Fading Lights
A first person detective game inspired by return of obra dinn where you have to interact with various items inside a house and unlock old memories to rebuild your Family Tree.
Step into the fading memories of Max, an elderly man living with dementia. This narrative-driven first-person detective game invites you to explore Max’s home, uncover forgotten fragments of his past, and slowly piece together his family tree while experiencing the world through his perspective.
You play as Max, wandering through his house filled with everyday objects that spark vivid but fragile memories. Each object leads to an interactive scene from Max’s daily life but also some defining moments, while also revealing the symptoms of dementia.
Between memories, you’ll piece together the family tree, connecting names and relationships using the clues you’ve gathered. A unique feature of the game is its dual art style, designed to emphasize the contrast between reality and memory. Max’s present-day home is depicted in a realistic and darker style, grounding the player in the weight of his current life. In contrast, his memories unfold in a cutesy, surreal aesthetic, filled with bright colors and softened shapes. This shift highlights that these scenes are not reality, but fragile, idealized fragments of the past, beautiful, yet fleeting. The game features an emotional soundtrack designed to complement the fragile, dreamlike atmosphere of Max’s memories, with subtle audio cues that guide the player and intensify the emotional impact of key moments.
Gameplay Features
• Exploration & Discovery: Search Max’s home for objects that unlock memory sequences.
• Memory Diving: Enter Max’s fading recollections, where you gather clues and experience his life events from his perspective.
• Symptom-Based Challenges: Each memory reflects a different symptom of dementia, from disorientation to false memories, creating unique gameplay twists.
• Family Tree Reconstruction: Use the clues you uncover to rebuild Max’s family tree. After each memory, connect names and relationships in the UI to gradually restore his history.
• Dialog Review System: Revisit conversations and hints in the UI to ensure you never miss a crucial detail.
Unlike traditional puzzle or detective games, this experience blends storytelling with psychological authenticity. By tying each gameplay sequence to a symptom of dementia, players don’t just uncover Max’s story, they feel what it’s like to live with his condition. The result is a deeply empathetic, emotional journey about memory, identity, and family.
