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This is a quick version of the wiki, intended to take less than 10 minutes to review. If you prefer to see everything, go to the homepage here:

Game Design Wiki: Safe Haven

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Introduction

In Safe Haven, you awake to find yourself in a completely unfamiliar world, surrounded by unfamiliar people who insist they know everything about you. You’ve been ripped from your life on Earth to face a new life as Aer, the spiritually chosen ascendant to the throne of a bewildering empire on a distant planet.

In this narrative adventure game, you will discover the intertwined secrets of the people of Lumiir as they grapple with struggles for power and political control. Unravel their unethical history of experimentation on spirits, body snatching, and universal teleportation. Make choices to align with or against the various factions seeking control and choose the role you’ll play in your reality.

Nearly all of the plot takes place in Lumiiryn the capital city of Lumiir. Lumiir is the most powerful nation on the planet of Iythara, largely due to their scientific advancements in bioluminescent technology and space travel.

The gameplay begins 20 years after the Atrocity. Though Lumiir’s structures are scarred with the remnants of this destruction, the resilient citizens have rebuilt their flourishing, vibrant communities and strengthened their defense.

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Atmosphere and Design

Visual Design Mood Board

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Safe Haven prioritizes strong storytelling over complicated mechanics. It uses philosophical and psychological dilemmas to drive action while incorporating useful collectibles, lore, faction alliances, and intel to reward and motivate the player as they progress.

• Estimated play time: 5**-**10 hours of core gameplay (with additional lore and exploration to reward us completionist folk)
  • Satisfying to replay with multiple endings and faction alignments
• Audience: Teens and adults (due to dark themes, political struggles, ethical dilemmas, occasional violence, and horror)
• Platform: Fit for multiple platforms, including Steam and PlayStation
• Play style: Single player in first-person perspective, open areas
• Genre: Narrative adventure with light RPG and stealth elements

Narrative

The narrative is primarily linear with open gameplay areas and five possible endings; each tied to a different faction alliance.

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Game Pillars

Power of Knowledge: You must master the web of truths to know your destiny

Chaotic Universe: You are faced with the chaotic and uncontrollable nature of reality

Personal Agency: The only meaningful choices you can make are those you make for yourself

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Narrative theme

<aside> <img src="/icons/telescope_blue.svg" alt="/icons/telescope_blue.svg" width="40px" /> When faced with a chaotic, unknowable, uncontrollable universe, the only choices we can truly control are those we make for ourselves.

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Plots and Subplots

The game’s narrative is comprised of four intertwined arcs progressing concurrently:

Aer’s Broken Reality

Stability of the Illuminated Empire

The Test Subjects’ Fight for the Universe

Amari’s Return to Earth

Gameplay

During every level of play, players made choices that increased or decreased their alliances. Each choice was meaningful and helped them shape Aer’s destiny to fit their personal values. In-game lore will provide multiple reasons to align with and against each option. This opens the opportunity for replayability and personalized player satisfaction.

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Core Game Loop

1. Enter the primary quest area
2. Freely explore the area (unless in battle or stealth)
   1. Uncover lore, items, disguise upgrades, and optional extras
   2. As desired, visit a mirror to upgrade or change your disguise, or visit a shop to gain items based on experience/alliance progress
   3. Find more side quest hooks and complete side quests as desired
3. Complete primary quest in the area, gaining reward(s) and a new primary quest
4. Exit the area to head toward the new quest (or return to a previously visited area to explore more)

Quests and side quests may involve:

• Use of collected/earned items
• Light battle (such as shooting arrows to defeat Soundless)
• Stealth and use of collected disguises

Players’ alliance scores are adjusted at each narrative trigger, causing NPCs to react accordingly. Players won’t feel “punished” for any alliance score until far into the game. They will see the results of their choices but still have multiple options available. The game saves their choices by level so they can always restart from an earlier save.

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