Angle On a Flutter is a narrative-focused game that highlights two characters, Elliot and Vivienne, and their relationship. It draws loose inspiration from the Chinese legend, “Butterfly Lovers,” and themes of connection and fate. To explore this narrative, players must restore and watch VHS tapes to see how their story takes off.
Play the Demo Here!
Download available on itch.io: https://mrciac.itch.io/angle-on-a-flutter
The Story of Elliot and Vivienne…
In this game, Elliot and Vivienne are both film students who have a chance encounter while Elliot is working part-time at a movie rental shop. After Vivienne finds out that her rented VHS tape is broken, she takes it back to the store to get it fixed. Players play as Elliot, fix tapes, and then watch them to discover how their story unfolds.
As for the game’s name, “Angle On” refers to “the act of directing the camera to move and focus on a particular subject” (studiobinder 1).” Therefore, this term is inspired by the orthographic perspective for my game, one that allows the player to focus on and view this relationship from a unique perspective.
The word “Flutter” is more thematic in nature, as it refers to both the quick flutter of a butterfly’s wings and the fluttering feelings that Elliot and Vivienne experience throughout their story.
What does this game mean to me?
Recognizing the impact that films have had on me, I chose to incorporate VHS tapes into my project. My relationships with those close to me have also shaped me into who I am today, so I felt that combining relationships and film in the medium of a game was the best way for me to exhibit the importance of each of these elements in my life. In regards to the “Butterfly Lovers” theme, it was important for me to include elements of my culture that hold personal significance to me.
What is included in this game?
Dialogue
VHS Minigame
Movie Watching
Players get to enjoy Elliot and Vivienne’s banter and see how the relationship progresses through frequent snippets of dialogue.
To help Vivienne, players must carefully adjust the reels of a VHS tape to recover its contents and enjoy her favorite movie.
Players play through the first significant step in Elliot and Vivienne’s relationship by engaging with their movie-watching experience. The rule “No talking during movies” doesn’t seem to bother these two.
Movie Credit: Zhang, Lijun. “The Chinese legend of the butterfly lovers – Lijun Zhang.” YouTube, March 24, 2022. Video, 4 min., 19 sec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MiOTB-Kpzw.
