Uncontrollably Lily

An exciting exploration on our relationship with playable characters in games.

The Game

In this unconventional 3D adventure, you play as a silly child called Lily.

As she’s a kid you’ll often loose control over her and also not always control what’s happening in the game. You’re the passenger giving directions, but Lily is the driver.

You’ll also find out how easily Lily get’s distracted. But that’s adding to a ride filled with many fun surprises!

Tools

Unity
Blender
Figma

Game

2-3 hours playtime
PC, Switch, Steam Deck, Controller supported
Genre: casual, humoristic, chaotic, story, puzzle adventure, sandbox
Similar to:
Untitled Goose Game,
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure,
Thank Goodness You’re Here

Mechanics

You can loose control of Lily when she gets distracted, which changes the player input.

Once distracted she can bump into things by accident which the player can use or avoid.

For example when she is distracted from the TV.

Video Explanation:

Lily turns on the TV and suddenly gets distracted (hypnotized), causing her to drop what she was doing. Lily now keeps watching TV until the player finds a way to get her back.

She also might start running towards something.

For example when she is helping someone retrieve an item. She then might get excited to bring back an item to a person. Instead of walking normal, she then starts sprinting towards that person! You’ll then have to react fast and avoid obstacles,… or else you’ll get Lily very dirty and drop the item.

She also might start running towards something.

Based on objects in hands.

Examples:

If I have a stick in my hand (aka. a thin, hard and long-ish object) bump stick on hard surface to make music
I have item A in Lily’s left hand and item B in her right hand. Merge the two to make item C.

Character

Why a child?

The game idea came after my ADHD diagnosis. It reflects how not in control I’ve often felt over my own decisions and actions, almost like there was a child sitting in my head. Just like children, people with ADHD often seem to interpret thing in a complete different way. Being an adult with ADHD it often feels like you’re just to stupid to understand clear directions or a child with too much imagination.

Additionally a child protagonist supports the chaotic and playful gameplay that feels authentic.