First Five Minute Experience - Tenderfooted/Paracosm GitHub Wiki

As the player boots the game, the first thing they see are brief splash animations of the group logo, leading straight into the game menu. There could also be a load screen with a looping animation of the main character performing a single action, such as running or walking.
The opening menu draws the player into a dreamy, mysterious atmosphere aided by a combination of art (effects and programming as well as style) and music.
The music and artwork together to bring the player into the world of Paracosm. Thinking of opening menus of games such as Child of Light and Kingdom Hearts, the simple combination of a still splash art, stylistic UI design and memorable music will be more than enough to keep people coming back and bring new people to the game. Within the start menu there are a limited amount of options to choose from within the start menu: Start game, help/options/settings, and exit. There may also be a menu for credits if applicable.

Settings/Options/Help Menu
This menu on the start screen is optional, as the player can access this menu within the game itself.
Should the player need to access any settings within the first five minutes, the menu is easily navigated through identifiable submenus. If there is time and resources to program the feature, there should be the following options available: • Adjust sound levels
• Adjust mouse sensitivity
• Adjust brightness
• Resize the game window
• Enable captions
• Rebind keys

Start game/New Game
Option 1 – Start game
The Start button leads to a load and save menu where the player can choose to either start a new game or load into a previous save file. At this time in production there should be no more than three slots to save or load into. This may be the more viable option upfront, as the player is introduced upfront to the style of the game instead of made to wait through an unskippable story feature. Option 2 – New Game
When the player presses the New Game button, they are launched straight into the game itself and the options of save, load, and settings won’t be accessible until a later point.

Gameplay
As the game starts there’s a short story montage or video, probably only one or two minutes long that gives the player any vital set up information they need to be immersed in the world of Paracosm. This is followed by a brief tutorial level that familiarizes the player with the games style, story, controls, and combat. The player should be presented with a simplified version of the games systems and challenges in order to prepare them for the rest of the game, as well as drop enough story breadcrumbs to keep them invested in the narrative of Paracosm. The player is introduced to key mechanics such as the Knight’s Light and the environment of the Dream World and how those elements mesh with the personality and overall story arch of the main character. This is a crucial time for the player to become attached to the main character and want to root for them through the game.