Crimson Threads

Solo Developer
Ongoing

Through working on Crimson Threads I learned how to design scalable narrative systems with nonlinear storytelling. Through iteration, I discovered the importance of giving player choices to maintain engagement and avoid predictability.

Game Summary

Fairytale Dress Up is a narrative-driven dress-up game with a mystery twist. Instead of simply styling characters, each outfit combination unlocks a passage of the story, slowly revealing the truth behind Goldilocks’ mysterious death.ces.

This project showcases my ability to:

Design compelling nonlinear storytelling – Ensuring player choices impact the way the mystery unfolds.
Manage solo development – Balancing narrative, design, and technical implementation.
Create expandable game mechanics – Structuring a system where new characters can seamlessly integrate into the experience.

Game Concept

Balancing Scope with a 3-Digit Numbering System

Challenge: How to make the game scalable while keeping it manageable?
Solution:
Designed the narrative progression using a 3 number system:
3 main characters (Red, Snow, Goldie)
3 outfit components per character (Hair/Makeup, Top, Bottom)
Each unique outfit combination maps to a specific story passage.
This system allows future expansion—adding a 4th and 5th character would still work without breaking existing logic.

In order to ensure it is scalable as well as minimize human errors I created a Design tool using Excel to house the narrative

Initial Concept: A Fairytale dress up game that tells a story

Idea:. Every line of text is tied to a piece of clothing. Players can Interchangeably select different pieces of clothing and create a unique story every time.

Issue: the play experience is very predictable after you use one piece of clothing as well as scoping to ensure that all the line of writing all goes together is very difficult

Concept 2

Idea: Each clothing piece directly revealed a fixed part of the story.

Issue: This resulted in a predictable experience in the beginning of the passage revealed.

Iteration:
Shifted to outfit combinations instead of individual pieces, so every dress-up choice presents a unique POV or narrative fragment.