(css: "font-size: 150%;")[[[Start|Beginning]]]
|About>[(display: "Open About")]
|Credits>[(display: "Open Credits")]
|Extras>[(display: "Open Extras")]You wake up and open your eyes. You look around and see your two siblings sleeping besides you. You get up and walk towards the [[common area|getting up]].Look down at the table in front of you. Thanks to you, all of these characters will (if: $leave is 1)[rally together to rise above their bad situation and reclaim their feelings of safety in their home.](if: $leave is 2)[venture out into the world and have an opportunity to find a better, safer home.]
Though the family went through a lot of heartbreak and tension in a short period of time, they still stuck together - no matter what the future throws at them, they'll have each others' backs. All things considered, this is a pretty good outcome!
Click here to view your [[achievements|Achievements]].You enter the common area and find your parents and your uncle. They've been waiting for you. You are all going to forage for food today.
Your parents want to head north to forage. Your uncle would rather go south and bring you with him. You split up into two groups.
Before leaving, your parents tell you to be careful, and your mom gives you a kiss.
[Kiss her back]<kiss|
[Leave]<leave|
(click: ?kiss)[(set: $mom +=1) (goto: "south")]
(click: ?leave)[(goto: "south")][]<|
(click: ?)[(set: $ to "") (goto: "")]After crossing a long tunnel, you arrive outdoors and find yourself surrended by plants of all kinds. The air is chilly.
Your uncle immediately starts looking for something edible.
How do you make yourself useful?
[I follow my uncle]<follow|
[I search in a different direction]<search|
(click: ?follow)[(set: $search to 1) (goto: "food")]
(click: ?search)[(set: $search to 2) (goto: "food")]{(if: $search is 1)[You follow your uncle. After a bit of digging, you manage to find a great amount of root vegetables. You take as many as you can carry and [[head home]].]
(if: $search is 2)[You go off in another direction and eventually find a tall fruit-bearing plant. You grab as many of the fruit as you can. Your uncle comes to meet you - he has been equally lucky and is carrying some root vegetables. You both [[head home]].]}As you head home with the food, you notice your uncle walking more slowly than usual. He seems preoccupied with something.
You're in the middle of crossing the tunnel to get home when he suddenly stops. He puts his food down and starts talking.
"We were lucky today. Easy food, no dangerous animals attacking us. It's not always that way..."
You nod, waiting to see where he's going with this. There's a hint of worry in his voice as he continues:
"We've always known that it's not an easy life out here. But I think things are getting worse lately. The animals seem to be... *stalking* us. Like they could attack us any time we leave our home. If this goes on, I'm afraid the rest of us are going to die too..."
He looks distant, for a moment. You think about the uncles and aunts you never knew.
Without saying another word, he picks up the food and starts walking. You [[follow him silently]].You walk into the common area together and put all the food you've collected into a pile. Your siblings have woken up and are sitting with Grandma, who beckons you to come closer.
You sit with them and tell them all about your outing. Your little brother (if: $search is 1)[looks curiously at the vegetables you brought back](if: $search is 2)[marvels at the plump fruit you collected], while your sister grooms Grandma's hair.
[[Some time passes...]]Your parents still haven't come back.
During a lull in conversation, your uncle mutters something under his breath. Grandma notices and pipes up: "What did you say?"
He hesitates, then says:
"I think it was a bad idea for them to go north. Really dangerous over there. They might be in danger."
Grandma tuts. "You worry too much! I'm sure they're fine. They should come back any minute now."
As if on cue, [[your parents enter the room]]."Mom! Dad!"
Your brother runs up to them.
They proudly show off what they've collected: a few different kinds of nuts and seeds.
Your uncle is unimpressed. "Why did you get home late?"
Your father answers. "We just wanted to avoid being seen, that's all."
"Being seen? Were the animals there again?"
"Yes", your mother admits.
Your uncle is getting angrier by the second. "I thought we agreed never to go over there when those beasts are around!"
Mom tries to reassure him. "It's fine, I'm telling you. They didn't even notice us!"
"How can you be sure?"
He storms away without waiting for an answer, as your parents look on sheepishly.
Grandma breaks the uncomfortable silence. "Now, everybody, come and [[get your food]]!"Everyone present grabs their share of the food and starts eating. You eat some of yours, and then go to your room to stash the rest for later.
When you come back to the common area, everyone has finished eating.
Grandma is lying down near a wall, relaxing.
Mom and dad are sitting next to Grandma, engaged in discussion.
Your brother and sister are play-fighting and laughing happily.
You notice that there's still a sizeable pile of food on the ground; your uncle, your aunt and your grandpa must have not claimed their shares yet.
You figure you should probably [[bring them their food]].You walk up to the food pile.
Who do you want to see first?
[[Uncle and auntie]]
[[Grandpa]]You gather a good amount of food and head for your uncle and aunt's room.
Technically your uncle has his own room, but ever since your aunt had an accident that left her injured, she rarely leaves hers - so he's often in his sister's room, keeping her company.
You enter. They look up at you from the floor - they're laying on your auntie's quilt, a big mashup of various fabrics and materials found by other family members.
"Hi sweetie!", she says warmly. When she notices what you're holding, she adds: "Oh, thank you so much! You didn't have to bring that all the way here!"
You set the food down and sit next to them as they eat. Your uncle finishes first and turns to you.
"I'm sorry I got angry earlier. I don't like fighting with your mom and dad. It's just... I want nothing to do with that place. I know it's a good source of food, but the risk isn't worth it."
He pauses. Before you can respond, he keeps talking.
"I used to have eight siblings, you know. Three brothers, five sisters. When we discovered that there were food sources north of our home, we thought it would be a great way to feed the growing family!
But one by one we lost them - either they disappeared without a trace, or we eventually found their bodies while we were out foraging. Now there's only me, your dad and your aunt left - and your aunt just barely made it out alive..."
[[He looks over at his sister]], who seems lost in thought.You're leaning down to pick up some food when Grandma calls out to you:
"Oh honey, were you thinking of bringing your grandpa his food? Don't you bother with that, I'll do it. Go [[see your uncle|Uncle and auntie]] instead."He continues:
"I hate to say it, but I think it might be best if we moved somewhere else."
Your aunt breaks out of her thoughts.
"Moving? Where would we go? We've lived here for generations!"
"I don't know. But there's got to be a safer place out there..."
"Maybe", your aunt replies. She sounds concerned.
You've been listening to this exchange silently up until now. What's your opinion on the matter?
[I think my uncle's right. It's dangerous here and we could find somewhere better to live.]<leave|
[It may be dangerous around here, but it's our home. Surely we can stay here and find a way to survive.]<stay|
[Honestly, I don't know.]<shrug|
(click: ?leave)[(set: $leaving to "leave") (goto: "discuss")]
(click: ?stay)[(set: $leaving to "stay") (goto: "discuss")]
(click: ?shrug)[(set: $leaving to "shrug") (goto: "discuss")]{(if: $leaving is "leave")[You speak up: "I don't want any more of us to die. Maybe it really would be best if we left..."]
(if: $leaving is "stay")[You speak up: "I don't think I could just leave my home like that. There must be a way we can all stay here and survive together..."]
(if: $leaving is "shrug")[You stay out of it - you feel like you need to ponder the question a little more before forming an opinion.]
}
{(if: $leaving is "leave")[They seem to ponder what you said.]
(if: $leaving is "stay")[They seem to ponder what you said.]
}
You sit together in silence for a while. You end up excusing yourself from the conversation - it doesn't look like they want to talk any more right now.
You [[exit the room]] and head for the common area, to spend some more time there.As you're walking through the tunnels, you pass Grandma and Grandpa's room. You decide to pay them a visit.
You're greeted by Grandma. She's sitting next to Grandpa, who's curled up and sleeping. He has been very sick for a few days. Your uncle thinks he got poisoned but the others aren't sure.
You step closer and ask: "How is he doing?"
Grandma replies: "I'm not sure... It doesn't seem like he's gotten much better, but he's still hanging on for now. I brought him his food but he won't eat."
You look at him. He's curled up and breathing slowly. His pale brown hair is all out of place.
Grandma adds: "I know about your uncle's opinions. He thinks this place is going to kill all of us."
She looks deep in thought as she continues talking.
"I do understand how he feels. The ones we lost were my children." She looks over at Grandpa. "*Our* children. It hurts to know that every time another one of you goes out there again, you might never come back.
But what choice do we have? The south is less dangerous and it has plentiful food, but it freezes over in the winter. What are we supposed to do then? We have no choice but to venture north to get our food. We're stuck between a rock and a hard place."
She strokes Grandpa's back as he stirs in his sleep. He opens his eyes and looks at you.
"I think he's too weak to speak right now", Grandma explains. "But I'm sure he's happy to see you."
You spend a little more time with them, gently talking to Grandpa while he's awake. When you leave, you:
[Say goodbye]<bye|
[Give Grandpa a kiss]<kiss|
(click: ?bye)[(goto: "commonarea3")]
(click: ?kiss)[(set: $mom to +=1) (goto: "commonarea3")](css: "font-size: 250%;")[Your Text Goes Here]{(display: "Close Credits")
}Designed and produced by Allyson Gray (``allyson_gray@hotmail.com``) and Bassel El-Hakim (basselhakim@hotmail.com). Please contact us if you have any feedback or questions - we'd love to hear from you!|opt>[Credits]
(click: ?opt)[(replace: ?credits)[(display: "Credits")]]|opt>[Close Credits]
(click: ?opt)[(replace: ?credits)[(display: "Open Credits")]]{(display: "Close Extras")
}We meant to implement accessibility features (such as variable text size) and other options, but unfortunately we ran out of time. Development on this game will probably continue after GGJ is over, so if there is any feature you would like to see, please let us know by writing to ``allyson_gray@hotmail.com``!|ope>[Options and Extras]
(click: ?ope)[(replace: ?extras)[(display: "Extras")]]|opa>[About]
(click: ?opa)[(replace: ?about)[(display: "About")]]{(display: "Close About")
}
What does it mean to be "home"? There are so many different answers. For this project, we chose to focus on the feeling of comfort and safety that comes with being at home.
This is a very short narrative game where you are part of a family whose home and way of life are threatened. Should they stay in their ancestral home and face dangers together as they come, or should they leave everything they know and try to find a new place to live?
There isn't necessarily a right answer or a wrong answer - the game is about making the choices that seem best to you.
If you are playing this at GGJ 2019, the envelopes in front of you (containing hidden cards) will be playing a role in your experience.
If you're playing from home and you want to try using the physical components, the image files can be found at this address: https://imgur.com/a/MfXagQE
The physical components are optional, but they're meant to add to the experience. If you print them yourself, you won't have the element of surprise, but maybe you can still experience something new!
We recommend printing them out on cardstock or other thick paper.
**(Content warning: contains some references to violence)**|opa>[Close About]
(click: ?opa)[(replace: ?about)[(display: "Open About")]]|ope>[Close Options and Extras]
(click: ?ope)[(replace: ?extras)[(display: "Open Extras")]]The rest of the day is fairly uneventful. Your parents go out for a second round of foraging, this time in the area south of your home (to your uncle's great relief). They bring back more berries and roots.
In the meantime, you:
[Sleep]<slp|
[Eat some food from your cache]<eat|
[Play with your brother]<bro|
(click: ?slp)[(set: $activity to "slp") (goto: "evening")]
(click: ?eat)[(set: $activity to "eat") (goto: "evening")]
(click: ?bro)[(set: $activity to "bro") (set: $mom +=1) (goto: "evening")]You wake up, surrounded by your siblings as usual. You push your sister's foot out of your face and step over your brother's tail as you get up.
You head for the [[common area|commonarea2]].You enter the common area and find almost everybody standing there. The only ones missing are Mom, Dad and Grandpa. You are surprised to see that even Auntie is out of her room.
**``[GET ENVELOPE NUMBER 1 AND EMPTY ITS CONTENTS. SPREAD THE CARDS OUT IN FRONT OF YOU.]``**
Your sister walks up to you.
"What's going on?", you ask. The atmosphere in the room is tense.
She looks away and hesitates.
[[You repeat your question.]]{(if: $activity is "slp")[You take a nap while your parents are out.]
(if: $activity is "eat")[You eat some of your hidden food. You know your parents will be bringing you more very soon, anyway.]
(if: $activity is "bro")[You play wrestling with your little brother while your parents are out. He tries to push you around, but you're bigger than him. He tries to climb on you instead. You flip him over on his back and he laughs.]}
After your parents get home, the food is split up and everyone goes their separate ways.
Soon, it's time for you to sleep. You head to your room and [[curl up besides your brother and sister]], who are already in bed.Congratulations on finishing Trapped! We hope you enjoyed your experience.
You have earned these achievements through your gameplay choices:
(if: $leave is 1)[**DEFENDER** - You chose to stay and defend your home.]
(if: $mom >= 2)[**KIND** - You showed love to your family members.]
(if: $leave is 2)[**EXPLORER** - You chose to look for a new home in the outside world.]
In recognition of this accomplishment, you may take and keep a physical manifestation of one of these achievements. We encourage you to store or display it somewhere meaningful, to act as a reminder of the quality you showed today!
(if: $leave is 1)[If you want to keep **DEFENDER**, open envelope number 3.]
(if: $mom >= 2)[If you want to keep **KIND**, open envelope number 4.]
(if: $leave is 2)[If you want to keep **EXPLORER**, open envelope number 5]
Thanks for playing!She finally looks up at you.
"Grandpa died today."
You think of him. His eyes and his voice. How he used to be full of energy and always willing to teach youngsters new things.
It feels so strange to think that your visit from last night was [[the last time you would ever see him|deadgrandpa]].
**``[GET ENVELOPE NUMBER 2 AND TAKE OUT THE CARD THAT'S INSIDE. DESTROY THE CARD.]``**You keep waiting for a while. Everyone seems lost in thought.
Suddenly, Uncle speaks up.
"I really hope they're okay. I don't think they're prepared to deal with the dangers of that place. The traps the beasts have put out there..." He shudders.
"It's the stuff of nightmares. The one she got caught in -" He motions to Auntie " - would have crushed her skull or shattered her spine if she hadn't dodged it. She was lucky she escaped with just a broken leg and a missing tail."
Auntie strokes her nubbed tail pensively. She probably doesn't like to relive that memory.
Uncle keeps talking. It sounds like he's thinking out loud.
"I think what they're doing is really foolish. But I don't want the last conversation we had to be an argument. If anything happened to them, I don't know if I could live with myself..."
Serendipitously, Mom bursts out of a tunnel and rushes into the room. She's panicking.
"What's wrong?" [[asks your sister]], alarmed.Mom rushes to explain everything.
"He's still back there. He got stuck on something. I don't know what's happening. Please help!"
Your uncle runs towards her.
"Don't worry, I'll go with you."
He turns around, looking at you and your siblings.
"Anyone else wanna come?"
You share a glance with your sister. You both know your brother is too young.
"You go", she pleads. "I'll stay with grandma.". Grandma seems distressed - she'll surely appreciate the company.
Your mom and uncle rush out of the room, and [[you quickly follow them]].You are now at the exit of the northern tunnel. Your mom tells you to follow her.
You peer out of the tunnel and into the vast, open space. You can smell the stench of wild animals in the air. You've heard that the ones who live here are very tall and loud, with large flat feet - you've never seen them with your own eyes, though.
You step out onto the flat, hard ground, following in your elders' footsteps. Your claws make a faint clicking sound as they hit the smooth surface.
After what feels like an eternity, [[you spot Dad.]]You easily find your way back - the tunnel to the family's burrow was close by.
You don't dare say anything to your sister, brother and grandma. You just sit with them and wait.
When Mom and Uncle finally arrive, Mom is the first one to speak up.
"He won't be coming back."
Everyone looks away, saddened by the news. Your brother leans on you and hides his face in your fur.
Mom speaks up again.
"I'm sorry... please forgive me..."
She's visibly shaken.
"I... *we* thought that if we just put on a brave face and did our job bringing home food every day, everything would be okay. It had been a while since anyone had died. We thought it was unlikely that we would lose anyone else. We were too confident..."
Uncle put his hand on her back. After a brief silence, he announces:
"I'm putting my foot down. Staying here is too dangerous. I propose that tonight we eat up, gather what we can, leave through the southern exit and never look back. Better to go now than wait until the cold weather sets in."
Auntie pipes up, surprising everyone. "It doesn't have to be that way. We can get smarter. Stronger. We can learn from our mistakes and evade their traps - we know what they look like now."
Mom nods. "She's right. I don't want his death to be in vain. I was stupid before and refused to take proper precautions; if we learn from this, we can beat the animals at their own game."
She turns to you and your siblings.
"I still think of this place as my home, and I would be willing to stay and fight for it. But you three shouldn't have to face that if you don't want to. If you want to leave, I'll leave with you."
"Just keep in mind," she adds, "that if we leave, there's no guarantee we'll find a better place."
You and your siblings look at each other. You all answer at once. You decide you want to...
[Stay.]<stay|
[Leave.]<leave|
(click: ?stay)[(set: $leave to 1) (goto: "Conclusion")]
(click: ?leave)[(set: $leave to 2) (goto: "Conclusion")]He's stuck to a flat sheet of a strange, clear material. His body is contorted in odd ways as he struggles to get free.
As you approach, Mom screams out. "WAIT! DON'T TOUCH IT!"
She points to her elbow. A patch of her fur is missing. "I had to rip it off to escape", she explains.
Your uncle looks as stunned as you. He is muttering to himself.
"What the hell is this... I thought I'd seen everything... "
Your eyes to back to Dad. His breathing is rapid and uneven.
You call out to him: "Dad, are you OK?"
"Honey... you're here... your siblings safe?" His speech is broken up by shaky breaths.
"Yes!", you answer.
"Good..."
He pauses.
"I can't breathe well... in this position... but I'm stuck."
"Dad..."
He stops struggling and just lies there, breathing loudly. After a short silence, he addresses you again.
"Honey... I don't know... if I can get free..."
He pulls himself up as much as he can, pulling against his stuck fur, trying to look at Mom out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm sorry..."
She shakes her head.
"No! You can't give up!"
Your uncle nods in understanding. He looks at you.
"I think your dad is going to have to stay behind. Go home to take care of your grandma and siblings, okay? We'll be right with you."
You might have protested, but the look on his face and the tone of his voice make you think that you'd better listen to him.
You turn towards Dad again. "Bye, dad..."
"Bye... sweetie..."
He manages to lift his head up, just barely, before continuing:
"I love... you."
"I love you too, dad."
[[You leave.]]
**``[TAKE THE CARD MARKED "DAD", AND DESTROY IT.]``**As you contemplate this, your sister speaks up again.
"Mom and dad are out foraging. Up north."
She almost whispers the last part.
Grandma interjects: "We're waiting for them to come back. Considering all that's happened, I think it's time for a family discussion."
"Family discussion?", you ask.
"Yes."
She pauses, looking at you and your siblings.
"To be honest, I think your uncle might be right. I was afraid to consider the idea of leaving this place, even moreso because your grandpa was so sick. There was no way we could move him in his condition.
But now that he's... gone... I'm willing to at least [[discuss it]]."Your sister says "Leave."
Your brother speaks out in a shy voice. "Stay."
{(if: $leave is 1)[You say "Stay."]
(if: $leave is 2)[You say "Leave."]}
{(if: $leave is 1)[Since the majority vote among the four of you is "Stay", you decide that you're going to encourage everyone to stay here, try to outsmart your predators and make the best of your situation.]
(if: $leave is 2)[Your mother nods. "Fair enough. If the majority of you want to leave, we can go. I think everyone else is on board as well.]}
{(if: $leave is 1)[It takes a while, but you manage to convince your uncle to stay, at least for a few days, while the family talks things out some more. He agrees, though somewhat reluctantly.]
(if: $leave is 2)[You look around the room. Everyone is getting ready to leave. Auntie, still worried about the trip, points to her twisted leg and asks Uncle if he can help her walk once they're outside.]}
{(if: $leave is 1)[He retreats to his room. Before disappearing into the tunnel, he gruffly admits "I could never leave without you, anyway". Grandma and Auntie smile at him. He smiles back, for the first time in weeks.]
(if: $leave is 2)[He smiles for the first time in weeks. "Sure thing, sis."]}
[[The End|End]]