Capriglione Art and Technology

Niki Capriglione

Professor Thompson

ART 211

31 September 2014

Carmen

Opera by George Bizet

Carmen is an opera about a woman, Carmen, and some of her experiences in Seville, Spain in the mid 19^th century. The opera Carmen really stuck out to me because I am a dancer. Carmen is also a ballet and I was interested as to how they were parallel. I also thought Carmen would be a challenge to make into a game. It is a little bit of a love story with some action in it as well.

The game is going to be like Supermario brothers. There is a path and when you get to the next space you have to overcome an obstacle. Each time you complete the challenge or meet a new person you will be able to move on to the next space, or the next level. This will go on until the story is finished and the main character, Carmen, is dead.

The player is Carmen. As soon as the player enters the game they are taken into the town square of Seville. There are many other characters around and the player is able to walk freely around them. Many of the soldiers around the player try to stop and talk but Carmen continues to roam until Don Jose appears. A flower appears in the corner of the screen to tell the player to grab it. Once taken the player can then throw the flower and it of course goes in the direction of Don Jose. The task is complete and the player is guided toward a sidewalk until a fight begins right in front of the player. The player is asked how they would like to enter the fight: a punch, a kick, or yelling. The player will then throw their defensive action of choice until the fight is broken up. Carmen, the player, is escorted away by Don Jose, the man she threw a rose at. The player is asked then asked how she would like to try to escape: talk her walk out of it, bat her eyelashes, or give him another flower. Whatever the player chooses Don Jose falls for is and lets Carmen escape. The player was successful! On to the next level!

Carmen walks away down a sidewalk, far away from the square. She continues to walk as the days pass until she comes across an inn. The player enters the Inn where her friends are. They all rush up to her and welcome her to the inn. There are also a few men in the mix of women. All the girls seem to be flirting with the guys as one begins to walk up to the player. He bumps into the player causing the player to turn to look at him as conversation beings. He introduces himself and says, “Hello, I am Escamilo, the victorious bullfighter.” He then breaks into song attempting to capture Carmen’s heart. The player is taken into a side game where they need to capture the heart before Escamilo does. The game is a maze, when the player gets to the corner they need to decide which way to go so they get to the end the fastest. There is an aerial view of the maze so the player can see where Escamilo is and where the end is. The player is also able to leave traps for Escamilo. If the player does not beat Escamilo to the heart they need to continue to play the maze until it is won. Carmen does not let Escamilo capture her heart, not yet at least!

Once that is complete Carmen returns to the inn. The player is informed that Don Jose is on his way to the Inn; Carmen has not seen him in a month and has been awaiting his arrival. When he enters the inn the player is asked to dance for Don Jose. The player presses different arrow keys for different movement to welcome Don Jose back. Once the player dances, Don Jose walks closer and begins to explain where he has been. He tells her how he went to jail for letting her go after that fight. A bugle then sounds signaling for Don Jose to go home. Carmen wants him to stay in the Inn with her, when he is ordered to leave Carmen and Don Jose fight as much as they can. Between the man giving orders and the player, they decide on a tug of war fight to see where Don Jose will end up. If Carmen wins he can stay, if the man wins he must go. The tug of war beings, the player must use the arrow keys to keep the rope in their favor. As soon as Carmen wins, she runs to Don Jose, they run hand and hand into a room in the Inn while the man lies of the floor defeated.

The next day they both awaken and find their way to a mountain hideaway. The player, Carmen, continuously tries to walk ahead and loose Don Jose. He pulls her back every time. She tries to tell him to just leave and stop following her. They continue to make their way to the hideaway. As they get closer to the hideaway Escamillo appears. The player steps back as she witnesses a conversation between the two men. Escamillo is telling Don Jose how he came here looking for Carmen. He goes on to share his love for Carmen. You can see this is unsettling to Don Jose and he begins to turn red in the face. The men begin to fight and all Carmen can do is watch. The player is left with nothing to do until the fight is getting more intense and the player is asked if they want to break it up. Once broken up Don Jose is taken away and brought back to his home. Carmen remains in the hideaway. Escamillo approaches Carmen and invites her to his upcoming bullfight. Without an answer, he disappears and Carmen is brought to the next level of the game.

The journey back to Seville, for the bullfight, begins. The player must run fast enough to catch up with Escamillo. Once Carmen catches up to him they continue their journey arm in arm. Once they return to Seville they arrive at the bullfight. The player is told to be on the lookout because Don Jose is near by. They are asked to enter the arena or wait outside. Whichever the player shall choose they will eventually have a run in with Don Jose. Don Jose drops to his knees in front of Carmen and begins to beg her to take him back. The player continues to tell him no she is in love with Escamillo. A ring pops up on the screen the player chooses to remove the ring. The player then chooses where to throw the ring, showing Don Jose that she is done with him. Don Jose does not take this well. He then stabs Carmen to her death.

The player is now watching as a bystander. Escamillo wins his bullfight. After the victory Don Jose comes before the crowd and confesses his crime. He is astonished by his actions and does not know what to say.

The game ends as the camera pans away from the arena. Don Jose is standing in the middle of the arena. Escamillo is crying in the corner. And right before it goes black you see Carmen’s dead bleeding body on the right side of the screen. And the words The End come across the screen.