Look and Feel
From Time Travel Game
How the game appears visually and its overall mood. Reference colour palettes, lights and other visual references such as films, TV and other games. (Gives the artist their direction when developing the visual character of the game)
The overall look and feel of the game should be light and colourful. While the specific time periods visited during the game will have their own colour palettes and some of them will be quite dark (such as World War II) the game's overall tone is of a grand adventure story along the lines of Pirate of Caribbean, India Jones and the Uncharted games. So while there is room for some darkness and disturbing imagery the majority of what the player sees and experiences should be vibrant, full of life and colour.
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Look and Feel For Time Periods
Out Side of Time
There is only one thing you can really reference when talking about time vortexes and that's Doctor Who. During the levels set in the time stream outside of standard time players will be confined to the Time Agency HQ but they will be given regular glimpses of the vortex itself via windows and viewing areas dotted around the levels. The idea is that time is a huge storm of swirling ideas and possibilities. Mad up of lots of different colours and loud whooshing sounds as it bangs against the Time Agency base.
Far Future
The far future level should be shown as a technological utopia to contrast it with the not to distant future level (detailed below). Lots of clean surfaces and the idea that high technology can work alongside nature. Huge advanced building that are all carbon neutral and free from waste. Basically a Greenpeace member's ultimate fantasy.
Not To Distant Future
Juxtaposed to the far future, the not to distant future should be an imposing and smog filled mega city. With company branding and advertisement splattered across every available surface in a Blade Runner like fashion. This is the dark and grimy future of cyberpunk films and stories.
Modern Day
The key for the modern day set opening and closing of the game is to make the modern day seem utterly boring to be a part of so that the time travel adventure the gam promises is all the more exciting. The main character will live in a small apartment on the edges of a council estate so their needs to be a lot of old, past their time council blocks.
World War II
The WWII mission is divided into two distinct areas. The Allied Forces Base that should be hastily put together stronghold that is barely defendable and the besieged town the Hitler happens to be located in. The town should have a few standing buildings that the Nazi forces have turned into strongholds and command bunkers while the rest of the town should be in ruins with what's left of the remaining buildings being in danger of collapsing.
Victorian London
The brief trip to the Victorian era should give players a whistle stop tour of Victorian London. So players need to see huge industrial machinery, some light steampunk aesthetics, camped housing and of course and Opium Den for good measure. Due to the player quickly passing through the period there should be a few blink and you'll miss it moments and objects on display.
Medieval Period
The medieval period should be very grimy and harsh. Not just because it is set in the dark ages. This is mainly because the player will be travelling with a group of crusaders on their journey to the holy land.
Crusaders tend to get a bad rep in video games mainly down to the use of the Templars as the bad guys in the Assassin's Creed series. They were the action movie stars and superheroes of the time fighting for what they thought was right. The group the player will encounter will be a an elite force of the mightiest warriors in the God's Army. The sound and the gore will be heightened for this mission to enhance the harsh environment feeling it should give the player.
Ancient Egypt
The Egyptian level is divided into two parts. The first a busy market town and the second the Time Agency base near a in construction pyramid. The main challenge will come from differentiating it from the Medieval level that shares a similar desert like setting. Including more egyptian paraphernalia in the two areas than there actually would have been will help. So lots of egyptian statues and murals of their gods. With the odd camel walking around.
Jurassic Era
The Jurassic level is split into three parts. The first an overgrown forte teeming with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. The trees in the forest should be larger than physically possible. So tall that you cannot really see the tops of most of them. The second area is a huge open plane that will see the player running across to reach an enemy base while avoiding stampeding dinosaurs in the process. Finally you have the enemy base that shouldn't be to big but should be well fortified and manned.
