Hope in the City turns detective work into sketchbook-driven deduction

A missing-persons mystery without detective authority

Hope Song is preparing to leave for art school overseas when she comes home to a ransacked apartment and discovers that her parents are missing. Unlike a traditional detective, she has no authority to demand answers, and the people around her are reluctant to talk. The developers say this restriction shaped the central question behind the investigation system: how would someone like Hope search for the truth? Their answer was her sketchbook.

Hope’s limitations carry into the story. She may be unable to say what she is thinking or persuade others to help, but her notebook lets her question anything, make unexpected connections, and consider ideas she would never voice aloud. The design gives players freedom through Hope’s private reasoning even when her actions are constrained.

Combining thoughts opens new paths

As Hope explores Shenyang, clues, conversations, and observations enter her notebook. Players can combine any two thoughts to see what connection they produce. A successful pairing creates an insight or breakthrough, unlocking new dialogue, locations, and investigative leads; what Hope learns can then be taken to other characters, giving the player a choice about what to ask.

The system was initially less satisfying. During early prototyping, unrelated observations repeatedly produced the same generic response, which made experimentation boring. Writers therefore created a distinct response for every combination, even when it does not advance the case. Hope might make a joke, reveal part of her personality, or stumble toward a subtle hint, encouraging players to experiment without fearing every incorrect answer.

Extensive playtesting then exposed a different balance problem: some connections the team considered obvious proved surprisingly difficult for players to find. The notebook interface and clues were repeatedly refined to preserve the satisfaction of an idea clicking into place while making the so-called “wrong” answers more engaging.

A notebook drawn from Hope’s perspective

The notebook was designed to feel like something Hope herself would draw rather than a collection of conventional game assets. Artist Calista Antonio created more than 100 hand-drawn sketches, approaching each page as a quick visual impression of what Hope notices and how she feels instead of as a polished illustration.

Antonio combined 3D tools with traditional drawing. She used models and assets from the game to block out perspectives and pose characters in 3D, then developed those forms with linework and digital watercolour. Her own experience also informed Hope: Antonio has Chinese heritage and, like Hope, left Asia at 17 to pursue art in Canada. Paintings by Antonio even appear on the walls of Hope’s bedroom.