DREAD IT
DREAD IT
DREAD IT is a mysterious, single-player game focused on exploration, strategy, and execution. In DREAD IT, you play Peggy Caine, a retired cop who is putting her history with the corrupt system behind her while trying to embrace her new, reborn life as a Private Investigator. However, an alarming number of reports come into her office of various disturbances around the city, and a love for hunting monsters is awakened.
Now on Steam!
Now on Steam!
User Interface and Narrative Concepts of DREAD IT
Video of Figma prototype here
The primary goal of DREAD IT is to use your various tools and traps to contain those under the control of the Pillar. You play as Peggy, a private investigator who is tasked with saving various people around the town that become victims of the mind control to the Pillar on the edge of town. Peggy must save the victims and destroy the Pillar for the overall safety of the town!
DEVELOPMENT
How did we get from idea to being on Steam?
Fall 2023
Summer 2024
During Fall of 2024, I joined a team and we began to pitch various ideas for our new game to start creating. We settled on a puzzle based comedic horror game, and the first level my level designer wanted to try is in a office. The original concept of the game was a Social Media website, so this office was to suffice as the server hosting area used to officiate where monsters could fight for bragging rights.
One of the first Main Menu concepts I developed (which eventually made it to the end result) was based on a filing cabinet in the office building to be used as the default main menu. It was planned to open just like a real filing cabinet and would use a dynamic camera to sell the "3D" affect while still keeping the game primarily 2D.
I then proceeded to render out the concept in Unity, as my programmers at the time were focused on creating their custom C++ engine. This (right) was the first prototype of the main menu outside of just the normal paper prototyping.
However, being in an office building, we also wanted to explore the trope of "pinboard with strings attached everywhere". Although this concept goes un-used, it still sells the main goal: Having a dynamic, in-world object to be used as the main menu for our game.
Settings/Credits concepts
HUD in level / Inventory Concept
How was Publishing to Steam as a student?
When it came to the summer semester, it really proved to me that you have to mentally be able to encourage yourself to get the product you want. I had a very chaotic summer, but I still put in many, many late nights getting concepts made in the custom engine.
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This led to a very unique game sense-of-style, and now it's on one of the biggest platforms for published games! So honestly, it's a reminder that even in the hard times, your hard work will be noticed and appreciated.