Pilgrim's Gate

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.