Sonar
First Person Adventure
Embedded Files
Development Information
Features
Game Design
Level Design
Narrative Design
Gameplay Programming
Pitch
In Sonar, you are a technician aboard BLS 95, an isolated sonar station on a ocean planet, probing the unknown depths. But the latest activation has triggered a catastrophic retaliation from the depths of the ocean. The station is foundering, the air is turning toxic, and the maintenance robots are turning against you. Your survival depends on your ingenuity and your maintenance equipment.
Game Design
Gameplay Loop
Player Tool : The Foam Gun
The core mechanic is the versatile 'foam gun,' used for creative traversal, environmental problem-solving like sealing breaches, and managing threats from aggressive robots. Additionally, the gun features a secondary laser used to burn away placed foam.
Place foam
Shoot foam that sticks to most surfaces.
(Mouse Left Click)
Remove foam
Shoot a laser that burns the foam.
(Mouse Right Click)
Environmental Hazard
There are several types of environmental hazards: fire, electricity that can be neutralized by shooting foam onto the exposed source, and radioactivity, exclusively found in the reactor.
Rather than dealing damage, the radioactive field directly impairs the player's equipment: it rapidly burns away placed foam, destabilizes aiming, and significantly reduces the gun's effective range.
Electricity
Deals burst damage.
Fire
Deals Damage over Time.
Threats
Corrupted Maintenance Robot (Fire)
It is small and flies, and can shoot flames. The player can foam it to make it fall to the ground, then press the button on its head to permanently neutralize it.
Aquatic Worm (Electricity)
Big alien worms that come from the depths to neutralize the Sonar station by producing a white toxic structures around it. The player can shoot foam on its body segments to slow it down and eventually stun it for a minute. Its head is electrified, so the player must avoid being too close.
Level Design
Overview of the station BLS-95
Set on a massive floating station, distinct sectors are linked by a central elevator. This logically interconnected complex offers multiple traversal routes. Players can also venture into the surrounding ocean to find alternative paths and experience the station's true scale.
Macro Structure
Quest Design
Quest System
The player can follow main and side quest in a journal linked to a 3D map of the whole station.
Journal
The game features a quest system with both main and side quests. The player can track them to display related quest markers.
Map
The map shows the area the player is currently located in. The player can navigate the station directly in 3D, as all levels are identifiable by their unique exterior shapes.
Documents
The player can collect documents such as notes and PDAs, which are then sorted into distinct categories.
Main Quest
The player's main objective is to survive and flee the station using a submarine to escape to safety.
To escape the collapsing station, the player must prepare the extraction submarine. They can either launch blindly into the ocean or use the sonar to locate the X-SPEARS first, securing a safer escape route.
Endings (Click to see more)
The player can unlock alternate endings depending on how many NPC they saved and if they found the coordinates to the safe destination (X-SPEARS) or not.
Main Story
Fix the electrical leaks
Tutorial
The tutorial teaches core movement and foam gun mechanics while establishing the game's narrative context and main objective.
Prepare the submarine
Quest Description
To escape, the player must assemble a working submarine by merging its modules via the conveyor system, gather sufficient fuel, and authorize the final launch.
Reboot the Power Plant
Quest Description
To restore the sonar and locate a safe destination, the player must navigate to the Power Plant, secure the reactor, and reboot the entire system.
Get the X-SPEARS coordinates
Quest Description
To obtain the X-SPEARS submarine coordinates, the player must manually calibrate the sonar's rings and download the data to ensure a safe escape.
Escape the station
Meta Quest and final objective
This meta-quest acts as a progression tracker, outlining the primary objective to leave the station and the key steps required to escape.
Optional Story
Restore the Main Elevator
Quest Description
Sealing the electrical leaks on the exterior power cable restores functionality to the main elevator, providing the player with a fast-travel shortcut.
Breath of Life
Quest Description
The player must repair the filters and purge the toxic bubbles in the Life Support's air treatment area to purge the ventilation system. Completing this objective clears the toxic environmental hazard from all the sectors, enabling safe exploration.
Foam Capacity Upgrade
Quest Description
Players can upgrade their foam gun's maximum capacity at the Life Support. To unlock this upgrade, they must clear the air treatment area (see Breath of Life quest) and solve a pipe-rotation puzzle to route salinated water to the upgrade machine.
Save the Engineer
Quest Description
The player can save the engineer Aghate, trapped in a transit tube leading to the Power Plant sector. Once saved, she can leave with them on the submarine.
Save the Cook
Quest Description
The player can save the cook Marcel, trapped in the pantry of the Kitchen in the Crew Quarters sector. Once saved, he can leave with them on the submarine.
Save the Botanist
Quest Description
The player can save the botanist Alice, trapped in the water treatment area of the Life Support sector. Once saved, she can leave with them on the submarine.
Save the Diver
Quest Description
The player can save the diver Anton, trapped by a massive ocean worm that must be neutralized before he can be freed. Once saved, he can leave with them on the submarine.
Investigate A.K.
Quest Description
The player can find three documents about the engineer, uncovering a mutiny and revealing she unwillingly triggered the disaster. This discovery unlocks a final narrative choice to decide Aghate's fate during the ending, provided she was rescued.
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