Available on Windows & Mac
Fragments
Evan faces a frustrating battle with his conscience. It's one he cannot afford to lose, or he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars. Under intense scrutiny and questioning from two savvy detectives, how will he fare? That, is entirely up to you.
Manage Evan's Guilt
Under intense scrutiny from two savvy detectives, Evan must either answer truthfully, evade questioning altogether, or be deliberately deceptive. Whichever way, he's sure to face a chilling conclusion.
Memory Gazing
Play through four chapters, diving into the most impressionable moments of Evan's recent memory. Throughout the experience - learn why Evan's closest friend Lucas is no longer with us.
What People Have Said
“The writing hits as hard and impactful as Phoenix Wright.”
“An investigative pixel graphic adventure where you are forced to face events you cut off [from] your mind.”
"The music creates an entrancing atmosphere.”
Soundtrack
Composed in FL Studio 20, this was the first music I'd written in over ten years.
The arrangements are simple, and I feel like they landed very well with Fragments' themes of guilt, repression and denial.
Retrospective
Fragments was the result of a game jam, and it remains close to my heart for several reasons: it was my first commerical game, and I'd learnt a lot about game design, the game engine, writing characters, pacing, the 'Steam process', and marketing.
Looking back, I see room for improvement. The mapping and environment design here is easily my weakest work, and there was a little too much reliance on external tools polyfilling those gaps in knowledge. In terms of writing, the characters fell a little flat in the middle, and often the dialogue simply wasn't punching hard enough into the overall plot - moving at a slow pace; I don't feel like the motivations for Evan's conclusion were strong enough either - though I did attempt to portray him as an unhinged individual that's lost their direction, purpose and mind - I just wish I had added another facet to his character and explored that side a bit more.
I am still very proud of the soundtrack, the overall aesthetic/colour palette, and the collaboration in the first half of the game with EmpressLua. I also think some of my graphic design pieces still come through pretty well - and the trailer sells what is a slow, text-heavy game as well as it possibly could've.
In terms of the game's themes and what it represents - that's an area I've strived to do better in future projects. A 2021 game that's perceived to be 'cops forcing confessions' may have been a little ill-timed, and Evan is yet another white guy protag we're supposed to feel sorry for - or at the very least - one we're trying to protect.
In closing, Fragments represents a specific time in my life during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, where I'd spend every minute I wasn't working my day-job on game-making. It was fun to create something short and sweet, and see it through until the very end.
