Core Narrative 2

Title: Banshee of the Badlands

Corresponding Macro-Story Beat: Enter Bizzaro World

Synopsis: When a Banshee begins terrorizing a small town just outside of Badlands National Park by luring the town’s men into it’s death trap. A group of traveling Pony Express rider’s become the Badlands only hope of defeating the evil that lurks within the plains of South Dakota.

Genre: Action/Thriller

Protagonist: Kit Reid - Is a first generation Deadlands native. Because he’s spent his life calling the Deadlands his home. When his home is plagued, his courage in the face of absolute danger, encourages a group of unassuming and unprepared Pony Express riders to saddle up against their greatest threat yet.

Antagonist: The Banshee - The disquieted spirit of an Indian Woman that terrorizes the Badlands. Letting out a terrible blood curdling scream before she kills her victims. She is accompanied by The Unfleshed Skeleton that walks the ashy land in search of victims to lure back to the Banshee by playing a haunting melody on his fiddle.

Main Supporting Characters: 

Flynn Pickett - Kit’s best friend, a half Indian & African-American, Dakota native who may not know his way around a gun, but definitely knows his way on the back of a horse. He is Pony Express’s fastest rider and is the only rider fast enough to get Calamity Jane before the Winter Solstice is over and the Banshee becomes more powerful.

Calamity Jane - The only South Dakota woman who is willing to defend her town that is being haunted. In spite of the fact that most people within the town have black listed her for being the Old West’s most famous “whore” and “liar”. Unfortunately, this means that when the Banshee is defeated many in the news don't believe that the story of this epic battle between the Pony Express and this supernatural force was even real.

Primary Location: Badlands, South Dakota - a land haunted by the poisonous evil of the Banshee that has been dormant within it’s very soil since the Indian woman (who practiced dark magic) was killed there by a disgruntled lover who slaughtered her, her new husband, and their baby twins.

Additive Comprehension: Origin Story - Historical Event, Storyworld Reveal

Target Market: Men 12-25, Women 12-25

Media Habits: Consume media mainly through digital services

Medium: 8-Bit Game

Why it works in this Medium: The game will be presented as an 8-bit game but between levels a small 5 minute cartoon that explains more of the story world will play before each level. This will lead up into unlocking an ending cartoon. Overall players will play a 6 level game that unlocks a 30 minute one off cartoon episode that can be played back without cuts once the entire game has been played through. A famous Indie Band (Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, MGMT, or Father John Misty) will be requested to write an original song or simply do a cover of a classic Old West song in order to market the game to a younger/hipper demographic.

Platform: Digital Release ( Tablet, Smartphone, Computer)

Why it works in this Platform: This story works in this platform because it allows us to gain interest from a different demographic than our show might hit by using popular aesthetics to draw a market to our story who may not otherwise consume it.