Refuge

I had an idea about making an IF game about a disaster happening in the US and you and your family flee North to Canada seeking safety. Displayed and marketed as a "play through a disaster movie" kind of vibe.

I wanted the family to go through hardships on their journey and to be forced to make impossible decisions. Begging, bartering, and sacrificing anything and everything to survive. Basically, I want the player to suffer and struggle as the family does and to really build empathy for their plight. Like how people feel for Joel and Ellie re:the last of us.

Then after finally getting to the end of the game, as Susan and Tom walk into Canada with little Molly and Timmy on their backs seeking asylum, the details begin to change with each sentence and [press any key to continue] text cutscene, in much the surreal way Shade changes.

Snow changes sand, Susan to Sonia, Tom to Tomas, the grey skies give way to an unforgiving oppressive sun beating down upon them. The dialog changes from English to Spanish.

The Canadian border station changes to a US Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint, red, white, and blue fluttering above.

The game ends with a screenshot of thr publication of a real migrant's story, their tribulations reflecting those you just survived as a member of a stereotypical American family.

Upon replay, the makeup of the family and their situation may change (to match up to real migrant story it is standing in for later), but it's the same formula.

The goal is to make an IF as an empathy generator.

I was thinking about mixing it up. 

Maybe a British family fleeing across the channel to relative safety in France have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to pile onto a rickety boat packed with faaaarrrr too many people, maybe literally being forced to sell a kidney for the passage. 

Basically trying to get people in the developed world to see refugees as people again.

Obviously, the British family wouldn't remain British, and France wouldn't remain France. I think y'all get the idea here.