RPG PC game

Panacea

There is a legend that mermaid scales can cure any disease. You play Haru, a seriously ill girl who recovers by a miracle but loses part of her memory. Your best friend is acting a little strange around you, and you can’t shake the feeling that something is missing.

Category: RPG PC game
Role: Game designer, narrative designer, 2D illustrator, UI designer
Duration: Dec 2022 – present
Tools: Figma, Adobe, Unreal, Toon Boom Harmony

Demo

Gameplay demo

The game

Define

Panacea is a third-person, puzzle-solving RPG with horror elements. The player explores the map, gathers clues and pieces the story back together. How completely the clues are collected decides which ending the player reaches.

Background

The story is inspired by contemporary dating culture, where the people most willing to give end up being exploited. People crave love without being sure what it is, and end up looking for something else.

Ego, arrogance and jealousy have always existed in relationships. The game asks whether we are still willing to give, knowing we might be treated badly.

Three ways to play

Explore the world
Players enter as either the good or the bad character, which tells the story from both sides. Both share one map, but the order of events and the goals change.
Scavenger hunt
Haru stays alive by eating octopus meat, which the mermaid drops when attacked. After an attack the player can also talk to the mermaid. Eating the meat returns Haru to the real world.
Unlock different endings
Every clue goes into the backpack, where fragments can be crafted together. Rarer and more complete sets unlock different CG images and endings.