Planet Escape: The Battle for Consciousness represents a prototype of an interactive storytelling game, designed as a narrative-driven Twine experience navigating the universe. Participants take on the character of Elixis, an astronaut whose mission has deviated unexpectedly, finding themselves ensnared in orbit around the mysterious planet Y.O.U.14, where the constructs of time, reality, and identity become warped due to the planet's pervasive effects. 

Artist Statement:

In this game, I selected the intriguing phenomenon of escape rooms, combined with a cosmic motif, to explore the underlying motivations that contribute to my profound interest in such activities. The meaning, appears as an unclear procedure, but at other times, it shows a rather opposing form, similar to the layout of an escape room. The game itself creates a dynamic of attraction and constraint, explaining the psychological stress associated with the drive towards mastery over foreign territories—both outer and inner.

I approached Y.O.U.14 as an allegory for self-reflection: outwardly, it's a planet to escape; inwardly, it represents Elixis's struggle with identity and self-acceptance. The structure supports the thematic argument that repeated introspection, though compelling, can also confine. In playtesting, I incorporated feedback around player I included more 'glitch' pages that could help mimic the struggle to go with the flow at points and how rigidity forms problems. Building on Nat Mesnard's suggestion to use "iterative hooks," I integrated several goals into each section, making sure every choice deepens players' investment in the journey, thus reinforcing the challenge and attraction of navigating—and finally escaping—one's inner worlds.

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