boyquotes / the-merdividuals

Merpeople are individuals too!

Project Merdividuals

Made over a couple of days by these fine merdividuals:

Art and animation: Claudia

Art and animation: Bruce
@bruceonlybruce
https://undevelopedbruce.com

Sprite and design help: Loz :D

Code: Ripp_ (chao-master) & Kit (gigosaurus)

Project management: Kim
http://berly.kim

Player character (PC)

Name: Peppermint
Species: Merdividual
Gender: Agender

Game overview

Player guides the PC through a series of challenges. They have (or acquire) the ability to change their gender presentation—initially between male and female—with the need to do so to achieve certain tasks or solve certain puzzles.

Beware! Presenting as anything other than yourself is bad for your mental health. Revert back to your agendered merdividual self quickly, or you may find yourself stunted by dysphoria.

Mechanics

• There is a “dysphoria meter” that, by default, sits at 0%.
• PC can change their state at will.
  • Neutral state — PC presents agender (default)
  • Female state — PC presents female
  • Male state — PC presents male
• Appearing in female/male state rapidly increases the dysphoria meter (hitting 100% in ≈2 seconds).
• Appearing in neutral state gradually decreases dysphoria meter (hitting 0% in about ≈8 seconds).
• If the dysphoria meter hits 100%, the player is penalised (slowed?) and forced back into neutral mode for n seconds.

Levels

The one we’ll probably be able to do in the time limit

The PC encounters a maze. The maze is a metaphor for the trouble navigating the world as a person with a non-binary gender identity. That’s deep.

Switching states reveals different sections of the maze that were previously invisible.