Mai and I will be focused on creating a virtual 2.5D experience, inspired by the Chinese folktale, Monkey Grasps the Moon (猴子捞月亮). The folktale, often retold to young children in slightly different forms, centers around a group of monkeys that mistake the moon’s reflection in the lake as the actual moon. Fearing that the moon has fallen underwater, the monkeys band together to scoop it out of the lake, only to realize in the end that the moon was in the sky all along. The folktale serves as a lesson to young children to think before acting, and acknowledge that things are never quite as they seem at face value.
Our project will allow the audience to control one of the monkeys from the story, and navigate it throughout a scene that changes perspectives/environments as time progresses, staying true to the folktale’s theme. Our inspirations include Monument Valley, a surreal game that plays with dimensions and perspectives, as well as MC Escher, an artist that creates illusory pieces of work.
Moodboard