Synopsis
‘Art of the Heist’ follows Devon Hansen as he attempts to steal ‘Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow’, a painting fiercely adored by his mother, from an art exhibition in Berlin. After a long streak of his mother diligently visiting this piece every year, circumstances have changed this time around. With his mother unable to visit the galleries this year, Devon takes it upon himself to bring the painting back home to her. With this interactive experience and the decisions you make throughout the story, you are given the chance to take Devon Hansen’s fate into your own hands, and decide how the heist ultimately plays out.
Site Map
As depicted in the site map above, the majority of the passages (excluding the ‘ending’ blue passages) allows the user to decide what action Devon should take next, with a high risk of making a bad decision and ending the story. The non-linearity begins after chapter one, after Devon arrives at the exhibition dressed up as one of the guests. There are five possible endings you can get in this story, four of which are bad endings where Devon is unable to steal the painting due to something going wrong in his mission. If the player gets one of the bad endings, they are provided the choice to either return to the previous page and try again, or return to the homepage. The true ending, chapter 6, is where Devon is able to bring the painting back home to his mother - who is revealed to be bedridden and sick.
Reflection
'Art of the Heist' has been a transformative journey, introducing me to new concepts and presenting challenges. The captivating design, with limited colors and a cinematic layout, creates an immersive experience. Improvements include consistent styling, more details for the music player, responsive webpages, and deeper storytelling. Despite limitations, I'm proud of what I accomplished and eager to enhance my skills.
