Dolly’s Larvae
Thesis Faculty:
Nancy Valladares, Loretta Wolozin, David Carroll, Barbara MorrisDolly’s Larva is an exploration-based psychological role-playing game developed in RPG Maker MZ. The project investigates the emotional contradictions experienced by a generation raised during China’s rapid economic growth in the early 2000s. Through a dual-world structure that shifts between reality and dreamscape, players navigate fragmented memories, distorted spaces, and symbolic objects to uncover the protagonist Dolly’s inner conflicts. The thesis examines how RPG mechanics, dreamlike visual design, and object-based interaction can communicate psychological narratives and collective generational memory within independent game development.
Dolly’s Larva is an exploration-based psychological role-playing game developed in RPG Maker MZ. The project investigates the emotional contradictions experienced by a generation raised during China’s rapid economic growth in the early 2000s. Through a dual-world structure that shifts between reality and dreamscape, players navigate fragmented memories, distorted spaces, and symbolic objects to uncover the protagonist Dolly’s inner conflicts. The thesis examines how RPG mechanics, dreamlike visual design, and object-based interaction can communicate psychological narratives and collective generational memory within independent game development.
