Graphic courtesy of RETCON Games
“Good Bones,” a new video game written and programmed by Wallingford resident Jes Negrón, will be released on the video game platform Steam this spring.
The game took six months to complete and according to one of the visual designers, Patricia Navarro Guerra, it has been “crafted with passion and dedication by all participants.”
The game will feature an all-Latina cast and, as Negrón articulated on her Twitter account, will be “exploring themes of grief, loss, familial expectations, mental health, queerness, etc.” Negrón and her team did not want to reveal too much about the game, but they gave fans a small glimpse into it by providing a short summary on the Steam website. “After the death of your spouse, you pack up your daughter and run from your grief — straight into a dilapidated old house filled with terrible memories. You encounter the ghost of a young woman who doesn’t remember who she is, why she’s there, or how she died.”
Throughout the game, players will attempt to uncover the identity of this ghost and the truth behind what she and the house have endured. The main characters include: Avi Colon, a mother who is afraid of the dark; her daughter Bianca Colon; the town librarian Olivia Mendez, who loves puns and hates pool water; and the ghost, Rosa Castillo.
Negrón majored in English at the University of New Haven; hence, she is a formally trained writer but a self-taught coder. Her father, who is also a programmer, helped guide her to achieve mastery of the skill. “Although I’m in gaming, my English major has been essential in the process. When creating a game, you have to know how to write a good storyline and make people interested,” said Negrón.
After graduating, she put her storytelling and coding skills to work at Riot Games for two years; however, Negrón, along with other female employees, experienced unequal pay, discrimination, and sexual harassment. They filed a lawsuit against the company and received a $100 million settlement. Negrón continued her coding career by creating her own company: RETCON Games. “Good Bones” will be RETCON’s first release.
Ms. Guerra is the environmental designer of the game. “My role has been creating the atmosphere, the background, and the props” she said.
She utilizes different color palettes to manipulate the players’ moods throughout different scenes during the game. “I design the rooms where the story happens, giving them the mood required through color palettes and composition. I bring a visual feeling.” Guerra praised the all-female and all-Latina design team, emphasizing their passion, dedication, and creativity. “I’m particularly inspired by the fact that Jes has been directing the whole project with her own resources and from scratch,” she said.
The game costs $14.99 to download and has already been added to over 3,000 Steam wish lists.
