A central question has been present in our team since the project began: how do we build something new on top of an existing IP? It must retain the original’s identity while making use of contemporary technology. At the same time, it needs a certain level of consistency so that the fan base can accept it as a continuation. As someone who cares deeply about narrative-driven games, I often find it frustrating when characters from the same IP contradict themselves across different titles. I used to ask whether maintaining consistency was really that difficult. This project has shown me that it is, but not impossible.

As a narrative designer joining the project midway, I faced a problem common to many in the same role. I was not part of the early development. The project itself is old enough that earlier designers have either forgotten their thought process or the documents are incomplete, lost, or never properly organized. My first task, then, was to piece together scattered information, to understand the world and the characters within it. I believe that if the creator cannot form a coherent logic in their own mind, then problems that could have been resolved through thought will instead grow into something unmanageable during production.

Before writing anything, I consider it essential to have a clear grasp of the characters. Their background, experiences, and goals need to be distilled into core motivations and positions. Given the limited time, I couldn’t conduct a comprehensive analysis, which is probably common in commercial projects. After establishing a working understanding, I shifted my focus to the story I needed to write.

The first question was what had already happened: the motivations of the characters involved, and the information each of them held. In the part I was responsible for, it is already established that Keelin seeks to move up in social class through marriage and has set her sights on Alaron. By reviewing earlier material and examining the characters’ behavior, I identified a key factor: an information asymmetry between her and Alaron. Keelin knows that Alaron has feelings for Brenna, a childhood friend, and that Brenna feels the same. Alaron does not. At the same time, the two are already caught in a misunderstanding.

From there, the logic follows. Given the situation, what is the most effective move? From Keelin’s perspective, the answer is clear: act before the misunderstanding is resolved, or deepen it to the point where it cannot be repaired.

The final question is how to achieve that. We know Keelin is skilled at using her charm to her advantage. She sees beauty as a means of securing resources, while Brenna exhibits none of the traits typically associated with conventional femininity. Based on this, I arrived at the following possible direction:

• When facing Brenna, I believe someone as perceptive as Keelin would recognize that a friendly and composed approach is the more effective choice at this stage. Flaunting or behaving triumphantly would only reduce her to a shallow, antagonistic figure. I believe she would aim to guide Brenna toward the belief that Alaron holds little interest in her and that Brenna’s understanding of him is more limited than she assumes. A possible angle would be to suggest that Brenna may know Alaron as a person, but not men more broadly, whereas Keelin positions herself as someone who does. She might also draw on Brenna’s differences from conventional expectations in both appearance and temperament. Throughout the conversation, Keelin would project a controlled confidence, with a restrained sense of superiority that reflects her experience in matters of affection and her quiet certainty that she will prevail.

• When facing Alaron, Keelin would likewise try to convince him that Brenna does not care for him at all, perhaps by framing the issue around how a woman in love is supposed to behave. I don’t think Alaron would be easily swayed. He knows that Brenna is Brenna, not the sort of conventional woman Keelin is describing. Brenna has her own way of acting and expressing herself. It is even possible that, in the course of defending Brenna, Alaron suddenly realizes that some small detail was, in fact, her subtle, unmistakably personal way of showing affection. The outcome of this conversation would still resemble their earlier conflict to some extent. Keelin would ultimately fail to obtain what she wanted from Alaron, while Alaron would come to understand that he needs to think more carefully about all the moments he has shared with Brenna.

So, back to the original question: maintaining a consistent character is not especially difficult, but it does require time to think and to work through the gaps in logic that were never recorded. I find this process rewarding. It often feels like solving a puzzle. At the same time, the schedule is tight. That is why leaving a clear, direct record for future developers became one of the key lessons I took from this experience.