Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Add Review
Subscribe
Nominate
Submit Media
RSS
Explanation of Her Dreams of Fire
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
From the sounds of it, many people didn't understand the meaning of this game. Fair enough, it is for players to draw understanding and meaning from art and if one is to consider a game art, they must allow people to draw their own conclusions - whether it be what the creator intended or not. That said, as the creator of the game I do want to talk to you about what I wanted to impart to people when making it and the ideas that went into the game. Essentially, what the game is and is not about.
Do note that there are spoilers below.
Her Dreams of Fire is not about suicide.
It is not about wanting to die.
It is not about lying to yourself.
It is not about choosing what you, as a player, want to pick.
Pure and simple the game is about the truth of Era's past and pushing through your own desires to do 'right' in order to help her work through the emotional and mental pain of her past.
It is about helping her recognise what choices she made in the past.
It is about understanding why she made those choices.
It is about accepting her actions for what they are and learning to live with them.
It is not a game about you, the player, but about her and doing anything but helping her do this is hard for you to do because if you fail the consequences are harsh. Era is a person in this game, not just a sprite, and you are asked to help her accept the horrors of her past and the truth that was her childhood.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
It can be hard to play for some because the many choices don't instantly affect anything. There is no instant gratification - just like in real life sometimes.
There are many choices we make every day - small ones that cause us to hurt or help ourselves in ways we never even realise. This is a game about how each choice counts towards where you end up in life and how facing the truth of your past is better than constantly lying to yourself, hiding from what happened.
Era is hiding from herself a painful truth. Through this game you follow the past through her dreams.
Now, a lot of people have complained about the lack of choices but you always -ALWAYS- have a choice, even when it seems you do not. It may not necessarily be the right choice, but it is a choice. In RM there is a cancel branch that can be used with choices, which allow for a hidden, alternate choice. Two of the endings are hidden with these choices. All other choices have a point and change the endings.
Era is shown dreams of points in her life that she needs to confront. She needs to find the truth of what happened and each choice you pick either ticks a point towards truth or lies. The more she follows the road to the truth, the more likely she will accept it and move on with her life.
There are three players in this game. Era, you and the Voice. The Voice is a mix of Era's self-loathing. It pushes for you to force her to jump and it tells her the truth of her past because it hurts her to acknowledge it.
I hope this gives some measure of understanding about the game in general but if you want to head in to spoiler territory, below I will detail each scene and the meaning there-of.
-------------------------------------------
Spoilers abound below!
-------------------------------------------
Spoilers abound below!
-------------------------------------------
Characters
Era
Born into a loveless marriage, Era is the only daughter of Thom and Alice. She lived in a small cottage in the woods, not far from a small town where her parents were born and raised.
When she was 7 years old the house burned down, killing her father, mother and aunt. She was shuffled through the foster-care system, eventually finding a stable home when she was 10. Her foster family were kind to her and raised her well and she was happy, forgetting the past. She moved out when she was 22, leaving behind the small town in which they lived and heading for the city in hopes of graduating a prestigious university and finding a career in law. She soon finds herself in a steady relationship with a fellow university student (Kismet).
When she was 24 a fire broke out in her apartment while her foster-brother was visiting. No one was hurt but the fire brought back memories she'd locked up inside herself and with those memories came a decline in her grades as well as inflicting her with crippling depression and self-doubt.
She and Kismet decide to call a break on their relationship as they both have things they need to work through before they can seek a longer-lasting one.
A fighter, she is determined to move past this and sought help from her doctor and, later, a psychologist. She is currently in limbo, taking a semester break and looking inside herself, hoping to reconcile the memories that hold her stagnant and strangled in fear.
When she was 7 years old the house burned down, killing her father, mother and aunt. She was shuffled through the foster-care system, eventually finding a stable home when she was 10. Her foster family were kind to her and raised her well and she was happy, forgetting the past. She moved out when she was 22, leaving behind the small town in which they lived and heading for the city in hopes of graduating a prestigious university and finding a career in law. She soon finds herself in a steady relationship with a fellow university student (Kismet).
When she was 24 a fire broke out in her apartment while her foster-brother was visiting. No one was hurt but the fire brought back memories she'd locked up inside herself and with those memories came a decline in her grades as well as inflicting her with crippling depression and self-doubt.
She and Kismet decide to call a break on their relationship as they both have things they need to work through before they can seek a longer-lasting one.
A fighter, she is determined to move past this and sought help from her doctor and, later, a psychologist. She is currently in limbo, taking a semester break and looking inside herself, hoping to reconcile the memories that hold her stagnant and strangled in fear.
Thom - Father
Born in a small town, his father owned a house out in the woods, not too far away. Thom inherited it on his father's death and it is where the majority of the game is based.
He went to primary and high school with Alice and Rena. In his first year at high school he asks Rena out, only to be rebuffed. Upset, he begins to stalk her from afar, just watching her go about her life. In year 10 he again tries to ask her out, only to yet again be met with refusal. Upset, he gets drunk and sleeps with her sister, Alice, who had harboured a crush on him since she was 11.
He decides the best way to watch Rena is by dating her sister, so he and Alice start to go steady. He is careful not to get too close to Alice and keeps her at arms length, barely deigning to touch her and only being affectionate when drunk.
After two years he tries again to reach out to Rena, again being met with a rebuff. Angry, he takes it out on Alice, hitting her for the first time. The next day Alice finds out that she's pregnant. She tells her father who demands that Thom take responsibility.
They get married straight out of high-school. This marks a year of bruises for Alice and drunkeness for Thom, who feels frustrated and trapped in a loveless marriage.
After the baby is born, Thom tries to keep away from the family, going out to drink and leaving the child with her mother. Only when he is drunk does he show any affection towards his wife, and only when he is in a good mood. Otherwise he beats her.
When Era is six, Thom remarks that she looks just like her aunt used to look at that age. That night is the first he watches her sleep. Some nights he watches. Some nights he does more. After a year, Rena comes back into their lives and the abuse ends.
Rena's current boyfriend leaves her and she looks for a rebound. Cue Thom, who is out drinking. They meet, talk, and so starts a sporadic affair between the two. Soon it becomes a permanent part of their lives.
When Era is 7, her aunt visits quite often - in name spending the night in Era's room but often not found there. The affair is quite blatant and Thom can't be bothered to hide it from Alice, often commenting about her sister in front of her, egging her to respond in order to give him a reason to beat her.
One day he and Alice get into an argument. He beats her into unconsciousness, then spends the day with Rena in the main bedroom. Unbeknownst to either of them, Era is hiding under the bed with a box of matches...
He went to primary and high school with Alice and Rena. In his first year at high school he asks Rena out, only to be rebuffed. Upset, he begins to stalk her from afar, just watching her go about her life. In year 10 he again tries to ask her out, only to yet again be met with refusal. Upset, he gets drunk and sleeps with her sister, Alice, who had harboured a crush on him since she was 11.
He decides the best way to watch Rena is by dating her sister, so he and Alice start to go steady. He is careful not to get too close to Alice and keeps her at arms length, barely deigning to touch her and only being affectionate when drunk.
After two years he tries again to reach out to Rena, again being met with a rebuff. Angry, he takes it out on Alice, hitting her for the first time. The next day Alice finds out that she's pregnant. She tells her father who demands that Thom take responsibility.
They get married straight out of high-school. This marks a year of bruises for Alice and drunkeness for Thom, who feels frustrated and trapped in a loveless marriage.
After the baby is born, Thom tries to keep away from the family, going out to drink and leaving the child with her mother. Only when he is drunk does he show any affection towards his wife, and only when he is in a good mood. Otherwise he beats her.
When Era is six, Thom remarks that she looks just like her aunt used to look at that age. That night is the first he watches her sleep. Some nights he watches. Some nights he does more. After a year, Rena comes back into their lives and the abuse ends.
Rena's current boyfriend leaves her and she looks for a rebound. Cue Thom, who is out drinking. They meet, talk, and so starts a sporadic affair between the two. Soon it becomes a permanent part of their lives.
When Era is 7, her aunt visits quite often - in name spending the night in Era's room but often not found there. The affair is quite blatant and Thom can't be bothered to hide it from Alice, often commenting about her sister in front of her, egging her to respond in order to give him a reason to beat her.
One day he and Alice get into an argument. He beats her into unconsciousness, then spends the day with Rena in the main bedroom. Unbeknownst to either of them, Era is hiding under the bed with a box of matches...
Alice - Mother
Born and raised in the same town as Thom, she was always a plain-looking girl with nothing to distinguish her from anyone else. Her nickname was mouse, due to how quiet she was, especially in contrast to her pretty sister, Rena.
When she was 10 she developed a crush on Thom, a boy in the year ahead of her. She followed him around, pining for him and hating her sister for stealing his attention. This anger caused her to push her sister to arms-lengths, often playing cruel pranks on her and hurting her in small ways when no-one was looking - stealing and breaking her things, putting blame on her and causing problems.
In year 9 she found herself at a party and found Thom drunk, passed out and unknowing. Taking her chance, she raped him, then told him in the morning that they'd had consensual sex. She hoped desperately to be pregnant but it was not to be.
She was shocked, though, when he decided to stay with her, though she soon learned the painful truth - he only wanted to be close to Rena. Her bitterness grew more and more, every time he wouldn't touch or kiss her (especially when her sister was around) until eventually she snapped one night and started an argument which ended with him beating her.
The next day she found out she was pregnant (there had been a few times she'd managed to get him into her bed, and a few times she'd found him passed out drunk and raped him). She informed her father, who made Thom take responsibility.
She finished high-school that year, got married and finally had her baby. She was in heaven, until she realised that even now - when she finally had him to herself - he wouldn't stop the beatings and anger aimed at her, often leaving she and the baby alone together.
Oddly enough, she found herself not too sad - she had Era, who she was sure loved her and she loved back. She would spend hours just watching and playing with Era, showering her in love.
That changed after a few years when Thom lost his job and took up logging for a lot less pay than they were used to. He spent most of the money on booze and while she tried to make things last, there just wasn't enough to go around.
When Era turned six she started to notice that Thom's gaze had begun to alight itself on their daughter. Part of her was protective, but when she broached the subject he would hit her and tell her she was imagining things. But she noticed the way he started showering praise on Era, hugging her and calling her 'dearest heart'. When he started visiting her at night, she grew insanely jealous of the child, and started mistreating her, hitting her for the smallest infractions.
Though a part of her understood that it wasn't the child's fault, when she looked at her she, too, began to see Rena and started to hate her. The damage had already been done by the time Rena came back in to their lives - she now saw Rena when she looked at Era, and while she knew that Rena was the real target of her malice, there was nothing she could do to her, so she took her pain out on Era instead.
Any time she tried to call Thom out on his affair he would beat her senseless, then leave to see Rena. She once sought Rena's help, showing her the bruises, but was laughed at and mocked by her sister who still remembered bruises given to her by Alice. The sisters had only hate for each other.
She did try to rectify the things she'd done to Era, only to find it too late. Era had started pulling away from her parents, spending most of her time outside of the house (a practice she had started after Thom started his visitations - which had now stopped).
On the night of the fire, Alice started an argument with Thom about his inviting Rena over yet again. Fed up with her, he beat her senseless and left her laying where she fell.
Alice died in that spot from smoke inhalation.
When she was 10 she developed a crush on Thom, a boy in the year ahead of her. She followed him around, pining for him and hating her sister for stealing his attention. This anger caused her to push her sister to arms-lengths, often playing cruel pranks on her and hurting her in small ways when no-one was looking - stealing and breaking her things, putting blame on her and causing problems.
In year 9 she found herself at a party and found Thom drunk, passed out and unknowing. Taking her chance, she raped him, then told him in the morning that they'd had consensual sex. She hoped desperately to be pregnant but it was not to be.
She was shocked, though, when he decided to stay with her, though she soon learned the painful truth - he only wanted to be close to Rena. Her bitterness grew more and more, every time he wouldn't touch or kiss her (especially when her sister was around) until eventually she snapped one night and started an argument which ended with him beating her.
The next day she found out she was pregnant (there had been a few times she'd managed to get him into her bed, and a few times she'd found him passed out drunk and raped him). She informed her father, who made Thom take responsibility.
She finished high-school that year, got married and finally had her baby. She was in heaven, until she realised that even now - when she finally had him to herself - he wouldn't stop the beatings and anger aimed at her, often leaving she and the baby alone together.
Oddly enough, she found herself not too sad - she had Era, who she was sure loved her and she loved back. She would spend hours just watching and playing with Era, showering her in love.
That changed after a few years when Thom lost his job and took up logging for a lot less pay than they were used to. He spent most of the money on booze and while she tried to make things last, there just wasn't enough to go around.
When Era turned six she started to notice that Thom's gaze had begun to alight itself on their daughter. Part of her was protective, but when she broached the subject he would hit her and tell her she was imagining things. But she noticed the way he started showering praise on Era, hugging her and calling her 'dearest heart'. When he started visiting her at night, she grew insanely jealous of the child, and started mistreating her, hitting her for the smallest infractions.
Though a part of her understood that it wasn't the child's fault, when she looked at her she, too, began to see Rena and started to hate her. The damage had already been done by the time Rena came back in to their lives - she now saw Rena when she looked at Era, and while she knew that Rena was the real target of her malice, there was nothing she could do to her, so she took her pain out on Era instead.
Any time she tried to call Thom out on his affair he would beat her senseless, then leave to see Rena. She once sought Rena's help, showing her the bruises, but was laughed at and mocked by her sister who still remembered bruises given to her by Alice. The sisters had only hate for each other.
She did try to rectify the things she'd done to Era, only to find it too late. Era had started pulling away from her parents, spending most of her time outside of the house (a practice she had started after Thom started his visitations - which had now stopped).
On the night of the fire, Alice started an argument with Thom about his inviting Rena over yet again. Fed up with her, he beat her senseless and left her laying where she fell.
Alice died in that spot from smoke inhalation.
Rena - Aunt
Era's aunt and Alice's older sister by two years, she grew up in the same town as Thom.
As a child she was considered quite pretty, often compared to her mouse of a sister, Alice. She was a lively child, out-going and daring, considered 'accident-prone' by the adults of her life who couldn't see the truth - that the reason she went out was to escape her jealous sister; that her bruises weren't so much accidents as they were deliberate attacks; not so much daring as afraid to be seen as the scared child she was; and that she hated her looks for the pain they brought her.
She'd always loved Thom since they were children, but knew that her sister liked him as well, so told him no each time he asked her out. When she found out he was dating Alice it almost broke her heart and she tried to distract herself from the heartache with school and boyfriends.
When she found out that Alice was pregnant she left town, resolving not to return until she'd found her place in life. After many years of soul-searching and having broken off a dead-end relationship she decided that she wanted to check on her family.
She saw Thom out drinking on her last night in town and decided to go for it. They got to talking and she decided she wasn't a scared little child any more. She wanted what she wanted and would not let her sister keep her in a corner.
Thus she started a relationship with Thom. She was thoroughly enjoying the sight of her sister being laid low, but soon realised that Era was also being harmed by the relationship. Talking it over, she and Thom decided they wanted to leave the town, bringing Era with them. Thom would divorce Alice and they would be a happy little family, away from Alice's influence - not knowing that Era had been hurt more by her father than her mother.
Thus, she started reaching out to Era. Unfortunately, it was too little-too late. She burned to death the night of the fire.
As a child she was considered quite pretty, often compared to her mouse of a sister, Alice. She was a lively child, out-going and daring, considered 'accident-prone' by the adults of her life who couldn't see the truth - that the reason she went out was to escape her jealous sister; that her bruises weren't so much accidents as they were deliberate attacks; not so much daring as afraid to be seen as the scared child she was; and that she hated her looks for the pain they brought her.
She'd always loved Thom since they were children, but knew that her sister liked him as well, so told him no each time he asked her out. When she found out he was dating Alice it almost broke her heart and she tried to distract herself from the heartache with school and boyfriends.
When she found out that Alice was pregnant she left town, resolving not to return until she'd found her place in life. After many years of soul-searching and having broken off a dead-end relationship she decided that she wanted to check on her family.
She saw Thom out drinking on her last night in town and decided to go for it. They got to talking and she decided she wasn't a scared little child any more. She wanted what she wanted and would not let her sister keep her in a corner.
Thus she started a relationship with Thom. She was thoroughly enjoying the sight of her sister being laid low, but soon realised that Era was also being harmed by the relationship. Talking it over, she and Thom decided they wanted to leave the town, bringing Era with them. Thom would divorce Alice and they would be a happy little family, away from Alice's influence - not knowing that Era had been hurt more by her father than her mother.
Thus, she started reaching out to Era. Unfortunately, it was too little-too late. She burned to death the night of the fire.
Introductory Quote
A few people have questioned the use of that quote by Buddha. I picked it especially for this game because of it's many meanings and how it points out the most human traits as negatives. Through the game there is a theme of fire, yes, but it also touches on hatred, greed and folly. All these things in conjunction sum up Era quite well.
The fire of life that burns in her, full of passion in the choices she makes. The quiet hatred she harbours towards her so-called loved ones and the hatred she was brought up with. The folly of trying to lie to herself, constantly trying to run from the past until it swallows her whole. The greed of she feels for the small, happiest things in life - wanting more and more to either disappear or drown herself in the small joys that appear, depending on your choices.
This quote was very apt and as soon as I saw it I knew it to be a perfect fit for Era and her story.
Scene 1 - The Wrecked House - Dream
We first meet Era in the dream world, in a trashed house. This is her nightmare - a dream she has had over and over. She is free to explore or leave at any time. Exploring does add towards the Truth count. Leaving does nothing.
The voice in this place is her self-loathing. It points out how weak people are; how death is a constant in their lives and that everything dies in time. It is trying to weaken her and cause her to fail in her quest to move on with her life, to question whether it's worth living only to die at the end.
Each piece you interact with gives you exploration points which, at the end of the game, will give a set amount of Truth points when tallied. So it is very much worth it to explore.
There are three bodies in this house - and you will recognise them, if you astute, as three recurring characters. Father, Mother and Woman (Aunt). These three characters are ones who changed her life and hold the secret to not only future answers but also the truth of what happened in her past.
The house itself will be seen quite a bit through the game as it is the memory of her childhood home. It will appear in a few different ways - some more wrecked or clean than others - but it is the main stage of the game as that is where the truth is hidden.
When you leave, the voice asks you if you want to 'move on', to become nothing. Era does not reply. This is the only choice in the game that changes nothing. Why does Era not reply? It is because she doesn't want to die. She doesn't want to move on. But a part of her? A part of her wonders. And so she remains silent and the voice takes that to mean she accepts. It tells her to sleep on, and that tomorrow (the future) will change her.
Note that the voice is the antagonist in this game. It is wanting her to fail and it will try and persuade you, the player, to cause failure. It presents the choices and tries to force you, trick you into different paths than that of saving Era.
Scene 2 - Doctor's Office - Awake
This is one of the real-world scenes in the game. Era is seeking help from her doctor - asking him to help her get rid of the dreams she's been having. He can't do anything and suggests that she see a psychologist.
Note that Era is actively trying to live! She doesn't want this feeling of depression and heart-ache any more. She wants to move on with her life and be happy, and thus is looking for the professional help she needs.
Scene 3 - Roof-top - Dream
A lot of people see this scene as Era wanting to die and physically committing suicide. This is not the case! This is a dream, for one. The clues aren't hard to spot as the scene plays out... if you let it.
The voice tells you to jump. "YOU SHOULD JUMP!" it tells the player. Era, herself, actively rejects that. She valiantly fights against your control every time you take her to the edge, desperately tries to show you that she wants to live. (If I'd been allowed edits I would have had her shake her head here, btw.) She does not want to die, and yet... after enough times, she cannot fight any more.
"But wait!" I hear you say, "If this isn't the real world why do I get a death scene?"
Simple - she loses the will to live and thus never wakes again. Note that there is no mention how she dies, just that she does and that it is your fault. You pull the strings and listen to the voice that tries to influence you.
"But why can't I go through the door?!"
The door is locked - it is controlled by the Voice - you cannot leave this staging area. The dream is controlled by it. So you have a few choices - hammer at the door in hopes of getting out, force Era to jump or wait out the scene and resist the voice. Just like Era resists it.
Some points of interest in this scene:
- The door gives you 'escape points' which will eventually be tallied in to Truth Points.
- Jumping x times without dying will give 'killing' points and will be tallied up and added to the Lie Points.
- Pressing enter at the start of the scene is deliberate to sho
- The timer used to be 5 minutes but I felt that was too long so I changed it to much less. It seems long but you're only waiting for about 1-2 minutes.
- Any time you see a 'sky' as a parallax, you are in a dream.
The sky is fast depending on Era's emotions at that time. It starts off slow, then when the first glass appears it goes fast. She gets used to it and it slows again but then a whole side turns again and it speeds up a bit. Suddenly the voice is more persistent about jumping and it quickens even more. The sky turning red is the insistent voice demanding over and over that you make her jump. She is terrified at that point that you will comply.
In the end the voice gets fed up with your lack of doing what it says and tells her to fall, forcing her in to the next area by falling through the floor - the choice is taken away but because only Era's choice (remember, she gets worn down and eventually allows you to pitch her over the edge - it is a choice) can cause her death in the dream, it instead sends her elsewhere to wear her down - since it's not working.
Scene 3 - Burning House - Dream
Era now appears in the house again, this time with it on fire. She can only interact with the three bodies there - her father, mother and aunt. Note where each of the bodies lie - it is relevant. In fact, they were in the same positions in the first scene as well.
Era's father tells her that the fault isn't hers, and then recants that saying it is her fault - over and over. He also calls her 'dearest heart', his pet name for her, tells her not to lie to herself and tells her that he loves
Her history with her father will be talked about more later on. I'll be giving a full synopsis about her relationship with all three characters when the time comes.
Era's aunt asks her why she kept coming back. What she needed to understand. This alludes to a future scene where Era talks about her parents' bed.
Era's mother is a conflicted soul. She tells Era to run from the demons in her mind, because she doesn't want Era to break, however, she is also antagonistic towards her daughter, calling her a bitch. Then saying she loves Era.
After talking to each body, they burn up and become transparent, no longer able to be interacted with. When Era has confronted each of them, the voice pipes up again and tells her to fall into the void of night. It tries to coax her to 'wake up' - and not in the literal sense.
It wants her to ignore the truths of her past and never move on from where she is. It tries to get her to wake up instead of delving deeper into the dreams, trying to scare her off by showing her these scenes of her family and how they felt about her - it was her fault, she wasn't loved, they didn't understand her.
Here is the first of the main choice tree that you can choose. One adds to Truth, one adds to Lies.
If Era's memories of the past are alive, then she will continue to follow them to the Truth.
If Era chooses to turn them to dust, instead she will follow them into Lies.
As well as giving Truth and Lie points, the choices change the scenes shown in the next area.
Scene 4 - Doctor/Psychiatrists Office - Awake
The next scene takes part in the Doctor/Psych office and shows Era interacting with three people - Doctor, Psychiatrist and Death. The scenes change slightly depending on whether you chose to keep Era's memories alive or bury them.
Note also that Era has taken another step towards moving forward - she followed her Doctor's advice and sought the aid of a Psychiatrist. Yet again, she wants to live. Desperately. She doesn't want to be locked into her past... however the choices you've made are already changing her life.
If you chose to have her memories be true, her allies are aiding her and cheering her on for her progress.
If you chose to bury her memories, they worry about her - she has started drinking and self-medicating to escape the dreams and memories.
Death appears and his talk doesn't change. Now, this is one part of the game that someone commented on and I agree that Death should not be there. I wanted him to make an appearance but it doesn't make sense for him to be in the game, especially not in the waking world, so I have plans to remove him. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. >.<;
Ahem!
Scene 5 - Childhood Home - Dream/Memory
There is a bug in this part that I will fix. Namely that the child sprite for the father scene is missing.
Again, Era is back in a dream - this time in her childhood. She watches as her father and mother interact with her younger self. There are three choices to make in both scenarios of this scene and each gives Truth/Lie points, depending on the choices.
In the father scene you hear him drink, then he comes and faces Era. The voice asks you three questions and each has five answers. Yes, five. You can choose to cancel the choice if you don't like the answers given.
The first choice is in how you address your father - the affectionate 'daddy', the more formal 'father', the insolent 'oh, him' or the silent treatment. Silence and 'Oh, him' give Truth points while the other two give Lie Points.
He then hits you, no matter what answer you give.
The second choice is how to respond to the adage about hurting those you love the most. You can either choose to say he loves you, hates you or ignores you. If you've been paying attention you know that love isn't the answer - this will give you a Lie point. Any other choices will give a Truth.
Again, he hits you.
The voice then tells you that Era must love him. The three shown choices are all that she loves him. The Truth point will be given if you cancel. Era refuses to say she loves him. Any other choice will give a Lie point.
One last time he hits you.
You are then shown Era's mother and child!Era in the small bedroom. Again, voice will give you choices to make.
Mother and Mummy will give Truth. Oh, her and cancel will give Lie. This is because Era still loves her mother, even though she was abused by her. She and her mother were both victims of her father and to Era her mother changed, but she still loved her - with her father it's different since he never had time for her bar that one year of horror and pain.
That said, her mother has still changed and slaps Era.
Voice then says Even Parents are Flawed Beings.
You can reply with She loves/hates/ignores me. True will be given for Love/Ignore while Hate and cancel will generate Lie.
Again, she slaps Era.
Voice then says You must love her. You can choose either I love/loved her or cancel. Cancel is a Lie. Loved is Truth. Love will give neither as the love she has for her mother is past.
This time she isn't slapped by her mother because the woman isn't as far gone in her anger and hate as Era's father is.
Era can move in this scene, stuck in spot (there's a bug where she can walk in the second part which isn't supposed to happen) and twisting around. She cannot interfere, she is being forced to watch what unfolds. She cannot run from the answers voice demands of her - she must answer in some way, even if it's in the silence of non-answering. She has to watch the abuse - to scare her away from knowing the truth. No matter how much she might fight to help her child self or run from the scenes and questions, she cannot.
Scene 6 - Better Times - Dream
Era now remembers a better time... however it isn't real. This is shown by the fragmented reality of the dream. There's only small parts of reality shown in this section. This is child!Era's imagination of what could have been.
The image shows child!Era looking at a dog while her father and mother walk together. Voice says 'What a pretty, perfect family.' both mocking Era's imagination of what could have been and pushing the idea that there wasn't anything bad to remember.
Now you are presented with four ... choices. And you can spam through them various times, however, that way is Lie. Instead, hitting cancel will cause Era to say 'it's a lie'.
Voice then repeats the line, forcing the ideal on Era.
Again, you can choose to pick the ... answers for Lie points, but you can spam the cancel in order to get the Truth.
The screen then starts to flame up and Era's Aunt appears. A flash occurs and you are shown her Aunt and Father in her parent's bed, showing the affair. Flashing back, voice tries again to sell the dream but Era is now awake to it and the truth is shown with every word - while voice still tries to say how pretty and perfect the family is, the images give weight to it being a lie as Era and her mother disappear, leaving only her father and Aunt, looking at each other.
This time you are given a tricksy choice. You can support Era in her screaming that it is a lie, shattering the illusion and breaking the ideals that she held as a child, or cancel the choice, essentially saying that voice is telling the truth and that the affair between her father and Aunt was a lie.
Cancelling will lead to Lie points, while shattering the illusion will lead to Truth.
Scene 7 - That Night - Dream/Memory
Era is now child!Era and can explore her room, interacting with the different objects to learn more of the truth (and gain more exploration points). Voice tells you of the horrible things that Era was put through, how her father abused her, how she often dreamed of just disappearing, of how faded she seemed as a child and how she cried herself to sleep often, sharing her bed with her mother.
Heading out the door will trigger the first memory of what happened the night of the house fire. Era sits at the table. Her mother hands out dinner, then sits down. She turns and says something to her husband who breaks a glass in anger. She is then beaten by her husband - when she tries to run he chases her and beats her into unconsciousness. Era is stuck watching this happen.
Father then vanishes and Era is left again to look around and explore. This gives more chances for the explore points to be gathered. Voice tries to push Era into hiding from the truth by telling her about the bad things in her life more - how she used to wear her blood as a splash of colour to be noticed (shaming her), how she used to love the fire but it hurt her (foreshadow~), how the smell of his wine is entwined with love and hate for him, how she felt like she was worth less than non-living objects, how her mother didn't put her first - she was always second to him, how she loved not being in the house because she hated them, how they always took care of themselves over her, how she hated mirrors because they showed her bruises, how she'd climb under the bed with the white sheets and pretend she was in heaven, surrounded by white.
The last one, especially, ties in with what her Aunt said - how she was always there under the bed and was she looking for something there. The answer is yes - she was looking for peace and a place where she could lose herself. Under her parents' bed, with the white sheets that fell down on all sides, is where she lost herself, pretending she was in the heaven that the preacher talked about. That at any moment angels would come and save her from the home in which she lived.
To progress, you need to hide under the bed and from there you are given the chance to see the truth and make the ultimate choice. From it you will go either one way or the other.
Scene 8 - The Choice - Dream/Memory
Hiding under the bed, a new scene shows of Era's aunt and father alone in her parents bedroom. Her aunt is on the bed and her father is watching her there.
Voice appears and tries to shame Era by reminding her that she liked her aunt because she took away her father's night visits, but that a part of Era hated her because when she arrived Era suddenly no longer existed for him - after a year of affection, even though in the dark night it was twisted and wrong - she missed it.
Voice tries to shame her into denying, finally, the reality of that night. He reminds her that it was dark when she came. And the final choice is here: Truth or Lie.
And this is where people trip up because this is a choice. You can once more cancel the choice completely. I decided to be generous and let people have access to the good ending easier. From this choice there are two different paths. Very, very different paths.
If you choose 'Light a match' the Truth wins. Era wakes on the couch of her psychologist and he tells her that she remembered the truth. Era faces what she did - killing her father, mother and aunt in the house fire. She is given one last chance to rack up Lie or Truth points through the next three answers:
Is she alive? Yes - true. No - lie.
Is she real? Yes - true. No - lie.
Does it matter? Yes - true. No - lie.
She is alive. She is real and her battle mattered. Her living matters. Her reality matters. These things are true.
She has come through her trial; fought hard against the self-hate and doubt, and learned the truth about what happened in her past. Whether she learns to live with that truth is another thing and determined by the Truth/Lie points but she has lived - at least for now - and she has learned the truth of her dreams.
From this choice the ending depends on how many Lie and Truth points you've accumulated over the game. More Lies? A bad end. More Truths? A good end.
And if you cancelled? If you chose to deny the truth of having killed your family?
You will have to deny the truth over and over to get the lie. Everything you've learned has pushed towards the truth that is Era setting the fire, so the amount of self-denial needed to prove yourself wrong is immense. This means you need to keep cancelling.
The choice messages start to change. You fought to find the truth so hard, why are you denying the truth now that it's in your grasp?!
Soon the messages begin to yell at you: ADMIT IT! YOU LIT THE MATCH!
But keep denying the truth and you will be called a liar, over and over and over again until her mind breaks.
You are then shown one of two endings, depending on the amount of Truth/Lie points you have. (Or, you're supposed to be. One of them isn't working for some reason. I'll have to fix that. >.<; )
One has Era, now living in the old house, unable to live with the constant lies in her mind. She's become an alcoholic, like her father, and finally snaps, setting fire to the house and dying as she was meant to in the initial fire.
Summary
I began Her Dreams of Fire as a silly little game to get done in the competition. It was never meant to be serious or great but I was surprised to find myself getting wrapped up in Era's story, and finding ways to express it. Of course, with limited time comes a lot of limitations added. I worked a lot on the writing side of things and with the competition the way it was I couldn't do some of the edits I wanted to (or, apparently, find every bug, damnit).
I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when people said they were annoyed by not having choices - apparently not remembering that cancelling choices was a thing. I though it quite obvious, to be honest, so it shocked me a bit when people were complaining about it. XD
I have to say I had fun making the game. It's not my usual fare and was put together in a matter of about 4-5 days total. (I started working on it Midnight Wedsday, but was busy for about a day or so doing family stuff). I'm actually proud of the project, if I'm being honest. I like how it turned out and would only change a few small things - Death's appearance and the bugs would definitely be the ones, also a few edits to make emotions more apparent to the player (Era shaking her head as you try to make her jump).
The secondary title of the game is Strings and I feel that that sums up the game well. Era is a puppet on strings that you are in control of, sometimes making her do things that is not in her character. She is trapped in strings and cobwebs, unable to move forward with her life until such time as she deals with her internal issues.
This game is about introspection and depression and growing past and healing. It contains suicide but Era herself is not suicidal except in one ending when you make all the wrong choices. I count forcing Era to jump as murder, not suicide, btw.
Anyway, I hope this gives you a better understanding of the messages in the game and what I was aiming for. I feel I did do a good job imparting these thoughts, albeit in a vague manner. That said, as with everything, it could be done a bit better.
Thanks for reading, if you did, and feel free to post spoiler discussion on this page. o/
Posts 
Pages:
1
unity
View playlists
Close
Huh, I honestly didn't think of hitting Escape when presented with the "..." choices. I knew there was something tricky going on there, but I should've thought outside the box a little more, ha ;-_- and I'm really glad that you apparently have to try several times to get her off the roof, because I assumed that was something you had to do. After that didn't work and everything started speeding up, I spent the 2 minutes spamming clicks at the door :P
It's nice to have a little more context to it all. I didn't know the last woman was her aunt right away (although I put two and two together after the one body said AUNT). I also didn't pick up on the dad creeping on the daughter, but maybe I just missed that part. The general feeling of unhappiness and dealing with the past was there though, as well as trying to work through depression.
I ended up getting the good ending, I think - the psychologist saying "she's working through it slowly, but she'll be alright in time" - but it sounds like I screwed up a few of the choices, except for the last three, which were a little more obvious, imo. I think those choices at the end were a nice touch.
Anyway, I liked it! I definitely like the theme of "trying to come to terms with your past" and this game did a pretty solid job expressing that. It was definitely rough around the edges, but given that it was made in a week, I mean, whatever. Nice one ^_^)b
EDIT: Oh, for whatever it's worth, the appearance of Death didn't really bug me (although him being hidden behind the dialogue box... hehe :P) I assumed since she was already hearing voices, seeing things wasn't too weird, either.
It's nice to have a little more context to it all. I didn't know the last woman was her aunt right away (although I put two and two together after the one body said AUNT). I also didn't pick up on the dad creeping on the daughter, but maybe I just missed that part. The general feeling of unhappiness and dealing with the past was there though, as well as trying to work through depression.
I ended up getting the good ending, I think - the psychologist saying "she's working through it slowly, but she'll be alright in time" - but it sounds like I screwed up a few of the choices, except for the last three, which were a little more obvious, imo. I think those choices at the end were a nice touch.
Anyway, I liked it! I definitely like the theme of "trying to come to terms with your past" and this game did a pretty solid job expressing that. It was definitely rough around the edges, but given that it was made in a week, I mean, whatever. Nice one ^_^)b
EDIT: Oh, for whatever it's worth, the appearance of Death didn't really bug me (although him being hidden behind the dialogue box... hehe :P) I assumed since she was already hearing voices, seeing things wasn't too weird, either.
Ah, seems you got the second best ending. There's one better which is kinda awwww~
Yeah, my idea of using the cancel feature kind of backfired on me, it seems. I would have ideally liked to have had it mentioned somewhere in the game that you could cancel but I felt that it would break the feeling. I might add it at the end, after endings, though. That might work since the game is over and first time around you're probably thinking about trying for another ending. Actually, yeah, that would work. XD
(I didn't want it at the start. Felt a bit too awkward - I've never been one for giving instruction in games, so... >.<; )
Anyway, I'm glad this page helped clear up a few things. It was well worth typing up. I'll make some edits to the game then repost the fixed version in the next few days.
Yeah, my idea of using the cancel feature kind of backfired on me, it seems. I would have ideally liked to have had it mentioned somewhere in the game that you could cancel but I felt that it would break the feeling. I might add it at the end, after endings, though. That might work since the game is over and first time around you're probably thinking about trying for another ending. Actually, yeah, that would work. XD
(I didn't want it at the start. Felt a bit too awkward - I've never been one for giving instruction in games, so... >.<; )
Anyway, I'm glad this page helped clear up a few things. It was well worth typing up. I'll make some edits to the game then repost the fixed version in the next few days.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Now, a lot of people have complained about the lack of choices but you always -ALWAYS- have a choice, even when it seems you do not. It may not necessarily be the right choice, but it is a choice. In RM there is a cancel branch that can be used with choices, which allow for a hidden, alternate choice. Two of the endings are hidden with these choices. All other choices have a point and change the endings.
This... changes quite a bit for me. I knew the cancel branch option existed, but I didn't think (for some reason) that it was possible in 2k3. Now that I know this, I'm gonna go back and give this another go to see how it changes my feelings.
That being said, I do hold on to the notion that something should have been done to hint at the player that such an option is possible. Whether it's at the end like you mentioned, or somewhere at the beginning. I should probably assume that the target audience of this game would be game makers, huh? There are some people (like myself) that played the game and have no knowledge of the inner workings of 2k3, and I think endings that require this knowledge are a bit unfair.
Anyway, I hope this gives you a better understanding of the messages in the game and what I was aiming for. I feel I did do a good job imparting these thoughts, albeit in a vague manner. That said, as with everything, it could be done a bit better.
This was what I was trying to get across in my review. I did understand the message the game was trying to convey, but because I thought there were no real choices during the dialogue scenes, I thought the game could have conveyed so much better.
But yeah. Overall, this page definitely changed my thoughts on the game. So much so that I'm considering deleting my review, or at the very least removing the star rating. Thanks for doing this!
Avee
5794
I enjoyed it overall.
It felt like a satisfying experience the first time through even though I got the fire ending. The emotions were powerful and well conveyed by the writing, repetition, text color and screen tints/special effects, and pacing.
The later scenes, interacting with the parents, reminded me of guided imagery and I think it was very well represented.
The existential bits in the beginning seem a little misleading as to the rest of the game, but it might be a matter of interpretation or understanding: I've never been very fond of existential theories or good at applying them to therapy.
Then my gamer habits took over: I wanted to see if there were a better ending and played 3 more times, trying different options. I didn't mind that the dialogue choices were sometimes hard to gauge. It felt right considering Era's struggle and state of mind. Some of the lines like "I want to visit heaven" were potentially misleading, but maybe they added to the experience after all.
I finally got the good ending on my fourth attempt.
I have to admit that going through the longer scenes again was a bore. A save feature would have helped... but I wonder if you intended for us to play only once and take the experience as it is, or play again and try to "win" the game.
Which of those would strike the best balance between the point of the game and the player's satisfaction, I wonder.
It felt like a satisfying experience the first time through even though I got the fire ending. The emotions were powerful and well conveyed by the writing, repetition, text color and screen tints/special effects, and pacing.
The later scenes, interacting with the parents, reminded me of guided imagery and I think it was very well represented.
The existential bits in the beginning seem a little misleading as to the rest of the game, but it might be a matter of interpretation or understanding: I've never been very fond of existential theories or good at applying them to therapy.
Then my gamer habits took over: I wanted to see if there were a better ending and played 3 more times, trying different options. I didn't mind that the dialogue choices were sometimes hard to gauge. It felt right considering Era's struggle and state of mind. Some of the lines like "I want to visit heaven" were potentially misleading, but maybe they added to the experience after all.
I finally got the good ending on my fourth attempt.
I have to admit that going through the longer scenes again was a bore. A save feature would have helped... but I wonder if you intended for us to play only once and take the experience as it is, or play again and try to "win" the game.
Which of those would strike the best balance between the point of the game and the player's satisfaction, I wonder.
Pages:
1
