Pilgrim's Gate

(text-colour:yellow)[//''Pilgrim's Gate''//]. You are Theo. Choose a partner to explore Pilgrim's Gate with: [[Svend]] [[Ethel]] [[Archibald]] [[Liora]] (text-colour:white)[''[[Artist Statement]] [[Acknowledgments Page]]'']

Explore: [[Market]] [[Port]]

Explore: [[Monastry]] [[Port]]

Explore: [[Market]] [[Island]]

Explore: [[Monastry]] [[Island]]

The Market is a place of trade where you can sell anything. It is also here that you can find antique relics that can either guide you down the right path or can lead you to your demise. What will you choose? [[A necklace with the initials 'AJ' engraved in the back]] [[A silver coin]] [[A bracelet made of red and green thread]]

The port connects Pilgrim's Gate to the rest of the world. You must choose a ship to tour the waters. Be careful with your choice, though, as it could result in death: [[The Voyager]] [[The Red and Green]]

The Island is secluded from the rest of Pilgrim's Gate. Here you can go fishing or choose to swims in the waters. [[Fish]] [[Go swimming]]

The Monastry is the ancient place of worship. It is here that people from all over Pilgrim's Gate come to have their wishes be granted. Pilgrim's Gate's religious leader, Toro resides here as well. You look up and are captivated by the beautiful high ceilings, featuring holy images. The smell of incense puts you in a relaxed state of mind. You are at peace here. It is then that, Toro approaches your partner...their face is old, yet comforting. It reminds you of your grandparent. Toro says that both your wishes could come true, but first you must choose the right door. The wrong door could result in death so choose wisely. [[Silver door]] [[Red and green door]]

Upon wearing the necklace you feel an urgerncy. Like something is pulling you towards itself. You hear a voice, one that you had forgotten...a language that you had forgotten as well. You follow it for what seems like hours. It gets louder as you keep walking. Eventually, you find yourself deep in the mountains. You notice an old lady by a cave. She is whispering to the wind. The same words that you could hear from the market. Before you can think, you find yourself running towards her. 'Toro!', she exclaims the name you had forgotten. As an adult, you didn't remember much from your childhood, not even your parents. You assumed you didn't have any. But now you remember that you had grandma. She takes you inside the cave and tells you how you had been cursed by the Red-Eyed Tree Frog, Aayu for stealing his necklace. Your fate was to wander Pilgrim's Gate, living out multiple destinies until you finally reach the correct one. She says she isn't sure how many you must have lived out to reach here but she is happy you made it home. Now she says she can finally help you fulfill your destiny, the place you were always meant to be, but you must choose. The correct choices will tell you who you are supoosed to be...the wrong ones will send you wandering down the same path again so choose wisely. Remember, a silver hammer can open an iron gate. [[Port]] [[Island]] [[Monastry]] [[Market]]

Upon holding the coin, you and your partner feel a sense of peace come upon you. You close your eyes and see a glimpse into your future. You see a building with tall ceilings, the smell of incense filling the room. You see people from all over Pilgrim's Gate present. They are bowing down to you and offering you gifts. You are Toro, the spiritual leader of Pilgrim's Gate. Your future is peaceful and you fill your days with guiding people to their destination.

Upon taking the bracelet, you and your partner are approached by the captain of a ship. They offer you a free cruise on the waters of Pilgrim's Gate. You and your partner graciously accept their offer and step onto their ship, [[The Red and Green]]

You and your partner open the silver door. Upon stepping in, you both are transported to the [[Market]]. This wasn’t your wish but oh well, every cloud has a silver lining.

You and your partner open the the red and green door. Upon stepping in, you both are transported to a beautiful Island. Your wishes have come true as you can spend the rest of your life on this private island, abundant with food. You both rejoice and are confused to either go fishing or go swimming. Make your choice wisely, it might lead to your demise: [[Go swimming]] [[Fish]]

You and your partner step into the ship. The captain offers you the finest wine and invites you to sit on the upper deck. You both enjoy the fresh air and feel at peace with the wind blowing in your hair. Soon the winds start to pick up. You hear the captain screaming orders to his crewmen. Everyone on board is in a panic, as the (text-style:"shudder")[ship shakes violently from side to side]. The ship eventually gets hit by incoming waves and crashes into a seculded island. You must make an escape from the sinking ship, but you see your partner caught under a part of the ship beacuse of which they can’t escape. [[Help your partner]] [[Swim to safety]]

You and your partner grab your fishing rods and proceed to fish. You catch more fishes than you can count...unable to believe your luck. You both head to the Market and hear some chattering. You learn that a huge ship has crashed into the Island you both were just on. You feel a huge sense of relief upon hearing this. You live the rest of your days as if they are your last and enjoy life to the fullest. You can end your journey here or you could choose to see what else the [[Market]] can offer you. But remember, too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.

You and your partner step into the water, it offers you both a relief from the scorhing sun. You spend an hour coming in and out of the water, stepping out to read a book. You step back in one last time to cool off, when you suddenly feel something very large hit you. You are in extreme pain, you look up and realise that you have been hit by a large ship. You try to scream for help but you are so tired, you close your eyes and feel yourself drifting into a gentle slumber...(text-style:"blur")[one that you will NEVER wake up from.]

You rush to help your partner, trying to remain as calm as possible. You end up being able to free them and you both swim to the shore of the Island. Your partner tells you how thankful they are and awards you with all of their precious jewels in exchange for you saving their life. You spend the rest of your life as a rich Bison.

You give your partner an apologetic smile and rush to jump into the waters. You begin to swim but are hit by a large wave that slams you into the rocks and you DIE.

(align:"=><=")[''''''Artist Statement:''''''] A story is bounded by certain factors like plot, characters and time, but within these boundaries players are able to make their own choices. These choices influence the result of the game, with each choice resulting in a different outcome or, rather, a different experience of game play. While making Pilgrim’s Gate I was influenced by Wanderhome and some of the gameplay that my playgroup and I engaged in. This can be seen in the choice of locations like the market, port, island, etc. These are locations that are present in Wanderhome as well. As for the gameplay, the characters in the game borrow their names from the characters that my teammates built. I also took inspiration from Anna Anthrophy’s Queers in Love at the End of the World, as I was fascinated with the idea of a looping story that allows players to have an ending eventually. This piece deals with themes such as spirituality, destiny, death, memory, among others. I hope that readers are able to enjoy the storyline, as well as, pick up on the hints that I have left in the game that will help them eventually fulfil their ‘destiny,’ as I like to call it in the game. The game also has some meta aspects, like when the grandma states that Toro’s fate was to wander Pilgrim's Gate, living out multiple destinies until they finally reach the correct one. She also states that she isn’t sure how many Toro must have lived out to reach here but she is happy they made it home. This addresses the journey that the player has had and also the mechanics of the game. It is also a nod to the interactivity of the game, an aspect that helps amplify the theme of destiny.

Mangundap, Filbert. CRWR 312, Wanderhome Play lab, UBC, 14th November, 2023. Traboulsee, Alex. CRWR 312, Wanderhome Play lab, UBC, 14th November, 2023. Liu, Michelle. CRWR 312, Wanderhome Play lab, UBC, 14th November, 2023. Marel, Kaylan Van Der. CRWR 312, Wanderhome Play lab, UBC, 14th November, 2023. Dragon, Jay. Wanderhome, Possum Creek Games, 15 April, 2021. Mesnard, Nat. "Branching Infinity:Exploring the Many Structures of Interactive Fiction." //Catapult//, 26 Jul. 2021.