Games Development / Final Game & ePortfolio

22nd September 2025 - 17th January 2026 (Week 1 - 17)
Natalie Chu Jing Xuan (0354589)

Chan Xiang Lam (0358400)

Sin Jun Ming (0364638)
Games Development, Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Table of Contents

Reflection

Module Information Booklet (MIB)

Fig.1 Module Information Booklet (MIB)

Final Game: Letters from Yesterday

Group Members:

1. Natalie Chu Jing Xuan (0354589)

2. Chan Xiang Lam (0358400)

3. Sin Jun Ming (0364638)

Game Overview

Letters From Yesterday is a narrative-driven exploration game that focuses on memory, time, and emotional connection.

The player takes on the role of Rowan, a young man who gains the ability to shift between the past and present within the Howard Town. Through this mechanic, Rowan uncovers unresolved emotions, forgotten conversations, and hidden truths by interacting with people and objects that exist across different timelines.

Rather than presenting time travel as a conventional level-based system, the game treats both timelines as overlapping layers of the same physical space. This allows players to experience the environment in two emotional states, emphasizing the idea that memories are not separate worlds, but reflections of one another.

The overall tone of the game is calm, reflective and melancholic. Soft lighting, warm color palettes and gentle environmental sound design are used to create a slow-paced and emotionally immersive experience.

The core gameplay revolves around:

Exploring Howard Town across two timelines
Using the hourglass to shift between the past and present
Interacting with NPCs to uncover hidden narratives
Delivering letters that resolve emotional conflicts

GDD Progress:

In Week 3, we developed the Game Design Document (GDD) to formalize the core design direction of Letters From Yesterday. During this phase, we focused on refining the following key elements:

The main narrative structure and emotional themes
The world setting, characters, and backstory
The core gameplay mechanics, particularly the time-shift system
The visual tone, color palette, and overall atmosphere
UI concepts and interaction methods

The GDD established a clear and consistent design framework for the project, guiding the development process and ensuring coherence across the game’s narrative, gameplay mechanics, and visual direction.

Fig.2.1 Game Design Document (GDD)

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Game Prototype

We implemented two core systems that define the emotional and mechanical identity of Letters from Yesterday:

1. Time-Travel System

The goal of the time-travel system was to allow the player to seamlessly move between the past and the present without breaking emotional immersion.

The design reinforces the narrative theme of overlapping memories and allows players to feel as if they are sliding between moments in time instead of jumping between worlds.

Fig.3.1 The Improved Implementation GD Script for Time-Travel System

2. NPC Interaction Trigger System

The goal of this system was to make conversations with NPCs feel natural and spatially grounded.

Fig.3.2 The Improved Implementation GD Script for NPC Interaction Trigger System

Fig.3.3 Game Prototype

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Static Key Visuals

The static key visuals of our game include key art assets such as the main menu visuals, UI icons, and in-game background illustrations.

Main Menu

Designers: Chan Xiang Lam & Natalie Chu Jing Xuan

The main menu is designed as a key static visual that immediately introduces the core theme of the game, which is letter delivery. We uses stationery-related elements such as envelopes, stamps, pencils, and scissors, allowing players to visually understand the concept at first glance.

Besides that, checkmark hover effect is used to evoke the feeling of a to-do list, reinforcing task completion. In addition, the Settings, Controls, and Credits pop-up menus maintain visual consistency by incorporating envelope-inspired layouts and postal elements. These static UI visuals help unify the overall aesthetic through a cohesive letter-themed design.

Fig.4.1 Main Menu

Time Indicators

Designer: Chan Xiang Lam

During gameplay, a time indicator is displayed on the interface to help players keep track of the current timeline. Since the game allows players to shift between the past and present, this visual cue makes it clear which timeline they are in without interrupting the flow of play.

Fig.4.2 Time Indicators

In-Game Background

Designer: Natalie Chu Jing Xuan

The game’s background illustrations were designed in Adobe Illustrator, with separate art boards created for the past and present versions of the town. Both backgrounds show the same street in full view.

The past environment uses brighter and warmer colours to reflect a more comforting and lively atmosphere, while the present version is intentionally more muted and dull, suggesting that the town and its people have been shaped by events over time. This contrast helps communicate emotional changes in the story through visuals rather than dialogue.

Fig.4.3 Background illustration for both Present and Past Timeline

Envelope Designs

Designer: Natalie Chu Jing Xuan

The three envelope designs were created to represent the three different levels in the game. After the player presses F to collect a letter from the mailbox, the corresponding envelope appears as a visual cue for progression. Whereas, an opened envelope from the grandfather is used as an instructional element, briefly introducing the game’s story.