Pedro Mello - Game Developer
Email: pedrogcmello@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +55 (21)99064-4994
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Working in Game Design, Level Design, Narrative Design, Programming and other aspects of game development is my passion
No Hope for Escape
No Hope for Escape
Branching narrative horror adventure
Branching narrative horror adventure
In this game, we follow the story of Cassie, a young girl abandoned by her parents as a child. After graduating, she and her friends embark on a gruesome and bloody journey through an abandoned haunted house—one that forces her to question her own reality and identity as she uncovers secrets from her past and fights to survive a night of pure terror.
Story Summary
The story blends reality and fantasy, keeping players constantly driven to uncover the game's mysteries. Initially, the plot feels grounded in the real world—though it remains incredibly tense and terrifying, haunted by the threat of relentless killers in gruesome costumes.
Gradually, the veil of reality begins to tear, giving way to increasingly dark and inexplicable events. As the story unfolds, the player discovers that the haunted house is actually a lethal trap designed by an ancient, powerful vampire. With the help of his son Cain—Cassie’s own boyfriend—he lures unsuspecting prey into the abandoned attraction, a place from which no one ever returns.
In a journey of survival and self-discovery, the responsible and determined Cassie will do whatever it takes to save herself and her friends from the house's countless horrors. Along the way, she will unearth dark secrets from her past that may be the only key to surviving the present.
Key Features
Retro adventure style with gameplay inspired by Full Throttle and Beneath a Steel Sky
Numerous clever puzzles where the solutions and your timing can influence the story
A unique, atmospheric take on the horror genre
Branching narrative with multiple endings, where every NPC can live or die based on the player’s choices
Gameplay
The game is a 2D narrative-driven adventure featuring point-and-click mechanics. Story progression relies on solving puzzles through item interaction, dialogue, and environmental cues. Some challenges require a blend of quick reflexes and intellect. With branching dialogue and multiple narrative paths, players will feel the full weight and consequences of their actions as they guide Cassie through the story.
Every choice is a matter of survival—from choosing which doors to enter, to finding hidden items, or picking dialogue options that reshape the plot. While failing a puzzle often results in a "game over" that allows for a retry, failing certain critical challenges can lead to the permanent death of your companions or unalterable shifts in the story.
As players uncover more about the world and its characters, new paths and actions are unlocked, granting access to new areas and driving the narrative forward. Some segments require backtracking with newly acquired items—either as a mandatory step or as an optional way to uncover lore and trigger future plot twists. The ultimate goal is to reach the end and escape, saving as many friends as possible by making the right calls to achieve the best ending.
Prototype and production
The game's prototype was a massive challenge to pull off. On top of a tight deadline, the project's complexity was well beyond the team's capabilities at the time. Aside from myself, none of the other members had ever made a game before, requiring us all to overcome significant hurdles through sheer determination. For me, the sheer volume of design material I had to produce—including countless pages of lore, puzzle descriptions, mechanics, and the overall GDD structure—was far beyond anything I had tackled before. It was during this process that I realized I wanted to specialize in Game and Level Design.
I also took on a role I’d never held before: team management. This part was both a challenge and a pleasant surprise. It wasn't a formal choice or something forced upon me, but rather something that happened naturally. I found I had a real instinct for it, and I believe I was able to organize the team effectively while serving as Director and Scrum Master. It’s a role I truly enjoyed and a skill I now know I can bring to any team. Our group consisted of three people: a programmer, an artist, and myself. Since neither the programmer nor the artist had prior experience, we were all learning together. Despite the obstacles, the team's commitment was crucial to the project's success. In the prototype, we successfully implemented the proposed mechanics and completed the entire first act. The full game is planned for three acts, and the complete level design and puzzle documentation can be found below.
Feel free to check out the demo on itch.io
The demo features the complete first act. It can be finished by solving all the puzzles and unlocking the final door
Playing the demo is the best way to get a feel for the game and its mechanics
The intro is quite long, so feel free to press Esc to jump straight into the gameplay
https://ro-dood.itch.io/no-hope-for-escape-1
Level Design
Level Design
The game consists of three main areas, and progression is driven by environmental exploration, item collection, and character interaction. Each room presents a unique challenge to overcome. Players will encounter a wide variety of puzzles—some involving time constraints and the risk of a "game over," others where the solution alters the course of the story, and many that serve as a pure test of intellect. To solve them, players must explore their surroundings, interact with the environment, and figure out how to use the items they find. In certain rooms, players will encounter their friends; these interactions can influence the puzzle-solving process, just as the puzzles themselves can shape their companions' futures. As the game progresses, the difficulty increases and backtracking becomes more essential. Players can also find or unlock shortcuts and discover that certain items can be used in previously visited rooms.
Stages Level Design
Puzzle description
Narrative
Narrative
Players follow Cassie and her friends, learning more about them and growing attached as the story progresses. Cassie’s survival within the house is directly tied to her past; by finding clues and notes, the player uncovers the truth behind the current events, with several leads pointing back to Cassie’s own history. These revelations show that her parents—whom she believed had simply abandoned her—had actually been to the house before.
As the villain’s presence looms larger, the true, dark nature of the house and the reason for their arrival is revealed. The master of the house is an ancient vampire named Alron, who lures prey to devour them and turn them into undead slaves, using them to hunt further victims. Cassie’s father, a former vampire hunter, had originally come to the house searching for his wife after she was captured by Alron, who was obsessed with her. Both disappeared. Years later, Alron orchestrated a plan to bring Cassie to the house, using his son Cain to infiltrate her school, become her boyfriend, and lead her there—along with plenty of "prey" to satisfy the vampires' thirst.
Prototype and branching narrative flowcharts
Prototype and branching narrative flowcharts
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