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Hello. I am here to pitch my RPG/Visual Novel idea in a timely manner. A Symphony Of Neurons is an ambitious project to, hopefully, go commercial sometime within the next two years. Seeing as I have barely finished the alpha of the first twenty-five minutes of gameplay, I am at a stage where I can afford to make serious changes if need be. So please, take a moment to read what I have to share. Oh, and this is a portal fantasy, but I'm trying my best to deconstruct as many tropes as possible. I am using a three act structure and many screenwriting techniques to create a narrative paced by RPG elements and turn-based combat. Keep in mind the following is based on the first chapter of a larger work. If all goes well, there will be four chapters in total.

Logline: Trapped in his own mental world, an autistic student embarks on an homeward journey, pursued by demons within and without.

Act One: The game begins with a nightmare. Victor Roland, a high functioning autistic, is trapped in a dilapidated cathedral, and is assailed by a Grotesque. In reality, he goes about his dull, grey life. He endures mundanity with musical composition and daydreaming, while his best friend, Charles, and an alluring goth girl, Beatrice, provide respite from anxiety and depression. However, Victor suffers a dark vision, warned of a darkness besieging his "mental world". Troubled, he wonders what this could mean, but joins Charles in a night of drinking, trying to forget. After running into Beatrice at a local drugstore, they are attacked by Grotesques, but are mysteriously transported to Ozymandias, an alternate dimension reflecting Victor’s thoughts, dreams, and fantasies.

Act Two, Part One: In the totalitarian theocracy of Men, Holy Gothica, Lord Inquisitor Thaddeus is dispatched to track down a “mystery child”, who apparated into this otherworld. Meanwhile, Victor tries to find his friends amongst its cathedrals and crucibles, but is arrested by Thaddeus for violating state curfew. During interrogation, Thaddeus comes to believes Victor is divine, and escorts him to the Apostolic Palace. On their way, they are attacked by Grotesques, which Victor slays by "conducting" and saves Thaddeus’s life, who swears to help search for his friends out of gratitude. Later at the Palace, he explains his belief that Victor is the Far Messiah, destined to save this world from an "ancient horror".

Act Two, Part Two: Thaddeus is sent on a mission to investigate the excommunicated scientist, Dr. Evan Moloch. Seeking answers, Victor joins Thaddeus on the mission. Overtime, they develop a close friendship, and Thaddeus tells of his past; how his father’s murder influenced him joining the Inquisition, and how he struggles between his own morality and the state’s ethics. Victor develops a sense of responsibility, and slowly comes to terms with his angst, and despite the dystopia, finds belief in himself. Finally, they infiltrate Moloch’s lair, an abandoned slaughterhouse built above the catacombs, and find Charles and Beatrice held captive in stasis. During the confrontation with Moloch, they learn he summoned Victor, and incidentally his two friends, knowing he is the Far Messiah. He plans on using Victor to destroy Holy Gothica with the titular Moloch Machine, establishing a new “utopian” order. Upon learning of this truth, Victor suffers an emotional meltdown, and he and Thaddeus narrowly escape. Mortally wounded by Moloch, Thaddeus’s last words encourage Victor to do what he judges to be right, regardless of what society expects. Upon his mentor’s death, Victor resolves to carry on and free his friends.

 

Act Three: After escaping, Victor makes way to Moloch’s inner laboratory, and learns the origins of all this, the Fountain of Dreams, which Moloch visited in a state expedition. He was cursed with visions of a nightmare future brought on by Holy Gothica’s dystopia, driving him insane. In truth, this vision was caused by a “sorcerous harlequin”, which Moloch awakened. Knowing this, Victor destroys the Moloch Machine, stating, “I will not allow this dark future to pass”. Moloch, in a moment of brief sanity, tells Victor his way home rests within the Fountain, but dies in a wetware malfunction. Accompanied by his newly freed friends, Victor embarks to save Ozymandias and find a way home.

 

This is a general idea of what the first three or four hours of gameplay will cover. I need a tight beginning to pave the road for the meat and potatoes of the store, which covers Victor, Charles, and Beatrice's journey across Ozymanidas. Think of this as the Midgar portion of FFVII, in terms of scale. If you have questions, suggestions, or criticisms, please share them. I am in a developmental stage where I can incorporate many ideas and make many changes.

Thanks!

Victor_Roland