FrostBound is an atmospheric, text-driven mobile game about survival, where AI-driven choices carve unique paths through the frozen Rocky Mountains. Players awaken injured and with amnesia, navigating harsh conditions while uncovering conflicting truths about their own identity. The game blends classic text adventure interaction, evolving from basic commands to a more complex parser, with a modern narrative touch mechanic. It delivers deep, cinematic storytelling and choice-driven outcomes through environmental puzzles, psychological themes, and an enigmatic AI agent named “Warden."
Vision & Pillars
Rooted in its genre as a Text-Based Survival Mystery, FrostBound incorporates elements of psychological horror, philosophical, existential, and sci-fi themes. Our vision is to create a deeply immersive narrative experience where every choice matters.
Core Themes
Isolation
Physical and existential, lost in the wilderness and within oneself.
Choice & Consequence
Decisions, subtle or significant, have delayed and systemic impacts (Hidden Echoes).
Player Agency
The "Ghost in the Machine"; your interactions are key to navigating an unstable reality.
Ethics of AI
Examining the nature and implications of the AI Warden and Project Chimera.
Environmental Storytelling
The world itself whispers its secrets through details and changes.
Project Chimera
Your actions metaphorically mirror shaping the game's reality or the AI's development.
_Survive the Chill: Gameplay Pillars
Survival
Manage Cold, Hunger, and Fatigue. These stats impact cognition, actions, and your ability to endure.
Exploration
Discover and navigate dynamic, unstable environments. Unearth clues and vital resources in the snow-laden wilderness.
Puzzle Solving
Interact with the environment, solve logic puzzles often tied to the AI interface, and overcome challenges influenced by your stats.
Narrative Interaction
Dialogue choices shape your relationship with the AI Warden and influence branching story paths leading to multiple endings.
Memory/Reality Management
Interpret glitches, experience flashbacks, manage Memory Anchors, and navigate the layered, shifting nature of reality.
Evolving Text Parser
Begin with basic commands and see the system evolve into a complex, LLM-like parser understanding natural language, alongside accessible hyperlink choices.
_Uncover Fragmented Truths
Narrative Overview
Set in the frigid, snow-laden wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, your journey begins as you awaken injured, amnesiac, and half-buried in snow. Primal survival is your first instinct. Following faint footprints leads you to a remote cabin and contact with the Warden, an AI that assigns you to "Project Chimera." As you explore a world unfolding in Memory Layers, you'll encounter faulty AI guidance, reality glitches, hints from "Crosstalk," and mysterious Shadow Figures. Uncover fragmented, unreliable memories through flashbacks and choices that will define your path and the AI's evolution.
Core Mysteries
What is the origin of your amnesia?
Who are you? Human, AI, Creator, or Copy?
What is the Warden's true nature and goal?
What is Project Chimera? Is this world real, a simulation, or a recursive memory loop?
Who are the Shadow Figures? What is the "Noise"?
Can the cycle be broken?
Key Characters & Elements
Player (PERSON): You. Amnesiac, injured, identity unknown.
Warden: Sentient AI in the cabin. Sarcastic, condescending, with hidden motives. Your guide and taskmaster for Project Chimera.
Shadow Figures: Mysterious entities, reflections, echoes, or iterations.
The "Noise": An unearthly, distorted sound, linked to reality's instability.
Dr. Aris Thorne: A name connected to Project Chimera, perhaps appearing in flashbacks.
_Glimpse the Unseen (Teaser Trailer)
Experience a taste of the chilling atmosphere and reality-bending mystery that awaits.
_Art & Visual Direction
FrostBound's visual style draws inspiration from classic adventure games like 'Rise of the Dragon,' featuring atmospheric static scene illustrations. We use hand-painted backdrops rendered in a low-color pixel art style with dithering. The palette uses steel-blue and cyan frost, accented with warm orange cabin light and terminal green. Subtle visual effects for weather, glitches, anchor states, and dynamic lighting, along with creative text display effects (flickering, fading, distortion), enhance immersion and signify the instability of your reality.
Visual Gallery
_Key Features
Episodic Narrative: An unfolding story across an Introduction, 6 Acts, optional free Sub-Acts, and an Epilogue. First premium episode (Intro + Act 1) for $1.99.
Deep Customization: Allocate points to stats like Warmth Resistance, Forage Strength, and Mental Acuity, influencing gameplay and narrative options. A fourth stat is introduced as a cliffhanger.
Dynamic World: Environments can shift and become unstable, reflecting the game's themes of memory and reality.
Multiple Endings: Your choices truly matter, leading to varied outcomes – escape, merge, trap, become an echo, and more.
Evolving Interaction: Start with simple text commands (EXAMINE, USE) and progress to a more complex, natural language parser, with persistent hyperlink options for accessibility.
Project Chimera: A text-based meta-narrative where you update the Warden's AI, influencing its behavior and the main story.
Rich Atmosphere: Combines pixel art visuals, evocative sound design, and compelling text to create a chilling, immersive experience.
Platforms & Release
FrostBound is planned for release on Android and iOS, with compatibility also considered for devices like the Steam Deck. Episode 1 (Introduction + Act 1) will be a paid release at US $1.99. Subsequent Sub-Acts are planned as free updates to build loyalty, with a total of 5 premium episodes planned, available individually or in a discounted season pass.
_Join the Expedition: Follow the Frost
The wilderness is vast, and the truth is buried deep. Don't face the cold alone. Sign up for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and be the first to know when FrostBound emerges from the storm.
Visit our official landing page: frostbound.info (Conceptual)
