The Characters

The tide is turning on a world that doesn’t turn. People are tired of Capitalism, and one Oval Cowboy is stepping up to start a revolution.

MR. WUB

-Rebel, Cowboy, Revolutionary, Main Character

Mr. Wub is your average oval boy with two legs and no arms. He wears a pair of cowboy boots and his matching cowboy hat. He lives on Planet “Home” on what is called “the Dusk Ring”, where his home is being bought and repossessed by an evil Capitalist Cat named Catplism. Mr. Wub is rightfully pissed and decides to start a revolution by recruiting people on his way to the Capital.

CATPLISIM

-Dictator, Antagonist

(Name might change not sure yet)

Catplism is the leader of the Purrliament and is currently the Dictator of “the Dusk Ring” on Home planet. He wears an Illuminati-esque pyramid hat, which represents the highest rank in the Purrliament. Catplism is power-hungry and wants to overtake the Formfolk land.

The World

written by Matthew Ellis

Planet: Home

In the world of [insert name], the sun never sets. The planet’s rotation matches its revolution around its star; this means that it always faces its star in the same direction, no matter its position in revolution, much like Earth’s moon always faces it, no matter where it sits in the sky. Because of this phenomenon, the sun never sets on [insert planet name]. The star blasts the front of the planet, scorching the planet’s front half into an uninhabitable wasteland of a desert. The direct front of the planet, in fact, reaches temperatures that, over time has transformed the sandy surface to thick slabs of glass. The back half of the planet, conversely, remains untouched by sunlight, leaving this half as a tundra-like environment inhabited by nearly no one.

However, life thrives on this planet; almost all but the most extreme surface life forms live on what is known as the Dusk Ring. This is where the “day” side meets the “night” side. The air here is humid and temperate, plants grow, shark-birds dart between city buildings and tall trees, trees that have specifically adapted to compete with the city skyline to reach the slivers of light from the dusked sky. Civilization reaches around the entirety of the Dusk Ring. After the railway was constructed to wrap around the whole Dusk Ring, it consequently turned the entire ring into one massive, albeit skinny, metropolis. The sheer size of this city created an opportunity for political corruption; opportunities that are fulfilled every day by power-driven cat-like people called the Purrliament that make up the rulers and the rich of [insert planet]. The Dusk Ring is the only place where life exists, at least as far as this civilization is concerned.

Under hundreds of feet of hot and sticky glass in the direct front of [insert planet], there are deep and spacious cavern systems formed from ancient water flow; ever-clear and pure water that now rests at the very lowest levels of the cave systems. Even at its deepest depths, sunlight still peeks through the glassy walls, though it shines much softer under the surface. It’s in these caves where ancient life forms flourish from a planet that once did, indeed, spin on its axis. A planet that once had both day and night. Trapped in a glass time capsule, life forms from millions of years ago remain untouched, unbothered, and unknown from any modern person. No one from the Dusk Ring is even aware of the Great Glass plateau, let alone what lies beneath it. Even if someone was curious, hundreds of thousands of miles of oven-baked desert would be a death sentence.

The Inhabitants of the World

Formfolk

Formfolk is the catch-all name for the people of Home who are born as clean, simple shapes. Most of them live and work across the Dusk Ring, packed into the long, skinny metropolis that wraps the planet.

What they are

• A “shape-people” society. Formfolk can be ovals, squares, and other shapes, and shape is treated like a visible identity marker, the way accents, fashion, or hometowns might be in another world.

• Built for the Ring. Their cities are vertical and crowded, with tall “light-hungry” trees and stacked buildings competing for the dusked sky’s thin glow. Formfolk life is adapted to constant twilight, neon, and shadow.

How their culture works

• Practical, communal, and trade-based. Most Formfolk culture centers on making the Ring livable: food, water, shelter, repairs, transit, and keeping neighborhoods running.
• Big on signs and symbols. Because the world is half-lit and visually loud, Formfolk communicate status and belonging through bold silhouettes, hats, paint, badges, and easy-to-read iconography.
• Shape stereotypes exist (even if they’re wrong). Ovals might get labeled as “drifters” or “soft,” while squares get labeled as “stubborn” or “industrial.” Those assumptions can fuel prejudice, jokes, and hiring bias.

Where they sit in the power structure

• Most Formfolk are not in control. They are the workers, renters, and regular citizens who keep the Dusk Ring functioning.
• They live under the shadow of the Purrliament. The Purrliament sits on top of Formfolk society through debt, property ownership, and “rules that look neutral” but always land hardest on ordinary people.

Formfolk are easy to unite and hard to unify: they share the same ring, the same cramped twilight, and the same pressures, but their shape-based subcultures can either become a point of division or a revolution-strengthening identity once Mr. Wub starts pulling people together.

The Purrliament

The Purrliament is Home’s ruling class and secret society: a network of cat-like elites who treat the Dusk Ring like a ledger. In public they present as “leaders,” “investors,” and “protectors of order.” In private they operate like an Illuminati, steering laws, debt, and resources to keep Formfolk dependent. They are often seen with illuminati like eyes floating above their head paired with a golden symbol that matches their rank. The highest rank being the pyramid, the lowest being just an eye. Even the lowest rank is still powerful and above any Formfolk.

What they are

• An Oligarchy. The Purrliament sits above mayors, landlords, and courts, shaping policy through quiet pressure and backroom deals.
• A brand, not just a group. Their symbols show up everywhere: stamps, seals, uniforms, and architecture that remind people who really owns the Ring.
• A club with layers. Most citizens only ever meet the polished, public-facing members. The inner circles are anonymous and protected.

How do they maintain control

• Debt as a leash. Mortgages, rent, fines, and “fees” keep households one missed payment away from losing everything.
• Ownership of essentials. They control housing, transport, permits, and supply chains, so every part of daily life passes through a Purrliament gate.
• Rules that sound fair. Laws are written to look neutral, but they are enforced hardest on ordinary Formfolk.
• Fear + comfort. They offer small comforts and distractions while making examples of anyone who threatens the system.

Culture and reputation

• Always watching. The Purrliament cultivates the feeling that someone is listening, recording, or tallying every mistake.
• Polite cruelty. Smiles, manners, and ceremony on the surface. Cold decisions underneath.
• Status is everything. Membership is a ladder. Loyalty is bought, traded, and tested.

Why they matter in the story

The Purrliament is the main obstacle to revolution because they do not just have soldiers. They have paperwork, property, and the power to decide who gets to live on the Ring and who gets pushed into ruin.

Glossary

• Home: The planet where the game takes place. It is tidally locked, so it always faces its star, and the sun never sets.
• Day Side: The front half of the home that faces the star. It is a scorching desert.
• Night Side: The back half of Home that never receives sunlight. It is a tundra-like region.
• Dusk Ring: The band where the Day Side meets the Night Side. Most surface life and civilization exist here.
• The Ring: Another name used for the Dusk Ring, especially when referring to the connected city that wraps the planet.
• The Purrliament: The dominant ruling class on Home, often associated with wealth, political power, and corruption. They control key institutions across the Dusk Ring and make up much of the “rulers and the rich.”
• Formfolk:
• Railway: The rail line that wraps around the Dusk Ring and helped turn the whole ring into one long metropolis.
• Great Glass Plateau: The glassy surface on the Day Side, formed when sand fused into thick slabs under extreme heat.
• Shark-birds: Predatory birds seen darting between city buildings and tall trees in the Dusk Ring.

Gameplay

(Section under development)

the main screen

1. your character
2. object highlights
3. inventory

Gameplay Controls

Left click interaction

tab open inventory

Character Movement & Mouse Control

(Section under development)

Inventory

(Section under development)

Open the inventory using tab

Depending on the item you will be presented with one or more actions

examine item

use or give item

combine inventory items

Conversations

(Section under development)

Talking with NPCs is vital for understanding what is happening in The Dusk Ring; it is also necessary for recruiting characters for your revolution. Not everybody is so easy to convince.

Recruiting

(Section under development)

To recruit a Formfolk to join your revolution, you must talk with them and then engage in a mini-game. If you beat the mini game, they will join your revolution at the end of the game. You have 3 tries to recruit a Formfolk; after the third, you will not be able to recruit them.

For example, an easier battle would be with MaT when you play rock, paper, scissors (he only picks scissors)

Credits

GAME DEV AND WRITER

Melody Elbel

COMPOSER AND WRITER

Matthew Ellis

This manual is based on the layout of the Dreamfall: The Longest Journey CD-ROM manual, just to give it credit. https://archive.org/details/dreamfall-the-longest-journey-2006-manual

This game is still in development, so any suggestions or ideas are welcome! I will try to post updates about development and will be posting a mini trailer soon (since I started making this for an interactive art class at my college and have to make one anyway!! maybe even a lil demo to go with it ). I'm very excited about this project, and these characters are my babies, so please do not steal!