Cat Nap

After falling asleep for a “Cat Nap,” you find yourself in a dream garden. Here, a squirrel named Norman badgers you about his lost nut, and it is up to you to help him find it. From the Garden, to the Farmers Market, to the Pond and the Forest, you will meet quirky characters in this little town. Their tasks and errands will lead you to the stolen nut and the robber!

This interactive, mystery game is lighthearted, short and sweet. I was inspired by the article Here's how your cat experiences the world by National Geographic. This article explores the way cats experience the five senses and how their perception of the world allows them to navigate differently than a human. In “Cat Nap,” the game begins in your human owners’ home. I used tiles to create the house layout and human furniture, and sprites/items to highlight what belongs to the cat that you can interact with. In other scenes, such as talking with Norman or talking with Penny, they point out your cat-like characteristics in conversation and why you would be better to complete the task than them. 

In dialogue, I frequently used branching lists to give the player different dialogue after speaking with characters once already or completing tasks. For example, after talking with Penny and being given an errand to run for her, the second time you talk to her she will ask if you have spoken to Hank yet. This can be seen in other dialogue as well such as with Hank, Frannie, and Terry. To do this kind of branching dialogue, I had to set up variables that increased in value after speaking with someone. In other instances, items were collected and if you have them in the inventory you can enter certain areas. This allowed me to control where the player was at and open sections slowly for the player to understand the area.