1. Lost Pigeon Studios presents
fenestra
Core Vision
An old man tries to take his own life, but finds himself unable to. He discovers that
he has the power to travel between two worlds whenever he dies. The player must use
this power to guide the man through puzzles, reaching a door to exit each level. The two
worlds travelled by the man are a dark, modern city and a bright, vibrant outdoor setting
from long ago.
Design Philosophy
The selling points of the game are the abstract puzzle solving mechanic and the
reversal of the traditional death-avoidance paradigm. Players must be able to work with
both instances of the world and utilize the objects and layouts of both to get to the door
and continue the game. Regardless of how far behind we get in our game development,
we cannot cut out the fundamental element of switching between worlds by dying. If we
do become short on time, we will drop some of our more ambitious mechanics such as
giving the player a vial of poison to kill themselves at will.
Objectives
The main goal of the game is to beat the levels by unlocking doors or navigating
obstacles using both worlds to get to the end. This is motivated by the character
development of the protagonist. The thoughts and memories of the protagonist are
revealed as the player progresses, so the player is motivated to solve each puzzle in order
to hear the next part of the story.

2. Challenges
The challenge of each level is simply to move the protagonist through the exit door. The
exit will usually be inaccessible in some way, so the player must figure out what tasks need
to be accomplished to reach the exit. The player may be challenged with some of the
following mechanics:
Choice of Death - The puzzles are designed such that the player must die in some way
to reach the end of the level. The principle challenge is for the player to decide when
and where they need to die in order to solve the puzzle.
Buttons - The presence of a weighted object will activate the button, opening a door or
otherwise altering the level state.
Keys - Doors may be locked and require a key to pass through. The key may be in a
location that requires the player to die and pass through the other world, or may exist in
both worlds and need to be carried through with the player.
Switches - Players can toggle switches between two states, which changes the
behavior of the object(s) that the switch is connected to. Players may have to activate
switches in specific orders or at specific times to solve a puzzle.
Timing Challenges - Players may have to synchronize their death with specific events in
one world in order to open a path to the exit.

3. Actions
Verb Description Importance
Walk Move horizontally on platform Critical
Jump Jump temporarily into the air Critical
Die Kill yourself to pass between worlds Critical
Push Push boxes to solve puzzles Valuable
Climb Move vertically on a ladder Valuable
Action Mechanics
Walk
limitations
• Can only be used when direction of motion is unobstructed
outcomes
• Walk left or right
• Move in mid-air left or right
• Fall off a platform
• Collide with deadly object
Jump
limitations
• Can only be used on a platform
outcomes
• Rise vertically
• Collide with deadly object above
Climb
limitations
• Can only be used on a ladder
outcomes
• Move up or down at a steady speed
• Able to resist gravity

4. Interaction Mechanics
Die
limitations
• Can only die from dangerous objects (spikes, fire, etc)
• Player does not actually die in the conventional video-game sense
outcomes
• Pass between worlds
• Freezes physics in world you’re not in
Push
limitations
• Can only be used on a platform
• Can only push objects light enough (walls and heavy objects won’t push)
outcomes
• Move boxes to new positions
• Destroy boxes by pushing them into spikes
Activate Button
limitations
• Button is only activated if the player or a box is resting on it
outcomes
• Activate the object to which the button is connected
Enter Door
limitations
• Player must be directly in front of door
• Door must not be locked
outcomes
• Current level ends
• Next level loads
Unlock Door
limitations
• Player must come in contact with door
• Player must be carrying key
• Door must be locked
outcomes
• Door becomes unlocked
• Key is destroyed

5. Pick Up Key
limitations
• Player must come in contact with key
outcomes
• Player will carry key until it is used to unlock a door or the player dies; keys that
transcend worlds will remain with the player when he dies
Activate Switch
limitations
• Player must be directly in front of switch
outcomes
• Switch toggles position
• Object connected to switch toggles state