Introduction
T.P.H. is a 2D horror game incorporated with art styles of weirdcore and analog horror. Players will navigate the scientific department of T.P.H., a deadly and dreamy place. The core mechanics of T.P.H. is interacting with different text descriptions to obtain tools and discover puzzles.
More Infos
- Link to itch.io: https://kiriloler.itch.io/tph
Personal Thoughts
Text-Based Games
In most games, texts are messengers of stories. In those text-based games, however, they are interactable objects. After playing several fantastic text-based games, I said to myself: “Isn’t this mechanic a perfect match for puzzle games?” And that is the inspiration of T.P.H.
Weirdcore
Weirdcore to me is a complex sensation. It creates a sense of belonging in an alienated place. When I look at weirdcore images, I can often found elements that are nostalgic or childish: toys, seesaws, slides, birthday cakes……all those childhood items are familiar to me, but only one thing is strangeļ¼
Nobody is here.
That’s right. What makes weirdcore weird is not the its presented items, but its absence in life. Those art pieces are the representations of the childhood playgrounds I had forfeited and abandoned, left with only vague memories that confuses me. I had grown up, with new interests and ambitions, but I shall never forget the happy moments I had with my old friendsāthey takes a precious part of my soul.
Well, I know T.P.H. is a horror game. But besides from thrills and creepiness, I also hope to help some players to retrieve their childhood memories, memories that can support them at dark times.
Analog Horror
I was introduced to the concept Analog Horror from the game Examination of Fear. A truly uncanny game where the players simply needs to evaluate whether a picture is scary. I was so obsessed with such art style and immediately determined to incorporate it into T.P.H.
The Perfect Human
The plot of this game is rather vague, but I actually invested a lot of efforts on it. The story is centered around the concept of “TPH”, an abbreviation for “The Perfect Human”. What I want to share from this story is some insights on perfection. What is perfection? Does perfection actually exists? If so, is it truly perfect?