and Aether. Each Damage Type has a secondary effect unique to that type.
Secondary Effects can have their effectiveness reduced by the Resistance stat (more on Stats pg. 24)

Damage Type Damage Class Secondary Effect
Slicing Physical n/a
Blunt Physical +15% Damage vs. Heavy Armour
Piercing Physical +15% Damage vs. Light & Medium Armour
Haemorrhaging Physical Hits Fill a Gauge, when Full Applies a Moderate Damage
Bleed DoT (5 seconds)
Fire Aether Hits Fill a Gauge, when Full Applies a High Damage Burn
DoT (3 seconds)
Frost Aether Hits Fill a Gauge, when Full Applies Slow (10 seconds)
Reducing Movement Speed and Dodge Speed
Lightning Aether Hits Fill a Gauge, when Full Applies Paralysis (3 seconds)
Disabling Attacks, Abilities and Movement
Poison Aether Hits Fill a Gauge, when Full Applies a Low Damage Poison
DoT (12 seconds)

Armour
Armour decreases the amount of damage taken from Physical class damage. Higher rarity and
higher-level armours will also provide stat boosts to certain primary stats as well as Aether damage
class reduction. (For more on Armour Level and Rarity Scaling in the Equipment section see pg. 25)

There are 7 different types of Armour Slot and a player may only equip one of each Armour Type at a
time.

Armour Slot Armour Type Examples
Head Helmet, Bassinet, Coif, Hat, Hood, Circlet
Torso Cuirass, Hauberk, Chainmail Vest, Leather Jacket, Shirt, Robes,
Shoulder Pauldrons, Spaulders, Cape, Cloak
Arms Vambrace, Guards, Wristwraps, Bracelets
Hands Gauntlets, Gloves
Legs Cuisses, Leggings, Trousers, Kilt
Feet Greaves, Shoes, Boots

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Additionally, Armour is divided into three classes: Heavy, Medium and Light. The higher the Armour
class, the more they reduce the player’s mobility but the higher damage reduction they will provide.

Armour Class Armour Type Examples
Heavy Helmet, Bassinet, Cuirass, Hauberk. Pauldrons, Spaulders,
Medium Vambrace, Cuisses, Greaves
Coif, Circlet, Mail Vest, Leather Jacket, Leather Spaulders,
Light Leather Guards, Mail Leggings, Leather Trousers, Leather
Boots
Hood, Hat, Shirt, Robes, Cape, Cloak. Wristwraps,
Trousers, Kilt, Cloth Shoes

Armour Class Mobility* Reduction

Heavy 2%

Medium 1%

Light 0%

*Player Speed, Dodge Speed, Dodge Distance and Jump Height

Stamina
Attacking, dodging or using Body and Mind combat skills uses a player’s Stamina. This resource
regenerates somewhat rapidly but must be managed responsibly in combat. Being low on stamina
opens a player to attacks they cannot dodge or counter.

Miracles
Miracles are an additional avenue in combat allowing a variety of new options from ranged attacks
and AoE to healing and temporary stat boosts. These abilities can be interspersed into the flow of
combat by assigning abilities to up to six easily accessible slots. These abilities will be further
explored in the Skill Tree section (see pg. 30)

Mana
Miracles can only be used if the player has enough mana. Mana is spent every time a player uses a
Miracle. Mana by default has no regeneration unlike Stamina, requiring items or specific Vendors to
refill should it run out.

Becoming a Virtue
When the player becomes a Virtue their abilities change drastically, causing a huge shift in how the
game plays. Upon becoming a Virtue, the following changes are applied:

- Unlocks Skill Tree
- Unlocks Miracles
- Base Movement Speed Doubled (both walk and run speeds)
- Unlocks Virtue Jump (superhuman jump replacing the very basic base jump)
- Unlocks Air Attacks & Combos
- Unlocks Air Dodge
- Dodge Speed Doubled
- Dodge Distance Doubled

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Damage & Healing
Players will receive damage in battle as they explore the untamed wilderness of Serenia. The options
available to the player for healing are as follows.
Healing Miracles
Players have access to healing via Miracles. (see the Skill Tree section pg. 30 for more information)
Healing Items
Players can use single use items for healing. (see the Items section pg. 27 for more information)
Rest Zones
Some areas of the map are designated Safe Zones. These are usually locations of concentrated
civilisation where the player character can lower their guard. Players will naturally regenerate health
while in these areas.
Aether Pools
Aether Pools are small areas of water that have become irradiated by the Aether. The player can
absorb the Aether in these pools for a single, instant full heal and mana refill. All Aether Pools in the
world are reset whenever players enter Rest Zones.
Death
Upon death, players will revive at the last Shrine the used. Shrines are dotted throughout the map
but must be used to set as a respawn point. Upon death, players lose a fraction of their gold and
unspent experience. Other than respawn points, Shrines are where players can spend experience
points to level up. (Note: see the Levelling section pg. 30 for more on experience and levelling)

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Character Statistics

There are a variety of stats and hidden stats that effect the player characters abilities and resources
in subtle ways. Below are the 8 primary stats and the effects the have on the player. These stats are
increased by equipment, levelling up the skill trees for Body, Mind and Soul and can receive
temporary boosts with use items and Aether magic. (Note: more on levelling on pg. 30)

Stat Skill Class Stat Increase Effect
Vitality n/a Increases Health
Athleticism n/a Increases Stamina and Armour Equip Requirements
Endurance Body Increases Resistance (Reduces Secondary Damage Effects)
Strength Body Increases Damage of Heavy Weapons and Body Combat Skills
Dexterity Mind Increases Damage of Light Weapons and Mind Combat Skills
Conviction Soul Increases Damage and Healing of Soul Skills
Awareness Mind Increases Dodge Speed and Reduces Dodge Stamina Cost
Coalescence Soul Increases Mana and Mana Regeneration

Additionally, there are five secondary stats with complimentary boosts to specific playstyles. These
abilities are only affected by Equipment.

Stat Stat Increase Effect
Encumbrance Reduce the Speed and Jump Reduction from Heavy Weapons
Poise Reduce Chance of Stagger when Hit
Versatility Increased Movement Speed and Attack Speed when Dual-Wielding
Precision Increases Critical Hit Chance
Channelling Reduces Miracle Mana Cost
Catharsis Increases Mana Regeneration when Not Wearing Medium/Heavy
Armour

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Equipment

Equipment Rarity and Level Scaling
All Equipment (Weapons, Off-Hand, Armour, Rings, Amulets) have their own Rarity and Item Level.
Higher Rarity Equipment is much harder to find and more expensive to buy. However rarer
equipment will be significantly better than equipment of the same Item Level but Lower Rarity.

Rarity Level Name Rarity Colour
1 Common White
2 Uncommon Green
3 Rare Purple
4 Unique Orange

There are set naming conventions for uncommon and rare items (armour and weapons) that are tied
to specific stat increases. Some naming conventions and the set stat increases are tied exclusively to
rare items. Unique items are excluded from these naming conventions as they are representative of
specific narrative items within the world’s lore and history.

Stat Increase Prefixes and Suffixes
Equipment of Uncommon and Rare rarities come with Prefixes and Suffixes to the Equipment name
to signify the type of Stats it will increase. Common Equipment receives no stat increases and
Unique equipment have unique, lore-based names; thus, both ignore these naming conventions.

Uncommon items will receive one Prefix or Suffix. Rare items will receive both, and potentially have
a Suffix associated with the improvement of two-stats. This means Uncommon items will improve
one Stat, while Rare items will improve 2-3.

As an example, a Hardy Bassinet of Protection will come with stat boosts for Poise and Endurance.

Prefix Prefix
Mighty
Stat Hardy
Encumbrance Flexible
Poise Masterful
Versatility Embroidered
Precision Comfortable
Channelling
Catharsis

Suffix Suffix
of Vigour
Stat of Ease
Vitality of Protection
Athleticism of Might
Endurance of Fidelity
Strength of Faith
Dexterity of Alacrity
Conviction of Devotion
Awareness
Coalescence

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Two-Stat Increase Suffixes
Equipment with these Suffixes will improve two individual Stats within the associated Skill Classes
(Body: Endurance/Strength, Mind: Dexterity/Awareness, Soul: Conviction/Coalescence). The Stat in
the first Skill Class (the Primary) receive a higher stat increase than the second Skill Class stat (the
Secondary). An item can only have one Suffix so these do not stack with One-Stat Suffixes.

Primary & Secondary Stat Suffix
Body, Body of Butchery
Body, Mind of Evisceration
Body, Soul of Domination
Mind, Mind of Enlightenment
Mind, Body of Excellence
Mind, Soul of Brilliance
Soul, Soul of Piety
Soul, Body of Fervour
Soul, Mind of Zeal

There are bonus benefits Equipment of all Rarities including Common can have that are not tied to
naming conventions.

- Increased Bleed Application
- Increased Burn Application
- Increased Poison Application
- Increased Slow Application
- Increased Paralysis Application
- Slicing Damage Reduction
- Blunt Damage Reduction
- Piercing Damage Reduction

Unique items can have unique benefits outside of the predetermined ones above to make them
stand out even further. These can include completely new mechanics and skills.

Rings & Amulets
Additional Equipment slots are available for up to 2 rings and an Amulet. These Equipment do not
affect damage reduction or damage output like Armour or Weapons; however, they carry the same
Stat increases and naming conventions of Uncommon and Rare items. Common Amulets and Rings
have no effect on the player and exist largely as loot to sell. (Note: for more on loot and gold, see the
Money & Shopping section pg. 29)

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Items

Alongside Equipment, there are a variety of other items players can find while exploring or buy from
Vendors in the world.

Healing
Healing items provide the player with the ability to heal without using Soul energy. These items are
one-use heals that players can use to save themselves in a pinch or use to heal between combat.
There are two forms of healing items that players can find or purchase.

Aethervials
Aethervials are vials of Aether-irradiated water that provide instant recovery of a percentage of the
players mana on use.

Small Aethervial Mana Recovery
Medium Aethervial 30%
Large Aethervial 45%
70%

Health Potions
Health potions are special brews with potent healing powers that provide instant recovery of a
percentage of the players health on use.

Small Potion of Healing Percentage of Health Regained
Potion of Healing 30%
Large Potion of Healing 45%
Vessel of Vigour 70%
100%

Heal Powders
Heal Powders are natural remedies made from a mixture of natural ingredients. These provide the
player with a slow heal over time, best used outside of combat or during combat for an increased
health regeneration effect.

Portion of Heal Powder Healing Amount (of Player Health)
Pouch of Heal Powder 150% (45 seconds)
Pot of Heal Powder 150% (30 seconds)
150% (15 seconds)

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Herbs
Herbs are one-use items that enhance certain stats temporarily to aid players by boosting damage
and resistances. Some herbs have unique effects to aid players in more situational circumstances.

Rosemary Stat Increase
Thyme Endurance
Lemongrass Strength
Lavender Dexterity
Spearmint Conviction
Sage Awareness
Basil Coalescence
Liquorice Encumbrance
Coriander Poise
Turmeric Versatility
Saffron Precision
Fennel Channelling
Catharsis

Herbs come in different rarities that dictate how long they last.

Prefix Increase Amount and Time
Dried 10% (30 seconds)
Wilted 10% (1 minute)
Fresh 10% (3 minutes)

Loot
There are numerous other, throwaway items in the game which are solely used to sell to merchants
for gold.

Resources
Resources are a specific type of Loot that can be sold to specific vendors for several benefits. Should
players sell enough of a certain resource to a vendor, they will receive benefits including more items
available in their shop, discounts on items or better selling prices. (Note: more information on
vendors in the Money & Shopping section pg. 29)

Vendor Type Resources
Blacksmith Mineral Ores & Bars
Tailor Cloth & Leather
Herbalist Seeds

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Money & Shopping

Money is represented in game as gold and is a resource for players to spend on a variety of items
and services. Players can get gold from killing enemies, selling loot and items to vendors and for
completing a variety of tasks and quests.

Vendors
Vendors provide a place for players to stock up on helpful items and buy better equipment. They
also offer a place for them to sell their old equipment and loot. There are different types of Vendors
that each sell specific types of items and equipment.

Vendor Type Sales
General Vendor Sells an assortment of Items and Equipment
Blacksmith Sells Weapons, Shields, Heavy Armour and some Medium Armours
Tailor Sells Light and some Medium Armours
Herbalist Sells Herbs and Healing Items
Jeweller Sells Amulets and Rings
Healer/Sage Sells Health Recovery Items. Mana Recovery Items and Off-Hand Equipment

Some of these vendor types are compatible with certain resources which when sold to them will
upgrade that specific vendor. Each upgradeable vendor has 5 levels to their upgrade path, with each
level up giving the vendor new items in the shop as well as discounts and better selling prices. (Note:
Resources do not upgrade all vendors of that type, just the unique vendor that the resources have
been sold to. Each individual vendor has its own upgrade path)

Vendor Level Level Unlock
1 15% Discount on all Equipment/Items for Sale (Stacks)
2 More Equipment/Items to Purchase
3 +20% Sell Price on the Vendor’s Associated Equipment/Items
4 10% Discount on all Equipment/Items for Sale (Stacks)
5 More Equipment/Items to Purchase

The Level 3 Sell Price Increase is specifically on the sale of specific Equipment or Item types
associated with said Vendor.

Vendor Type Valid Items for Sell Price Increase
Blacksmith Weapons, Shields, Heavy and Mail Armour
Tailor Cloth and Leather Armour
Herbalist Herbs and Healing Items

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Levelling

To gain access to more skills and stat increases, players must level up the Body, Mind and Soul skills.
Players will receive experience for performing certain tasks (completing quests, key narrative
moments, defeating enemies etc.). Experience can then be spent on increasing the levels of the
three skill trees. Players may only spend Experience points while using Shrines. A percentage of a
player’s unspent experience points will be lost on death, so players are encouraged to be
precautious while adventuring and use Shrines often to spend their experience.

Skill Tree

The Skill Tree is where players can spend experience to increase stats and unlock new abilities. There
are three branches on the skill tree for players to spend their experience: Body, Mind and Soul. Each
branch has its own separate level which can be increased by spending experience points. When a
branch levels up, it increases a player’s stats related to the accosted branch and gives the player one
skill point to spend in that branch.

Players can use skill points to buy skills in a branch. Skills include passive abilities and active abilities
(including new combo attacks and miracles). Different skills cost different amounts depending on
how beneficial they are to the player (up to a maximum of 5 skill points). Additionally, many skills
require the branch to reach a certain level to unlock, meaning players will have to dedicate a lot of
experience to a branch to unlock the best skills for purchase.

Body

The Body branch symbolises the player channelling the Aether into William’s Body to increase his
strength and resilience. Body is focused on improving the players abilities to reduce incoming
damage as well as fight using Heavy Weapons.

This branch when levelled up increases the following stats:

Stat Increase Per Level
Vitality 1
Athleticism 1
Endurance 2-3
Strength 2-3

Player’s who level the Body branch will unlock new combos when using One-Handed Heavy
Weapons, Two-Handed Heavy Weapons and Shields. Additionally, they will gain access to passive
abilities that are focused on reducing the damage they take in combat, improving their mobility in
combat and improving their damage with Heavy Weapons.

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Mind

The Mind branch symbolises the player channelling the Aether into William’s Mind to improve his
perceptiveness and agile thinking. Mind is focused on improving the players ability to move and
dodge with ease as well as fight using Light Weapons.

This branch when levelled up increases the following stats:

Stat Increase Per Level
Vitality 1
Athleticism 1
Dexterity 2-3
Awareness 2-3

Players who level the Mind branch will unlock new combos when using One-Handed Light Weapons,
Two-Handed Light Weapons and Dual Wielding. Additionally, they will gain access to passive abilities
that are focused on improving dodging, jumping and movement, increasing crit chance and
secondary effect application and improving their damage with Light Weapons.

Soul

The Soul branch symbolises the player channelling the Aether into William’s Soul to improve their
miracle casting and better control over the Aether. Soul is focused on improving the players ability to
cast miracles and manage their mana.

This branch when levelled up increases the following stats:

Stat Increase Per Level
Vitality 1
Athleticism 1
Conviction 2-3
Coalescence 2-3

Player’s who level the Soul branch will unlock new and improved Miracles to use in and out of
combat. Additionally, they will gain access to passive abilities that are focused on improving the
power of their Miracles, their mana management and regeneration as well as adding additional
magic effects to melee weapons when wielding a Relic.

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Quests

Quests in Project Atonement do not function like regular RPG quests. Following the formula of
games like Dark Souls, Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus, the game is largely devoid of
life between settlements and thus multiple branching plot threads and side quests are unnecessary
as the game is focused on the player experiencing a barren apocalypse.
For quests, the game simply provides guidance through dialogue. NPCs will guide players to new
story locations or ask William to help them. As an action RPG, the focus is primarily on the main
story line and combat encounters as opposed to balancing quest logs. However, having NPCs with
small tasks is a great way to make a player feel they’re in a more interactable environment.
Additionally, these NPCs and their tasks can help guide players towards or directly teach players
about the world and narrative.

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Heads-Up Display

The Heads-Up Display for the game will remain simplistic and easy to read, following the
conventions of many similar games. Below shows the layout of the in-Game HUD for both PC and
Console.

The HUD is designed to be as non-distracting as possible. Additionally, each of the three corners has
been designated to a specific communication: Resource Management (Top Left), Combat Abilities
(Bottom Left) and Currencies (Top Right). Note that the most important aspect (Resource
Management) has all been placed in the Top Right, this is key as this will often be the area of the
screen a players first instinctual check for vital information.
The Resource Management in the Top Left consists of a Health Bar, Stamina Bar, Mana Bar and
Useable Item Slots. The larger Use Item Slot is the current active slot, while the smaller slot beside it
shows the next item in the stack. This makes navigation smoother for the player when scrolling
through items.
In the Bottom Right are the Ability Icons. These will change when the player scrolls through/between
the Miracles and melee abilities.

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Narrative Design

There is a full, detailed narrative document to compliment this GDD, read that document for more of
the world of Serenia and narrative of Project Atonement

Enemy Design

(see Visual Inspiration for more on enemy visual design, pg. 6)

The enemies in the game take the form of mutated animals and humans, just at different levels of
mutation. Early in the game, players will largely be faced with simple mutations with Bears, Rats,
Wolves and the like being bigger, nastier and covered in boils, torn skin and warped limbs and
features. Later these creatures will be more heavily scarred and warped by the Aether, to the point
where they resemble completely new creatures. These new creatures can vary from sharing
similarities to fantasy monsters (werewolves, centaurs, drakes) or completely unintelligible
abominations that are mutated beyond comprehension.

The Seraphim are the main bosses of the game and the primary focus of the player attention for
most of their play time. These creatures are the warped remnants of the Saint’s Pillars who no
remain trapped as demonic creatures destined to represent the opposite values they held in life.

(for more information on the Seraphim read the Narrative Document)

World Design

The game’s world is a large, open map that after completing the tutorial they are free to explore.
Dotted throughout each region will be a few notable signs of civilisation, but the world between is
largely barren since the Collapse. Additionally, the map will be scattered with key focal points. These
will include ancient ruins, caves, abandoned battlefields, graveyards etc.

The Hamlet and Briary Woods

This section is dedicated to the game’s introduction. The player is required to complete this segment
of the game before being set free in the open world.

Southweald

The players will start here and have the freedom to travel the whole Southweald map and beyond
should they choose to. However, upon entering the open world the player is yet to become a Virtue
meaning most areas they will be massively outmatched by enemies and find it impossible to
progress. Additionally, areas of high Aether corruption like the Sanctum Marshes and The Matrem
Grove require the player to have reached a certain level to enter due to the Aether energy here
being damaging to weaker Virtues and mortals.

Cwenland & Gwynfeld

These areas are explored more thoroughly and safely during the mid to late stages of Act II, during
which the player will be finding and slaying the Seraphim.

Solstice

Locked off until the end game, Serenia’s capital will host the final act of the game.

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35

Level Design Plans (Demo)

Level Narrative

Act I – Level Start & Hamlet Quests
The Demo takes place in The Hamlet right at the beginning of the game. William is totally unaware of
the outside world, living a simple life caring for his younger brother and helping out around the
village. The game starts with what seems like a totally normal day. William has been on a midday
walk around the outer village and fields before returning home.
After helping out with a few favours and chores around the Hamlet, William is told by one of the
local residents at the Tavern that the people on the outskirts are worried about these rumours of
beasts in the woods and want some help training guards to protect the Hamlet. Here William
practices and hones his skills with a crude sword before...
Act II – Mutant Rats
RATS! The Hamlet is suddenly attacked by Mutant Rats and William must help defend against them.
Act III – Dream Sequence
After defeating them he rushes home to check on his younger brother, to find him fitting and writing
in agony. William is then given a vision where he wanders through a dream version of the Hamlet
coated in orange mist. Here he communicates with strange spirits who seem to be a mix of his
brother’s conscience and an external evil force trying to manipulate him (who turns out to be Eadric,
one of the Saint’s Children).
Act IV – Sage Meredith & Level End
After leaving the vision, William runs into the rainstorm carrying his brother’s convulsing body all the
way to the watchtower to speak with the wis sage Meredith for help. She explains to him the
Ophanim and Virtues, the act of Coalescence and exactly what William needs to do to save his
brother’s life. William then leaves the Hamlet to go and find a way to save his brother. (refer to the
narrative document for more on the characters, places and concepts discussed here)

Location Aesthetics & Focal Point

The Hamlet’s aesthetics are based on traditional, medieval towns in Europe. Large spacious green
fields, alpine forests and beautiful mountains. The only stand-out feature of the level will be the
Windmill atop a cliff overlooking the sea, which will serve as the focal point of the map as it can be
seen from almost everywhere the player can go.

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Height Map & Scale

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Key Areas & Quest Locations

Act I – Level Start & Hamlet Quests
Here the player must complete (in any order) the three quests around the Hamlet. These include
helping Aunt Clement collect her crops, the Blacksmith’s Wife find her missing son and complete
sword training with the Fisherman’s Father.
Act II – Mutant Rats
Here the player must kill all enemies in the Hamlet’s field.
Act III – Dream Sequence
Here the player must talk to William’s younger brother Lawrence and complete the dream sequence
by talking to the spirit at the Windmill.
Act IV – Sage Meredith & Level End
After waking up in their home, the player must go to the Windmill in the night, speak with Meredith
and then leave the map, ending the demo.

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Critical Path & Level Goals

Hamlet – Day
The longest segment of the demo sequence, the critical path for this segment involves some back
and forth between the different areas of the Hamlet. Path 1 shows the route to through the Hamlet,
completing the short quests to help the village folk. Path 2 shows the player making their way to
Sword training before encountering the Mutant Rats in the fields. Path 3 takes the player back to
Lawrence before being taken into the Nightmare Hamlet.

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Hamlet – Nightmare
In the Nightmare Hamlet, the player simply needs to travel to the Windmill and talk to the spirit
there. All the other spirits here aren’t mandatory to speak with however all the spirits encountered
along the critical path will provide key information to help the player understand that Lawrence is
here and being manipulated by an external being.

40

Hamlet – Midnight
Returning to the material world, the player simply needs to visit Meredith in the Windmill before
leaving the Hamlet.

41

Level Pacing

The level is paced so that the first Act is rather low-threat to allow the player to get used to the
controls and setting. Act 2 comes in around half way through, bringing combat and adding the first
threat the player will experience. Act 3 then adds a layer of intrigue and interest with the first major
plot development before tying up the narrative of this section and moving on to the next area in Act
4.

1. Level Start
2. Hamlet Quest
3. Hamlet Quest
4. Hamlet Quest
5. Rat Combat
6. Return Home
7. Nightmare Sequence
8. Visit Meredith
9. Level End
Green: Level Start, Blue: Quest, Orange: Combat, Purple: Narrative, Red: Level End

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NPC Locations

Hamlet – Day
During the day, there will be interactable NPCs spread across the map for the player to talk to.

43

Hamlet – Nightmare
Whilst in the Nightmare Hamlet, spirits will appear when in close proximity that the player can speak
with. The numbered NPCs along the path will provide more context on the Nightmare, while the off-
track NPCs will likely speak in garbled nonsense with subtle hints and references to things uncovered
later in the game.

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Enemy Locations & Heat Map

Hamlet – Day
The only enemies in the Hamlet are the invading Mutant Rats. They invade from the forests on the
right of the map here, and are split into three individual encounters before an encounter vs 2, and
then a larger “boss” Rat.

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Script (Demo)

Below are all of the dialogues in the Demo. Some have branching dialogue paths based on player
choice or things being completed/triggered in the game world. These are displayed as diagrams to
show the flow of the dialogue more fluidly. The key below is what each node stands for in the
diagrams.

Quest Related & Multiple-Choice NPCs

These NPCs are tied to quests or have dialogue with branching choices.
Aunt Clement

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Hilda the Blacksmith’s Wife
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