Justice at Stake

Player movement mechanics
player talking with the pooja sharma
player with the clues
Pooja sharma

Inspiration

The inspiration for Justice at Stake comes from the real-life case of Atul Subhash, an AI engineer from Bangalore, whose tragic story highlights the struggles faced by men in society. However, this game is not solely about Atul Subhash; it sheds light on a broader issue that many men endure.

In today’s world, matters related to divorce , alimony , and accusations have become alarmingly common, often leading to emotional and financial turmoil for men. The societal tendency to favor one side, particularly women, in such cases further exacerbates the challenges, making it harder for men to find justice or understanding.

Through this narrative-driven game, we aim to start a conversation about these social issues, offering a balanced perspective while encouraging players to explore the complexities of truth, morality, and justice. Study more about the case with link given below:-

link

What it does

Justice at Stake is a mystery game where players investigate the suspicious death of a man named Rajiv. The player’s job is to explore the crime scenes, talk to people, and look for clues to figure out what really happened. The story changes based on the choices the player makes, and every decision can lead to a different ending.

As the player uncovers more information, they will face tough choices that can affect the characters' lives, including mental health and survival. The goal is to find out the truth and bring justice, but players must be careful—wrong decisions can lead to tragic consequences.

How we built it

For Justice at Stake , we used the Unity 6 game engine to create the game, which allowed us to build an interactive and immersive experience. We used C# to develop the core game mechanics, making it easy to control character movement, interactions, and puzzle-solving features.

To manage game assets like images and other media, we relied on AWS services . Specifically, we used AWS S3 Buckets to store and organize game assets efficiently. We also incorporated Amazon Q Developer , an AI assistant, which helped us improve and streamline the mechanics, ensuring smooth and engaging gameplay. This combination of tools helped us bring the game to life with a seamless and well-organized development process.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was creating smooth and immersive cutscenes. We wanted the story to flow naturally, but ensuring transitions between gameplay and cutscenes were seamless took a lot of fine-tuning. It was difficult to make sure the pacing was right without interrupting the player's experience.

Another challenge was managing the game's assets in the cloud. Storing and retrieving large files like images and audio smoothly from AWS S3 Buckets required careful optimization to avoid slow loading times during gameplay.

Lastly, we faced difficulty in perfecting the game mechanics to make the gameplay interactive and engaging. Balancing the complexity of puzzles while keeping the game accessible for players was a constant challenge. However, with continuous adjustments, we managed to create a fun and smooth experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re really proud of how we tackled such a sensitive and impactful topic in our game. Despite the challenges, we had the courage to address the complex issues of mental health , ** harassment*, and **family dynamics, which are often difficult to talk about. Through our game, we aimed to not only tell a compelling story but also offer a **moral lesson* about making the right choices in tough situations.

Our interactive story kept players engaged, allowing them to connect with the characters and their struggles. The cutscenes blended perfectly with the gameplay, creating an immersive experience that didn’t interrupt the flow but instead enhanced it.

Additionally, we successfully used AWS S3 Buckets to manage game assets, ensuring a smooth experience for players. Above all, we’re proud of how we crafted the game mechanics —balancing exploration, puzzles, and decision-making to create a unique, rewarding experience for players.

What we learned

We learned how important it is to balance gameplay and storytelling. Creating a seamless flow between interactive gameplay and cutscenes was a key takeaway, as it kept players engaged without feeling interrupted.

We also gained valuable experience in working with cloud services, especially AWS S3 Buckets, which helped us efficiently manage game assets and keep the game running smoothly.

In addition, we learned a lot about game mechanics design—how to create challenges that are fun but not frustrating, and how player choices can impact the story in meaningful ways. Overall, the project taught us the importance of continuous testing and iteration to create a polished and enjoyable game.

What's next for Justice at Stake

Right now, "Justice at Stake" is just the beginning of a much larger story. We've laid the foundation with a short yet impactful narrative, but in the future, we plan to expand the game to cover the entire case in greater depth. We aim to explore more characters, complex choices, and multiple layers of the investigation, allowing players to dive deeper into the mystery.

Our goal is to offer a full investigation experience, where players can uncover hidden truths, confront moral dilemmas, and experience the consequences of their decisions in a much broader context. With additional episodes, new gameplay mechanics, and a more detailed storyline, we want to create a truly immersive experience that keeps players hooked until the very end.