Summary
Type: Videogame / Game Jam
Completed: Released
Acquirable: itch.io
My Role: Solo Project (Outsourced modelling and some audio files)
Time Frame: Within 24 logged hours.
Overview
Parasocial is a first-person psychological horror game where the player is a livestreamer documenting a camping trip while unknowingly being hunted through dense fog. The game is a remake and expansion of my earlier university project, Discount Slender, developed to refine its core tension and atmosphere through stronger design and presentation.
Players rely entirely on sound and visual distortion to sense when the stalker is nearby. There are no direct indicators or minimaps, forcing the player to interpret subtle cues and navigate the environment through intuition and fear. This creates moments where losing spatial awareness becomes part of the experience. This best appeals to games who are familiar with streamers and phrases such as parasocial, or players who are into horror and suspense games.
Core Gameplay
The player’s goal is to survive the stream by avoiding the stalker and managing their limited tools. When the stalker approaches, the player can throw objects to slow it down. Instead of relying on physics-based throws, I implemented a parabolic projectile system using raycasts. The projectile travels exactly where the player aims, scaling speed and height to distance. Physics only activate when the object hits a target, ensuring precision and predictability without having to mess with physics launching super often in this game jam.
This system allowed reliable, predictable throwing mechanics that still felt responsive and intense under pressure.
Presentation And UI Design
To reinforce the concept that the protagonist is a streamer, I modelled the start and pause menus after OBS Studio, including layout and design elements familiar to real content creators. This visual framing anchors the player in the role of a streamer performing for an unseen audience, enhancing immersion and thematic clarity without intrusive storytelling.
My Role
I was responsible for all gameplay and system design, including:
• Designing the stalker AI and detection feedback
• Implementing the parabolic throwing system and raycast logic
• Creating the fog-based environment and ambience
• Designing and scripting the OBS-inspired user interface
The project was a solo prototype intended to explore tension, disorientation and identity through limited feedback systems.
Design Goals
Parasocial focuses on perceptual tension rather than direct confrontation. The design encourages:
• Reliance on environmental and audio cues
• Fear through uncertainty and proximity
• Player self-awareness as both performer and victim
By blending streamer culture and classic horror tropes, the game explores the boundary between performance and vulnerability.
Why This Shows My Design Strengths
Parasocial highlights my ability to:
• Build atmosphere through systems rather than exposition
• Use minimal feedback to heighten emotion and tension
• Blend mechanical precision with thematic design
• Reinforce narrative context through UI and presentation
• Prototype efficiently while balancing mood and readability
It demonstrates how I use both technical design and creative framing to create cohesive, player-driven tension.
Throw an object at the stalker
