Solo project
Ren’Py
Silla Is Asleep
A narrative-driven psychological mystery visual novel about two Brighton university students investigating their friend’s sudden disappearance.
The design
Silla Is Asleep is a narrative-driven psychological mystery visual novel following two university students in Brighton, Whitney and Harini, as they investigate the increasingly unusual behaviour of their shared close friend, Drusilla. Since beginning a relationship with her new boyfriend, Jack, Drusilla has grown distant from her friends, eventually disappearing from her usual lectures and meetups for an entire week.
In this short playable demo, players can switch between Whitney and Harini, using their distinct personalities, perspectives and knowledge to uncover clues and start to piece together the mystery surrounding Drusilla’s absence.
This visual novel project aims to explore complex themes of female friendship, mental health and toxic relationships through branching dialogue, meaningful player choices and multiple endings.
Future development
I have so many ideas for where I’d like to take Silla Is Asleep, particularly when it comes to exploring the characters and their relationships in more depth. I’d love to experiment further with the character-switching mechanic, potentially limiting it to key moments in the story where seeing events from another perspective could completely change the player’s understanding of what’s happening. I’m also planning plenty of twists, branching choices and multiple endings!
One of the biggest things I’d like to revisit is the artwork. I’m hoping to completely redesign the characters and backgrounds, taking inspiration from real-world locations around Brighton. I’d love to spend some time photographing streets, buildings and little everyday details to help create an environment that feels familiar and believable. I think grounding the story in recognisable locations could make its more unsettling moments feel even more impactful.
There’s also still plenty for me to learn when it comes to coding in Ren’Py! This demo was a great starting point, but I’d really like to push myself further with what I can create, particularly with more complicated narrative mechanics and interactions. It’s definitely a project I want to keep coming back to as my skills develop, and I’m excited to see how much it changes along the way.
