
The Girl Who Refused the Moon
Role: creator, game designer, narrative systems
Format: side-scrolling narrative adventure
Setting: a half-real Irish coastal town where the tide has stopped moving
A quiet game about a girl who leaves a party before sunrise and find that the whole coastline has shifted. The player controls Nell, who has to move through beaches, cliffs, closed pubs, old churches, caravan parks and flooded roads while trying to bring her friends home.
The gameplay is built around moon phases and social promises. Certain paths only appear when Nell keeps or breaks promises made to other characters. If she lies, the moon pulls the tide in. If she tells the truth, the landscape opens, but other characters remember what she said.
There is no combat. The player solves environmental puzzles by moving objects, lighting signal fires, listening to old songs, following bird patterns, and choosing when to speak or stay quiet.



