The Iron Chef
Linear Food Combat Narrative
Role:
Solo Writer & Story Creator
(Art collaboration by assigning briefs & high concept)
Assignment:
Narrative Course Assignment
Programs:
FadeIn, Twine & Miro
Narrative Design
A young, ambitious, wannabe food warrior uses her experience in cooking food weapons to chase her dream of becoming The Iron Chef, but she’s not the only one gunning for the title.
The Iron Chef follows a theme of ambition and willingness to succeed while employing a cozy sentiment of style to the world where the player can try many different ideas in order to overcome obstacles, whether good or evil, in an attempt to lead their character to achieving their dream.
Players will be thrust into a story that will question whether striving for a goal can be achieved through passion and the willingness to learn.
Disclaimer:
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Olivia Clarke has created all concept art for the project's visuals
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This is a live page as the title and documents are still a work in progress
Game Concept
Logline
A young, ambitious, wannabe warrior of a kingdom uses her experience creating weapons from food to chase her dream of becoming The Iron Chef, but she’s not the only one gunning for the title.
Summary
When the previous protector of the kingdom known as The Iron Chef ultimately retires, the Food Kingdom enters a scramble to claim the new title. Lily Comida jumps into action to achieve her dream; however, the journey is already fraught with peril, as powerful forces seek to claim the title for themselves and chase after a legendary weapon that will grant unfathomable and delicious power.
Purpose Statement
The Iron Chef is a linear single player action adventure game that follows themes of ambition and willingness to succeed while employing a cozy and comfortable playstyle that allows players to approach the game at their own pace. The player can try many different mechanics to overcome a variety of evil forces in an attempt to lead the main character to achieve their dream.
Players will be thrust into a story that will question whether striving for a goal can be achieved through passion and the willingness to learn. This pairs with a lighthearted tone that is sometimes challenged with topics of severity and sacrifice.
Engaging with this theme should have players experience a tasty coming of age narrative that will challenge their thinking in the theme of ambition, its cost, using it as a driving force to overcome adversity despite one’s background, and finally, the sacrifices that must be made along the way.
Experential Passage
The broccoli leaves bristle in the faint wind. Slowly, you steady your breathing and crouch silently within the red pepper bushes. Ahead, the spare rib tusked warthog grazes, unaware of your position.
“The animal must have crossed the boundary line recently looking for fresh greens” you think to yourself as you disengage your bow. The bended spaghetti held together by the candy string. It was made with base ingredients, but the design should still hold firm for this task.
You steady the bow in your left hand and grab the infected blue cheese arrow in your right. This should confirm the kill. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a plump gleaming red pepper. You pick it off the bush as silently as possible, and carefully insert it to the tip of the arrow, blending it into the poisonous blue cheese.
Quickly, you draw back on the candy string with the newly modified arrow. You take aim as the warthog looks in your direction with a sense of danger. Too late! Your aim is true, and the double elemental damage of fire and poison sees the animal go down swiftly. You stand with a smile at the triumph of your quick thinking and walk over to collect the prize that will ultimately allow you to craft the strongest sword you have imagined.
Character Sheets
Player Character
Lily Comida
Purpose Statement:
Lily Comida is the driving force behind the theme of the story (positivity and determination driving one towards their dream) as she chases down a life of more adventure by becoming The Iron Chef. She will face the most adversity throughout the story which will ask the questions whether chasing down her dream with all that optimism can really be worth it. The player should constantly have the feeling of wanting to back her and drive her to succeed every time they jump on the sticks to continue her journey.
Bio:
AGE: Teen (16)
ETHNICITY: Mixed-Latina
PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown – Adopted from a line of royalty. (She claims high honourability in being from Cavatelli City just like her Mentor, although she clearly is quirky enough for everyone to see through this.)
CURRENTLY LIVING: Vegetonia
PERSONALITY: Happy-Go-Lucky, Naive, Determined
ABILITIES: Cook Forging, Weapon Food Combat, Trash Talking
LANGUAGES: English
VOICE: An overly positive teen, doing her best to achieve her dreams and to push forward with joy. She isn’t always able to read the room because of this though.
Background:
Left on the doorstep of a skilled forger, Lily grows up in a poorer area of the Food Kingdom than most. This never douses her will and positive energy (although it’s best not cross her path if one tries to). Throwing caution to the wind in her younger years, Lily travelled to nearby states in search of adventure and finds herself amazed by the skill of the food warriors she watches from a distance. Much to the dismay of her mentor and guardian, she would often sneak away to secretly train in combat with the weapons they forged together, in aspirations of helping the citizens of the Food Kingdom and becoming the strongest in the land. Her fiery nature and ability to never back down from a challenge sees her get in more trouble during her school years than anyone would like.
Mentor
Tortoni Tortellini
Purpose Statement:
Tortoni is the voice of reason to Lily who bears the over arcing theme of driving towards a goal. As someone who chased a dream of his own and sacrificed everything to be the greatest forger in a competitive market, he is often a voice in Lily’s head to remind Lily of the difficulties she will face on her journey and tries to reason with her from a place of care and concern.
Bio:
AGE: Mid-Life Adult (46)
ETHNICITY: Caucasian
PLACE OF BIRTH: Cavatelli City
CURRENTLY LIVING: Vegetonia
LANGUAGES: English
PERSONALITY: Stern, Protective, Righteous
ABILITIES: Cook Forging, Haggling (for those pesky food ingredients, cost of living is a problem everywhere it seems)
VOICE: A thick Eastern European accent makes him sound rougher than he is but, that doesn’t stop him from using the deep voice of his to drive home his years of experience to the youth of Vegetonia.
Background:
Being born in Cavatelli City really means you only have one option: becoming a skilled weapons forger for the food warriors in the Food Kingdom and the same is true for Tortoni and his two brothers. Growing up in a lower to middle-class family, Tortoni dedicated his life to his craft, travelling across the Food Kingdom to gain insight on forging the greatest weapons and showing up those around him (including his brothers). When a newborn shows up in the middle of the Vegetonia courtyard where he is living at the time, he makes the ultimate sacrifice to look after Lily while continuing to improve his skills and mentor the feisty young raggamuffin. Since then, he has continued to deliver the highest quality of food weapons while doing his best to keep Lily out of trouble (which is often easier said than done.)
Antagonist
Ryn Esca
Purpose Statement:
Ryn is the direct opposition to the theme of the story in that she aspires to achieve her goals through revenge and anger. Everything Ryn does, is always done with overwhelming power and arrogance. Her dream is to control the Food Kingdom through fear, believing that this is justice for the way she has been treated throughout her life and she will oppose anyone who attempts to choose otherwise. Even though Lily and herself share similar backgrounds, their attitudes are entirely different.
Bio:
AGE: Adult (35)
ETHNICITY: Caucasian
PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown (Similar to Lily who was outcast. She only claims to be part of a new identity living with bandits within the Open Lands)
PERSONALITY: Impatient, Arrogant, Clever
ABILITIES: Weapon Combat, Spreading Propaganda for her own agenda
LANGUAGES: English
CURRENTLY LIVING: Open Lands
VOICE: Ryn has a typical villain voice; quick to mock and laugh at others at their misfortune but, is angered easily when her own occurs. She speaks with the belief that what she is doing is right and anyone opposing her ideology is a fool.
Background:
Ryn was orphaned and left behind as a baby. Living a life of hardship and adversity, she slowly learned how tough life could be hopping around the Food Kingdom. As a young girl, she made a promise to herself that those ousted by the citizens of the Food Kingdom would understand the terror and pain she once felt. Growing up in tough situations, she quickly learned how to use the combat abilities of food warriors and fought for what she felt was right, forming an alliance of bandits behind her to carry out their beliefs in justice. Even though causing harm to the land and wildlife is entirely forbidden and grants anyone caught doing it a life-time sentence, she sets up a plot to destroy the lands using a chemical extracted from deep within the Open Lands in order to cause chaos to the citizens within the Food kingdom she so despises.
Infantry Captain
Captain Tom Trifle
Purpose Statement:
Captain Trifle is the closest character to sharing Lily’s dream. As the former pupil of Tindall, he once dreamed of becoming the Iron Chef, but has turned away from it in order to keep the Candy Kingdom safe instead. He is never too busy to help those in need and often sees himself in others. He sacrifices his old dream to now keep the people around him safe. He becomes a guiding figure for Lily to learn combat from as she progresses through the story.
Bio:
AGE: Young-Adult (29)
ETHNICITY: Caucasian
PLACE OF BIRTH: Candy Kingdom
PERSONALITY: Curious, Well-Mannered, Helpful
ABILITIES: Cook Forging, Weapon Food Combat
LANGUAGES: English
CURRENTLY LIVING: Candy Kingdom
VOICE: A well-spoken Captain that strays away from fun and sometimes takes life too seriously. Often curious when he sees others living their dreams and becomes inquisitive.
Background:
Born in the Candy Kingdom to a middle-class family, Tom Trifle was touted as the next Iron Chef working closely with Tindall from a young age. He grew up in an infantry setting most of his life and felt obligated to his duty. He never caused trouble and was often seen as a bore by others. The resignation of Tindall came more of a shock to him than anybody else but due to this rift, he felt obligated to take charge of the Candy Kingdom infantry after so many soldiers left out of fear for what would come next. He has been the stand-in protector of the Food Kingdom since, but his rocky relationship with Tindall means he has lost all desire to become the next Iron Chef and instead pursues to provide a life of peace for those he loves the most.
Previous Iron Chef
Tindall Legume
Purpose Statement:
Tindall becomes a mentor to Lily in the same way as Trifle, but he aims to improve her mental resilience and helps guide her towards achieving power without giving her the answers. The theme starts and ends with him as the previous Iron Chef, having lived out the dream Lily aspires to have. After years of fighting with himself, Tindall resigns as the Iron Chef to do what he is truly passionate about, even if it’s at the mercy of the Food Kingdom.
Bio:
AGE: Senior (72)
ETHNICITY: Asian
PLACE OF BIRTH: Vegetonia
PERSONALITY: Wise, Calm, Whimsical
ABILITIES: Alchemy, Combat, Politics
LANGUAGES: English
CURRENTLY LIVING: Candy Kingdom
VOICE: A soft voice that can become stern in times where it’s needed. Speaks with an aura of patience and experience.
Background:
Not many citizens remember that Tindall was born in Vegetonia with it being so long ago. Growing up, Tindall was quickly recognized as a skilled combatant ready to be put into mentorship under the Iron Chef at the time. Tindall loved to discover new information about the Food Kingdom and would often run off to collect samples and speak to townsfolk about their lives. Even though this was frowned upon by his peers, it brought him good reputation and showed his kindness at heart. Due to this, he was unable to make decisions solely based on logic and always considered the best interests of others first. As time wore on, Tindall recognized his true passion was always in studying the alchemy of the Food Kingdom, and he used Ryn’s plot as an excuse to resign from his title as the Iron Chef even though this went against the norms.
Young Royalty
Princess Nectarine
Purpose Statement:
Princess Nectarine will often act as Lily's main mission giver and sometimes join her on adventures that she probably should not go on within the Candy Kingdom. This prompts a story and theme of friendship through adventure and hardship, guiding the player to experience a blossoming story between two will-be friends, especially after years of being alone and sheltered within the castle with only advisors and maidens much older than her. She will drive the story into new areas and even different sorts of missions where the player will have to be conscious of another party being present.
Bio:
AGE: Teen (17)
ETHNICITY: African
PLACE OF BIRTH: Candy Kingdom
PERSONALITY: Joyful, Timid, Adventurous
ABILITIES: Politics, Royal Power
LANGUAGES: English
CURRENTLY LIVING: Candy Kingdom Castle
VOICE: Speaks with less formality than her advisors tell her, which is a testament to her kind nature. She gets excited about seemingly mundane endeavours outside of the Candy Kingdom, yet can pull back her excitement to remain level-headed in critical situations.
Background:
The Princess was born to a happy welcoming King and Queen and grew up in a loving environment but always kept far away from danger. One day when she was 13, the King and Queen took a perilous trip which ultimately saw their lives come to a tragic end leaving the Princess as an orphan. This didn't completely douse her unwavering kindness and joy even though this was a difficult transition in her life and for everyone in the Candy Kingdom. As she grew up in a more controlled and strict environment due to the circumstances, it prompted her to search for more adventure and freedom. Although never getting caught in a dangerous situation, it allows her to become more open and excited to hear about other people's adventures making her an empathetic Princess despite her youth. Even with her adventurous spirit, she is timid of the wider world as the Candy Kingdom is all she's ever known. Unfortunately, she was never able to make any close friends that could stick near her, that is until Lily comes along.
Plot Description
The Journey Begins
The Iron Chef of the modern era, Tindall, retires. This leaves a gap in the world of the food warrior. Lily, excited by the prospects, leaves behind her food forge master to pursue the world of being a food warrior, but soon runs into many in pursuit of the same dream. Early on, she meets kind and adventurous characters in the Candy Kingdom that will help her along the path to becoming a food warrior and discovering secrets throughout the world.
The biggest threat to Lily: a black-hearted yet highly skilled warrior racing through the Food Kingdom at a rapid pace in search of the legendary Bacon Sword. When Lily finally learns of her intention to use her godly power, schemes, and the sword to achieve immortality, she springs into action to stop them from tainting her dream of being the powerful Iron Chef. All the while, the fauna and flora within the lands start to steadily decay.
Act 1
Escalation & Perseverance
Lily, using her profound ability to merge and cast food weapons, finds herself learning the ways of a food warrior as she proceeds through the various states of the Food Kingdom. To stop her dream, Ryn lures Lily to a one-sided fight in the Candy Kingdom, quickly showing her the difference in their abilities.
Badly wounded but still pressing on, Lily finds herself at the doorstep of the former Iron Chef who uses his plethora of experience and knowledge to heal Lily. Here she learns the difficulties and adversities that come with being The Iron Chef, as well as the power that can be acquired if The Iron Chef manages to wield the legendary Bacon Sword. On top of this, Ryn’s full plot of destroying the Food Kingdom comes to light as she has spoiled the lands which forced Tindall into an early retirement of his own volition.
Not deterred by this, she swears herself to the cause and to stopping Ryn from acquiring immortality but to do this, Tindall asks for her to beat him in a fight to know she is ready. Meanwhile, Ryn continues to intensify her search for the Bacon Sword while destroying the lands of the Food Kingdom, reaching ever closer to ruling the Food Kingdom with an Iron Chef fist.
Act 2
Act 3
End and Beyond
With word spreading that Ryn has found the location of the legendary Bacon Sword, the Food Kingdom enters a panic and blames Tindall for the events inflicting the land. Lily springs into action using her new knowledge, some help from Princess Nectarine and training to break through the Open Lands ruled by the bandits, and into the hidden catacombs of the Candy Kingdom where the past Iron Chefs now lay in rest. Entering the underground tunnels where the legendary Bacon Sword is kept, she finds it's too late to stop Ryn, however, Ryn’s blackness of heart and her lack of royal lineage make her unable to wield the Bacon Sword. In the final encounter, Lily manages to pull the Bacon Sword out of intuition and finds herself on equal footing with Ryn in the final showdown. Lily musters up every bit of courage she has to defeat Ryn and save the Food Kingdom. With the discovery of her royal lineage, Lily aims to uncover more about her background. Although powerful, there is still a long way for her to go with the Food Kingdom still in disarray as she becomes the newly recognized Iron Chef!
Design & World Documents
The design and world documents below are taken directly from the full Narrative Pitch Document which has been split to form the current web page
Cinematic & Gameplay Scripts
The scripts below are a compilation of narrative cinematics, gameplay cinematics, and gameplay scripts that are sorted in the story's chronological order
