The Villagers
The first world Vee encounters is an unsettlingly perfect village. Everything is too bright, too warm, too welcoming. The townspeople, always smiling
The villagers of Happy Town were designed to embody the emotional state of denial. A place where everything appears perfect, cheerful, and without consequence. These characters live in a town that feels like a dream or more accurately, a refusal to wake up from one. Their bright pastel clothing, constant smiling, and having their eyes covered are all visual metaphors for avoidance.
Each villager wears a hat that intentionally hides their gaze. This design choice represents emotional blindness, the unwillingness to see pain, loss, or even reality. The absence of eye contact creates an uncanny valley effect; while they speak kindly and offer praise, their expressions are hollow, robotic. They mimic human kindness, but without emotional depth.
From a narrative standpoint, these villagers represent the subconscious voices telling Vee to stay in this fantasy, to ignore her grief and remain in comfort. The town is too warm, too perfect, and their behavior is too rehearsed. This false paradise is denial manifest: a world where nothing has gone wrong and Vee doesn’t have to feel.
Gameplay interactions reinforce this theme. The villagers will gently discourage exploration, urge Vee to rest, offer meaningless affirmations, and insist that she’s “just fine the way she is.” They may block paths with empty smiles, subtly discouraging change or curiosity. Through this, the player begins to feel that something isn’t right.
Designing them with simplicity and repetition in their appearance also supports the idea of emotional stagnation. They're all variations of the same idea, looping in place. There’s no individuality, because denial flattens everything into sameness, no need to process, no need to grieve, no need to move forward.
Concept Art:
Created by: Jonny Wahl
3D Models:
Created by: Alexandria Chow
