Title: Genevieve

Genre: Psychological horror, point-and-click adventure and dress up game

Game Mode: Single Player

Pitch: Get dressed to the nines and navigate the cutthroat world of 1950s Hollywood—where fame is earned, not given.

Gameplay Experience

The game is centred around people’s desires for greater things. The aim is for players to feel the desperation for fame and success when it’s the only way out of an unwanted situation. Through the game, players will learn how much it takes to attain the fame they crave and the price they’ll have to pay. There will be references to how Western media portrays Hollywood’s attitudes to beauty being the end-all, be-all of a woman’s career.

Story Overview

Players control Genevieve, an ambitious young woman in the late 1950s from a small American town known for its livestock industry and the daughter of a second-generation immigrant, who moves to Los Angeles to pursue fame. Discovered by the manager of a record company, John Warriner, she quickly rises to stardom. However, as her popularity grows, a younger rival, Angelie, begins to outshine her, fueling Genevieve’s jealousy and paranoia. Despite initial success, her career and mental state begin to unravel as she struggles with her fading fame and the pressure of competition.

The game challenges players to navigate Genevieve’s unravelling mental state and career, with key decisions affecting her relationships, mental health, and path toward either redemption or a darker fate. As she struggles with paranoia and her rivalry with Angelie, the player’s choices will determine whether Genevieve can salvage her fame or spiral further into madness.

Core Mechanics

Dress up

• The dressing room will act as a hub for the makeup station and closet which the player will always be able to interact with. The player can click on accessories and clothes to wear them, and click on them again to remove them. They will be given a theme and the objective will be to dress Genevieve appropriately for the venue/event. The outfit will then be scored and added to the score at the end of the following minigame. 

Minigames

• Rhythm Minigames – The player has to press the corresponding buttons to the beat of a song, get too many wrong and the minigame ends, giving the player the option to change her outfit or retry. 
• Quick Time Events – QTEs will be used to keep Genevieve’s hallucinations at bay and her sanity at equilibrium. 

Communicating with NPCs

• Dialogue choices with other characters can lead to branching options and altering the story through short-term and long-term consequences. Branching options allow players to learn more about a character and possibly use the information later. For example, if a character opens up and confides in Genevieve, the player will be able to use this against them later in the game.

Target Audience

Currently accessible only on PC, it is aimed at people in the 13-25 age range as there is mildly graphic violence and horror. For an audience who are likely more familiar with pop culture references and interested in 1950s Hollywood glamour. The middle to older range may be more nostalgic for dress-up games and get more enjoyment from the psychological horror themes and linking mechanics.