Contrapasso

Contrapasso is a 2D puzzle-platformer with an emphasis on potent atmospheric immersion and environmental storytelling.

The main character is a rat named Dante, tasked with searching for food in a strange hellscape filled with demons, dangerous geography, and hostile mystical forces. Dante’s story will be told through gameplay, as he descends deeper into hell in his search for food, crossing whichever obstacles the environment throws his way. As a rat, he can traverse through small openings and move with agility as he dodges enemies and jumps platforms.

Hell is roughly characterized by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno in the Divine Comedy, with each level representing a cardinal sin. As Dante delves deeper into the levels of hell, the art style will shift from earthly and familiar to otherworldly and unrecognizable; this linear visual shift will serve as both a functional cue commensurate with player progress, but it’ll additionally have a larger narrative role in contextualizing the setting of the game.

The player will solve each level through a combination of exploration, and  platforming. The player must be aware of a level’s layout and puzzle elements to solve any particular puzzle and will navigate the level using the common platform tropes of parkour jumping and movement coordination.

The control layout for Contrapasso is designed to be basic and intuitive for players to easily learn. Arrow keys left and right are used to move in both directions, and the space bar is used to jump into the air.