In Week 7, I started to move Behind the Page from an interaction concept into a more specific visual design stage. In Week 6, I had already organised the core interaction mechanics of the project, including 2D/3D perspective switching, clicking hidden objects, text transformation, and memory fragment collection. Therefore, this week I needed to think about what kind of space these interactions should happen in, and how the scene itself could support the narrative.
Scene Drawing
I decided to set the first main scene in a bedroom. This room is not only a background, but also a memory space. It contains many objects related to childhood, study, family relationships, and personal emotions, such as a desk, computer, homework book, door, bed, poster, and game console. The player can click on these objects to discover text, sounds, or hidden information, and gradually understand the story behind this memory scene.
[Layout / My Room Reference]
[Room Reference]
[Initial Room Scene Sketch]
This sketch helped me think about the basic structure of the bedroom and the position of different objects in the scene.
For the visual style, I wanted the room to look like an opened pop-up book. In the 2D view, the scene would look like a flat illustration. However, when the player switches to the 3D view, the room becomes a paper-like space with depth. The player can then see information hidden behind objects or walls. This design connects the 2D/3D transition with the theme of the project: memory may look simple on the surface, but there may be more hidden behind it.
Visual Style
[Game Reference: Eastward]
[Visual Style Reference]
I wanted the project to combine the form of a pop-up book, paper texture, and a childhood bedroom memory space. I hope to create a visual effect that sits between illustration and 3D space.
For the final visual result, my plan is to first draw the normal 2D scene, and then convert it into a pixel art style. This allows me to keep the structure and composition clear first, before developing the final game-like visual language.
Interactive Objects
This week, I also started to organise the functions of the interactive objects. The computer can represent entertainment and temptation. The homework book can represent study pressure. The door can suggest the appearance of the mother and a sense of family control. The poster can hide clues. The game console can represent childhood desire, while the bed may relate to safety or escape. Through these objects, I want the room itself to become part of the storytelling, instead of only being a decorative background.
[Interactive Object Planning]
This image organises the main interactive objects in the room. Each object is not only decoration, but is connected to the character’s childhood memory, emotion, or hidden information.
In the scene composition, I need to consider both the 2D and 3D viewing modes. The front view needs to be clear enough, so the player can quickly understand which objects can be clicked. At the same time, the 3D view needs to keep a sense of spatial depth, so the player can discover new information after changing the angle. Therefore, when designing the room, I paid attention to the positions of the walls, floor, door, desk, and bed. They need to form a complete image, but also support perspective switching and interaction design later.
Final Room Scene Design
[Final Room Scene Design]
This image shows the main scene direction I developed in Week 7, including the bedroom layout, interactive objects, and the pop-up book-like spatial structure.
Through the visual design in Week 7, I became clearer about the spatial structure of Behind the Page. This room is not only a game scene, but also a container for memory. It needs to visually show the familiar feeling of a childhood bedroom, while also using hidden information and perspective changes to express the incompleteness of memory. For the next step, I will use this visual design to start creating a testable game prototype, and bring the objects and interaction functions into the actual engine scene.