Mayu_Zane

I think the folks at Quantic Dream have learned a lot from Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, though the voice acting stuff worries me a bit. It'd be terrible if a dramatic scene was ruined by a jarring accent or a slip-up.
 
Regardless, looking forward to Heavy Rain.

 If I could make just one game in my lifetime, it would be 'In the Land of Giants' (ILG).

Inspired by Yume Nikki's concept of dream exploration, ILG is about a 25-year old sci-fi author named Harry Wong who has been suffering from recurring nightmares about horrific giants that walk around or float over the landscape of his dreams. Though they don't actually do anything but move around, they are so grotesque that he can't help but remember them and they sometimes even appear as hallucinations in the waking world. Worse, sometimes he can hear them whispering words to him.

He then hires a psychiatrist named Dr. Ibrahim to help him understand what's causing these dreams, and possibly find a way to stop these hallucinations.

So the flow of the game is this:

Every night you go to bed, and the days are skipped as you spend those daylight hours writing books. In the dream world, you start off in a shack (which later changes depending on how much of the dream world you've explored.)

In the dream world, your only real goal is to explore and find items. Go to as many places, and find as many things as you can to help Harry understand himself better and find out the origin of the Giants in his mind. Eventually, you'll unlock events that lead to new areas, or new clues regarding the Giants. In the dream world Harry can wake up whenever he wants by pinching his cheek.

You meet the psychiatrist twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. During these sessions, Ibrahim evaluates Harry's progress, which tells you whether you're improving or 'stable' (no progress). Ibrahim also analyzes the items Harry 'found' in his dreams, after which Harry will  unlock an alternate function.

Also, the books Harry writes in the real world depends on his success in the dream world. With a better state of mind, he would be able to write better books and cause events in his dream world.

I suppose I can just spill the endings. I may not ever make this game so hey, I'd rather have people know what it could be rather than never knowing at all.

You end the game by telling Ibrahim you don't want his services anymore.

Less than 10% of the world explored, and has not solved the mystery of the Giants: The poor author continues to suffer from the nightmares, and now every night when he dreams he simply sits down in the tiny shack until he wakes up. Eventually, this leads to him suffering from agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces.

30% of the world explored: He can sleep better at night, knowing that not every place in his dreams is inhabited by the Giants or filled with horrors. However, he still suffers from Giant-hallucinations from time to time. A year later we see Harry sitting in a shack in the middle of a desert.

40% of the world explored, but has not solved the mystery of the Giants: Harry suffers from more hallucinations, but decides to try and live with it. A year later we see Harry sitting in a shack in the middle of a desert.

40% of the world explored, and has solved the mystery of the Giants: Harry goes into deep depression, as he realizes the true origin and nature of the Giants. Ibrahim will insist on continuing to help Harry, to which the player can choose to either accept (which continues the game) or refuse (which leads to Harry eventually becoming insane and committed to an asylum).

60% of the world explored, has solved mystery and has discovered the final clue: Harry understands the Giants further, and has come to terms with what happened prior to the hallucinations. He thanks the doctor, and leads a relatively healthier life alone, enjoying minor success as an author.

80% explored: Harry is at peace, his hallucinations are cured, and he bids farewell to Dr. Ibrahim. Harry goes on to write about his experiences, which enjoys a cult following.

100% explored: Same as 80%, but he and Ibrahim stay in close contact and they eventually become best friends. Later on, they start writing a book together about the exploration of the dream world.

Dream World areas:

Desert Shack - Where you always begin. When you exit, Harry will be in a desert of pale green sand, and the shack is surrounded by 4 manholes. This area will transform according to Harry's progress. In fact, that's how you keep track of how far you've reached. A number written on the outside of the shack in the form of graffiti will change every 10%. If you've explored 10% it will say 10, etc.

The desert itself actually hides a clue item, which is located at the base of the only cactus in the entire desert. Stay by the cactus and you'll get to see random events, such as a headless camel passing by.


The first four areas are accessible via the manholes around the desert shack:

Winter Apocalypse - At first, it looks like a serene winter landscape with great big hills... until Harry realizes they're not hills but skyscrapers covered in snow. Entering one of these skyscrapers can trigger an event where a Giant will walk towards the building Harry's in and then proceed to watch Harry wherever he goes within the building.

Black Lake - Harry falls through the manhole and into a lake inhabited by swimming Giants. Submerged hands and faces can sometimes be seen. A tiny island surrounded by flowers can be found here. Standing in it teleports Harry to the roof of a building in Winter Apocalypse, which cannot be accessed any other way.

The Black Lake hides a few other secrets, including a deserted ship and some clues. A library found inside the deserted ship, this enormous library's books can teleport Harry to other places in his dream world. The library serves as a sort of second hub to the other locations.

Martyr Hall - An enormous mansion with gravestones and paintings inside. No Giants here, but it's recommended not to stare at the paintings for too long...

The basement of Martyr Hall contains a door which leads Harry to 'Hell'. The staircase leading up is an entrance to Valhalla. Try to exit through the front door and you'll find Harry back again in the desert, as if he'd exited the shack.

Hell - Harry's dream hell is actually an unending school classroom. All it is is rows and rows of school tables and chairs, with frightening Giants walking around. If you spend too much time here, the floor changes from plain grey concrete to an enormous face, which also makes Harry move faster out of fear. This is a dead end area, and Harry has to either wake up or use an item to escape. However, this dream area is important as a clue to the Giants' origins can be found here.

Valhalla - This is another dead end area. Valhalla is essentially a battlefield, with corpses everywhere and a few Giants walking about. The only item that can be taken from here is a single battle axe. When Harry takes it, Valhalla turns black and the corpses get up and walk around. The corpses will wake Harry up if they touch him but Harry can feel free to hit them with the axe.

Crayon Land - A world that looks like it was drawn by a child with crayons. There are no Giants here. In the midst of this colorful world is a grey castle that clearly doesn't belong here as it looks more like an oil painting than a crayon drawing.

Grey Castle - There is only one room in this castle, but it's huge and littered with Giants and beds. There is a rose hidden here, sitting on a tiny wheelchair. Connected to Pale City.

Pale City - This is a dead-end area. Populated by faceless people, there is a clue hidden here which Harry must find.

Forest - A forest that seems to fluctuate between night and day at random. Connected to Pale City and Crayon Land.

Shadow Cave - Completely dark without a Torchlight. This enormous cave's tunnels connect to portals to other areas, most notably Galaxy.

Galaxy - The door leading to this place only opens up after you've found the Keycard in Pale City and solved the origin of the Giants. Galaxy is a Milky Way-shaped world containing a mish-mash of Harry's memories. Reaching the center of Galaxy unlocks an event at the Desert Shack.

Items:

Axe - Straightforward, really. Use it to murder any other character in the dream world (They'll respawn). Alternate use: The axe plays a short tune, which affects characters in the dream world.

Scroll - Found in the desert, the scroll contains a simple drawing of a Giant that wanders in Hell. This actually has an alternate use: It makes Giants glow.

Pen - Found in the Black Lake, with ink leaking into the lake and suggesting it's the source of the Lake's 'water'. Harry can use this to create a door that leads back to Desert Shack. Alternate use: Sprays characters with black ink.

Rose - Found in the Grey Castle. When used, a wheelchair appears in front of Harry, which Harry can ride for faster movement. Alternate use: Harry can use this to teleport to the Library.

Voodoo Doll - Found in the Forest. When used, Harry becomes tiny. Alternate use: The Voodoo Doll makes Harry's eyes glow like headlights, which can serve as an alternative of the Torchlight.

Torchlight - Necessary for finding clues in the Black Lake and Shadow Cave. This item only appears in the Shack after you've explored 30% of the world.

Clues:

Clues must be found in the Dream World, and with Dr. Ibrahim's help Harry can decipher the meaning behind them.

Letters - These letters can be found in various places in Harry's dream world and seem to be addressed to Harry. There's one at the cactus at Desert Shack.

Wheel - There's a small red spot on it. Found in Grey Castle.

Red Dress - Found submerged in the Black Lake. Can only be found with Torchlight.

Golden Ring - Found in Valhalla. There is a small spot for a gemstone, but it's missing.

Harry's Portrait - Found in Hell. This is an upside-down portrait of Harry, and no matter how much he tries to turn it in the dream world it always remains upside-down from his point of view.

Keycard - Found in Pale City.

Tiny car - Found in Winter Apocalypse. This toy car is dented at the front. When Voodoo Doll is used, Harry can drive the tiny car.

Broken Wheelchair - Found at the door to Galaxy.


Origin of the Giants:

Harry met a woman named Ashley, who visited the library often and was also wheelchair-bound. After weeks of meeting each other they eventually fell in love and started dating.

Then, two years later Harry proposed to Ashley... but she rejected his proposal, saying she felt that she wasn't ready yet. Harry was able to take the rejection, but three days later while out on a date, he accidentally sent Ashley down a flight of stairs. Her wheelchair then rolled out on the road, with her still on it.

On that snowy winter road, she was hit by a pale, nauseous driver who was unable to stop his car in time. She died long before the ambulance could arrive, with Harry unable to do anything but watch.

Harry never attended Ashley's funeral, fearing that her parents and friends would blame him for her death. From that day on, he had lost contact with Ashley's family and friends, and later became the Giants in his mind.

After solving the origin of the Giants, Harry either decides to live in guilt or confront Ashley's family, seeking forgiveness. This depends on how much of his dream world he has explored. If he has reached the Center of the Galaxy area then he will be able to seek and receive forgiveness.