twisted tree games

So, I’m thinking of it being 2 main characters that have got left behind somehow (e.g. they were thought to be dead) when the entire rest of the population went on a mass pilgrimage (in a fictional taoic/druidic religion) to a spectacular event that only happens every 80-odd years, e.g. (1) The moons align*, causing (2) A lake to drain away (some gravity thing) causing (3) some amazing insect type creatures to hatch from the mud of the lake bottom forming big iridescent plumes. For ultra over-the-top spectacle, the lake could be covering a sunken ruined city from a bygone era.
(*i.e. you can see the moons beginning to line up as you travel westward or wherever)

It’s an A->B journey through mostly deserted towns and countryside but if you get there (in time) its a happy ending! It’s like The Road without the apocalypse and futility!

If/when you get there the last bit is walking through the crowds trying to find your friends & family. Maybe the games ends just as you find them in the crowd.

If you don’t get there in time you might meet the crowds returning.

The gameplay is all about survival and navigation and how hard to push on, with dynamics between the characters and the occasional interesting encounter on the way.

A ton of credit goes to Ricky for helping shape the framework of this idea!

(And finally, maybe time for a real name for the game…)