Deadline

Step into the shadows of Deadline, a deception game where the truth is buried beneath neon lights and jazz-soaked lies. Every night the suspects call, whispering deadly hints. Can you trust your ears?

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Inspiration

Deadline was inspired by classic party games like Mafia and Werewolf, but we wanted to bring a new level of immersion to the genre. Our goal was to combine the strategic deduction of social deception with the gritty, atmospheric storytelling of film noir. We asked ourselves: What if your only clues came from what you heard?

What it does

Deadline is a web-based social deduction game where players interact with a fully voiced cast of suspicious characters. Each game unfolds over a series of in-game days, where the player receives mysterious phone calls from suspects. Using audio clues, branching dialogue, and character bios, the player must piece together who is hiding the truth—and who’s capable of murder. The game features: A rich, noir-inspired setting with immersive audio design. Fully voiced character dialogue that changes based on roles. Dynamic clue delivery through character calls.

How we built it

We built Deadline using: bolt.new for prototyping narrative scenes and UI flow, React for the front-end interface and state logic, ElevenLabs for high-quality AI-generated voice acting, which gave each character a distinct, believable noir-era tone.

Challenges we ran into

Audio Delivery: Ensuring smooth playback of ElevenLabs audio while managing load times was a challenge on slower connections.

Writing for Voice: We had to rewrite several lines to sound more natural and engaging when spoken out loud versus just being read.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Atmosphere: We’re proud of how immersive the game feels—thanks in large part to the realistic AI voices and moody soundtrack.

Voice Integration: Leveraging ElevenLabs allowed us to prototype fully voiced characters without needing a full voice acting team.

What we learned

AI voice tools like ElevenLabs are game-changers for indie storytelling—giving voice to characters without compromising on quality.

Writing for spoken delivery requires a different rhythm and pacing compared to written text.

What's next for Deadline

Add multiplayer mode, letting players take on roles and deceive each other in real time.

Create new city packs with fresh voice sets and stories.

Bring it to mobile, using notifications to simulate late-night calls from suspects.

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