DEVLOG: Narrating Pregnancy

Update 0.0.28, which is due to release in late August/Early September will focus on Elisa's story. Those of you who have already started her path might have noticed how she can become pregnant by the Doctor during his trip to Seattle early in the game.

The Doctor's parenthood isn't automatic: you need to make the right choices for it to happen, and if he isn't the father Elisa will go back to her former boyfriend, Officer Kirby.

If the story progresses though you will be left to choose if you want to become a father in the game and then her story unfolds as her pregnancy progresses and she approaches her delivery date.

Let me tell you that narrating pregnancy isn't easy. The risk to fall in abused clichés is way too easy, even more than talking about homosexuality in general, and those who haven't experienced this part of life can barely guess what it means, because it's something that needs to be lived to be fully understood (I realized that AFTER my wife's own pregnancies myself).

Over the course of the game you will face conversations, challenges and moments of despair, but also fun and joy. Those are the feelings that accompany every parent-to-be, no matter what. I tried to put those in the game by talking about my own experiences and traslating them inside the game, keeping Elisa's mood intact as well as the doctor's.

In terms of gameplay a new meter has been added: the Stress Meter. Elisa will become more or less stressed during her pregnancy and this will ultimately lead to different outcomes when ending her story arc. It's up to you to make the right decisions (or the one who mostly appease you) to calm her down and let her live this experience the best of ways.

However, as in real life, sometimes her stress level will increase regardless of what you do, because external happenings can always interfere with your "perfect life" together and you'll have to face unavoidable events which will test your bond with her.

While there's not enough in-game time to actually follow Elisa after her delivery, this will be definitely added in the game as a future content, but right now a full pregnancy experience is more than enough to deal with ;)

Another choice you might have made that will affect her pregnancy and stress is whether or not hiring a midwife (or more) into your staff at the clinic. Midwives have been a lovely, irreplaceable part of our own pregnancy experience and I wanted this to be present in my game as well. While they will work as a "hidden calculation" with just a couple dialogues, they can be quite useful in helping the parents-to-be to be as happy and relaxed as they can.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy Elisa's path.

Be safe and healthy,