The Selected Works of Sidney Jinks

Inspired by TS Eliot's The Waste Land, The Selected Works of Sidney Jinks is a point-and-click adventure about writing poetry.

Take control of Sidney Jinks, a poet saddled with depression and self-doubt, as they go on a journey to deliver their latest manuscript to a publisher. Problem is, the manuscript is blank. It's up to players to fill in the lines of Jinks's journal and pen their own poems by exploring levels, talking to characters, and solving puzzles of communication. Will the world remain a bleak, hopeless waste land, or will Jinks learn to see the beauty in its cracked façade?

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This project is very much a work in progress. 

What you see here is the first level-- a proof of concept. Controls are still finnicky. Models are rough and lacking animation. And boy does the storytelling still need work. But this is merely the pair of fumbling legs on which the game is learning to walk upon. This is not the final product. Even in getting just this much of the game put together, I've run into loads of problems with the systems I've put in place, and I want to get busy improving upon them, but having one working level, just on its own, with all its shortcomings, feels really good. It's something to look at and learn from.

Thank you for checking out my game! 

Hope you enjoy :)

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A good deal of inspiration for this game came directly from reading The Waste Land. Larger plot points and world-building elements pull straight from some of the imagery and ideas featured within the poem itself, such as the clairvoyant, Madame Sosostris, and Princess Emmi, who we will later come to know as the hyacinth girl. The utter dampness of the piece also pushed me towards presenting such a wet opening level, soggy with rain.

Beyond these direct connections, I also drew inspiration from the life of Eliot himself. The Waste Land is a work that's reflective of Eliot's world views at the time, a show of his depression and disconnection with those around him. My main character, Jinks, and their travelling companion are based off of Eliot and his own friend and editor, Ezra Pound.

In reading academia and critical analysis about The Waste Land, I noticed that many critics worked at mining meaning from the poem by looking into the depths of Eliot's personal life.  The literature that shaped his tastes, the personal relationships that made him retreat from the world. This biographical focus is where I got my idea for generating poetry. In the game, certain lines players can choose for their poem are unlocked through dialogue choices or during moments in which players are asked to reflect upon the world around them. This is my way of presenting the creative influences that shape artists through the design of the game itself.

Lastly, I'm fascinated by the allusions laced throughout The Waste Land. Going forward, I'd like this game to wear its inspirations on its sleeve in the way The Waste Land does, but for now, it mainly comes across in gameplay mechanics. The biggest inspiration here being Kentucky Route Zero, upon which I lean heavily. I've also been obsessed with funky, atmospheric music lately, which explains the few tracks I wrote for this game (and why they feel so underdeveloped (I'm not much of a musician)).

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Created on Unity with Adventure Creator and Distant Lands: Cozy Weather