annota line design document

overview

ANNOTA LINE is a point-and-click narrative adventure game about a train heist. The game takes place in a fictional world where gods exist on a spiritual plane that influences the mortal realm. The player alternates between shifting the fabric of reality as CYNACHOR, the god of medicine; and experiencing this reality as SERAFIN, the heist leader.

design pillars

POWER. The player should at all times be aware of their own power or lack thereof.

TELL A COMPELLING, EMOTIONALLY RESONANT STORY. The player should relate to the characters, their struggles, and motivations. They should be emotionally invested in the success of the heist.

CREATE STYLISH AND UNIQUE VISUALS. The game should be visually remarkable.

deities

There are 10 living deities that come in sets of two. Their power is reliant on the relevance of their domains in the mortal plane, as well as their relationship with their counterpart. (For instance, the gods of flora and fauna have long since passed away due to humanity’s hyperfixation on industry and disregard for nature.) Furthermore, the god of chaos can only be as powerful as the god of order.

SOVKA: god of order, peace, and stability. Iconography: hand, meteor.
AKVOS: god of chaos, war, and instability. Iconography: eye, storm.

CHY’RYM: god of life, creation, and fertility. Iconography: whale.
MYR’CHY: god of death, destruction, and murder. Iconography: squid.

LOSHT’OB: god of pleasure, excess, and hedonism. Iconography: rabbit.
BOL’OSHT: god of pain, loss, and grief. Iconography: owl.

NOTA: god of community, family, and neighborhood. Iconography: bee.
TANO: god of self, introspection, and consciousness. Iconography: tarantula.

CYNACHOR: god of medicine, science, and health. Iconography: snake.
CHORACYN: god of disease, natural disaster, and decay. Iconography: rat.

world terms

ANNOTA: The city that the story takes place in.

EGRO: The disease that decimated a chunk of the human population before mysteriously disappearing without a trace.

NOVA: The drug created as an experimental treatment for EGRO. Proved ineffective at treating EGRO, but the drug is highly sought after for its ecstatic effects. Highly addictive and debilitating after long-term use. Overdoses are common due to its illegal status and lack of regulation.

APHELION: The megacorporation that has monopolized the commercial market. Rules the world via lobbying international governments. The primary distributor of Nova.

THE SERPENTS: The gang founded by SERAFIN, of which ASTER and FLICK are members. Named after their bar, The Serpent.

ANNOTA LINE: The luxury train on which the NOVA heist takes place. Passengers are members of the ruling class and security personnel. Contains various APHELION shipments including NOVA.

serafin titan

SERAFIN TITAN is the leader of the Serpents and the heist. She has a commanding presence and is an expert in cybersecurity. She is emotionally repressed, quick to anger, and generally severe.

relationships

Despite her hatred of NOVA addicts, SERAFIN recruited ASTER to THE SERPENTS because of his incomparable talents. She has since developed a soft spot for ASTER which she is in deep denial of, as he represents everything she stands against.
SERAFIN pities FLICK, the youngest member of THE SERPENTS, and finds them naive and foolish in their devotion. She is disturbed by FLICK’S scientific fascination with EGRO and NOVA, but secretly shares their curiosity.

history

SERAFIN’S FATHER was infected with EGRO and won the lottery to join the ANNOTA EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT PROGRAM. While in the program, he seemed to be recovering, but after being sent home and running out of his limited supply of NOVA he took a turn for the worse. It became clear NOVA had done nothing but worsen his condition, and SERAFIN witnessed her father’s deterioration and eventual death in horror. After he and all the other program participants had passed, EGRO and NOVA seemed gone for good. Until NOVA mysteriously reappeared on the market, and became a mainstream recreational drug.

SERAFIN despises NOVA and anyone who uses it, considering addicts to be making a mockery of her father’s suffering.

Throughout the course of her father’s illness, SERAFIN had become obsessed with computers. She grew especially interested in cybersecurity systems, constructing and deconstructing hundreds of simulations of real-life corporate systems, inspired by the pharmaceutical system public takeover that occurred when NOVA briefly hit the public market.

After her father’s death, the only places that would employ 15-year-old SERAFIN were brothels. She worked at THE ORCHID for 3 years, facing severe physical abuse from her boss but gaining intel on the inner workings of ANNOTA from her clientele. She was ultimately fired for tampering with THE ORCHID’S scheduling system and reassigning her worst clients to other girls.

Using the knowledge gained from her clients, SERAFIN sabotaged the security system of an up-and-coming bar called GLADIATORS, created by rich kids from the countryside. After two weeks under siege the owners agreed to transfer ownership of the property to SERAFIN, which she used to found THE SERPENT. The game takes place 4 later.

aster fell

ASTER FELL is SERAFIN’S second-in-command in THE SERPENTS and the heist. He is immensely charismatic and has a gift for sleight-of-hand, manipulation, and theft. He is laidback, smug, and unstable. He suffers from NOVA addiction.

relationships

ASTER admires SERAFIN’S determination and organization. Despite his affection for her, they frequently butt heads over his addiction. He is torn between wanting her approval and wanting to defy her.

ASTER is amused by FLICK’S social awkwardness, but intimidated by their intelligence. ASTER fears SERAFIN is going to replace him with FLICK.

history

ASTER was born to a prostitute who left him on the doorstep of THE ALYOSHA FAMILY, who took him in as a household laborer. THE ALYOSHA CHILDREN were similar in age to ASTER, and they often played together until EGRO struck and ASTER and the other house staff were no longer allowed in the presence of THE ALYOSHAS without special permission. ASTER was subjected to physical and sexual abuse at the hands of MR. ALYOSHA, which made him suicidal. At 15, ASTER attempted to overdose on everything in the medicine cabinet but survived.

As they got older, THE ALYOSHA CHILDREN started throwing parties, and when ASTER cleaned up afterward he found and used NOVA. He was immediately addicted, and when he could no longer steal enough from the ALYOSHA parties, he took to the streets and eventually ran away completely. His upbringing of having to make himself invisible around THE ALYOSHAS trained him to become an excellent thief, and he discovered he was a natural at charming and manipulating tourists. When he got bored of that, he started stealing money from casinos, brothels, and bars. He became well-known in ANNOTA and highly sought after by gangs. He chose to join THE SERPENTS because unlike everyone else, SERAFIN did not flatter him or promise him anything.

flick hemlock

FLICK HEMLOCK is the newest and youngest member of THE SERPENTS and the final piece of the heist. They are an expert in human anatomy with strong medical and melee capabilities. They are socially awkward, intelligent, and nervous. They are a devout follower of CYNACHOR. They inherited a debt from their parents and owe a large sum of money to a gang called THE NEEDLES.

relationships

FLICK is deeply intimidated by SERAFIN. They feel indebted to Serafin for taking them in, and determined to continue being worthy of THE SERPENTS.

FLICK envies ASTER’S social prowess and seeks mentorship in him. They are also scientifically intrigued by ASTER’S addiction. FLICK worships CYNACHOR, the god of medicine, science, and health. They have dedicated their life to the pursuit of science and it is their life’s mission to earn CYNACHOR’S favor.

history

Born to doctor parents in the countryside, FLICK was always fascinated by the human body and spent a lot of their childhood hanging around the hospital. They learned about CYNACHOR and CHORACYN through their parents’ patients, and soon FLICK became a devoted follower of CYNACHOR. They graduated from medical school at 14 and became a superstar in the field. As FLICK got older and failed to “grow out of” their awkward and blunt mannerisms, patients grew frustrated with them and their peers accused them of coasting through med school with their parents’ help.

FLICK’S PARENTS died in a freak accident when FLICK was 16. They later discovered the accident was orchestrated by a gang called THE NEEDLES after their parents had not made any payments on a 20-year-old debt. FLICK’S inheritance was collected by THE NEEDLES and the remainder of the debt was passed down to FLICK. They were forced to flee to ANNOTA with a new name. No longer able to claim their credentials, FLICK used their anatomical knowledge to study melee combat. They are recruited to THE SERPENTS at the beginning of the game.