Inspired by the story of Lonesome George. George passed away in 2012 and in his last few years was known as the rarest creature in the world, he was believed to be the last of a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise.

In SHELL, the player will take control of the last living tortoise and navigate through a vast range of random environments committing to an adventure to find another tortoise (spoilers: there aren't any others). Similar aesthetic to Journey (PS3), Shelter (PC) and Ori and the Blind Forest (PC/Xbox One), pleasant colour palettes and seemingly simple character design contrasted by powerful, atmospheric environments.

Purpose:

Immerse the player into a visual experience ranging from the spirit of adventure to eternal solitude. Upon the way varying dangers will present themselves, from dangerous terrain (mudslides, quicksand, precarious rock formations) to aggressive predators. As the player you can do two things, direct movement (turn and "sprint") and hide in your shell. Along the way the tortoise will occasionally stumble upon strange formations that represent the silhouette of a tortoise, when this happens the player controls will be temporarily disabled and cause the tortoise to interact with the objects.

Mechanics:

• Constant slow movement pace, although player can temporarily increase speed by "sprinting" (which is a slightly faster walking pace) and can alter the moving direction.
• In regards to hiding in your shell, the tortoise can protect itself from certain danger, but in turn is restricted by a close barrier of fog to represent the tortoise's vision, however ripples representing noise can appear in the fog - implying danger still lurks nearby.
• Presented as a glorified walking simulator with some interaction, as it is primarily meant as a visual experience – main game inspiration being Journey.

Features:

• 3^rd Person "walking simulator"
• Immersive and elegant art style
• Dynamic soundtrack, switching between adventure and danger.
• Customisable tortoise name
• Potential for procedural generation
• Raise awareness for animal conservation

Main inspirations: Journey, Shelter, Shelter 2 and Ori and the Blind Forest.

Reference Image: "Tortoise Mountain" by Tami Wicinas