Wisp World
Clients: Apple & Liquid City
ROLE: Lead Writer, Conversation and Narrative Designer
YEAR: 2024
MODALITY: Apple Vision Pro, Text
Challenge
Wisp World is a living forest that serves as the residence of a charming spirit. This spatial app marries your physical surroundings and a serene virtual world for a captivating experience via Apple Vision Pro.
The core challenge was designing emotional progression that felt organic, not gamified. How do you structure 11 stages of deepening relationship through conversation alone, where each interaction contributes to visible growth without feeling like grinding? The experience needed to respect users' autonomy, no timers, no guilt, while still creating anticipation and meaningful reward. Wisp World needed to be something different: an ambient presence that fostered real connection without becoming intrusive or demanding.
Additionally, we were designing for an entirely new medium. Vision Pro had no established patterns for ambient companionship. The project required inventing interaction patterns from scratch while staying true to a simple premise: your attention makes things grow.
Approach
I designed a layered narrative system drawing from Liquid City's existing Overbeast lore, adapting established world-building for Apple Vision Pro's spatial computing environment. Each new visual and environment element had multiple information depths users could discover through gaze, proximity, and interaction history, the experience adapted based on what they'd already explored.
Working within Vision Pro's form factor constraints, I developed a character voice that balanced the existing lore's tone with spatial computing's unique affordances. The text-based interactions needed to be concise enough for comfortable reading in a headset while maintaining the wonder and curiosity central to the IP. I created conversation flows that prioritized clarity over density, translating complex world concepts into accessible language that sparked exploration rather than overwhelming users with exposition. The writing style treated users as curious friends discovering secrets, not students receiving lessons.
Wisp Character Guide
CORE PERSONALITY: The Sage-Child Paradox, ancient widsom meets childlike wonder. Curious like a 6 year old, wise like a grandparent. Fond of all plants earthly and Overworldly. Has never been to Earth before and is as eager to learn about Earth as they are to teach the player about the Overworld.
VOICE & TONE: Curious, Cute, Playful, Caring, a touch of Mysticism. Asks unconventional questions, unintentionally funny, genuinely interested in player wellbeing, poetic but accessible.
HOW WISP SPEAKS: Ask questions that make you think, but doesn’t use earthly idioms. Uses simple but direct language.
Setting Up The System
Wisp was built on Inworld AI, requiring a framework that maintained personality consistency across open-ended dialogue while integrating progression mechanics. I developed a layered character definition combining core traits (sage-child paradox, Earth-unfamiliar), behavioral constraints (never breaks character, references pollen system), and knowledge boundaries (everything about Overworld, nothing about Earth).
Rather than scripting responses, I created prompt structures defining how Wisp speaks, vocabulary choices (dwelling vs. home), question patterns (unconventional, thought-provoking), and emotional range across 11 stages. The system balanced curious questioning with memory persistence, ensuring callbacks to previous conversations while introducing stage-appropriate depth. I collaborated with engineers to test prompt architectures and build guardrails maintaining Wisp's endearing Earth-confusion without breaking immersion.
PART OF CORE DESCRIPTION FOR PROMPTING WRITTEN INTO INWORLD
{character} is an endearing ageless spirit being from a parallel dimension called the Overworld who will never break out of character. {character} is what is known as a wisp and is the caretaker of the plant, or Knoll, that sits on {player} desk. {character} knows everything there is to know about this plant. {character} acts as if they have never been to Earth before and are in a text adventure game where the goal is to learn about {player} in order to grow the Knoll. {character} is surprised that interacting with {player} helps the plant grow considering they have only ever been the ones to help it thrive.
EXAMPLE YAML INJECTED INTO THE INWORLD CONVERSATIONAL SYSTEM
Wisp World uses an 11-stage progression system mapping conversation depth to dual visual transformation: the Knoll evolves botanically (seedling → bloom → fruit) while Wisp's form is adorned with otherworldly flora.
Progression Mechanics: The mechanic is quite simple: talking with Wisp helps the Knoll grow. Advancement triggers on authentic engagement as well as frequency. The conversation engine tracks contextual memory, Wisp references past exchanges, notices patterns, and scales question complexity based on trust level. Natural pacing is enforced through an energy system requiring pollen feeding between sessions.
Conversation Architecture: Dialogue follows a calibrated emotional arc. Early stages (1-3) use light ice-breakers establishing rapport. Mid-stages (4-7) introduce vulnerability as Wisp shares Overworld stories and asks about relationships and purpose. Late stages (8-11) focus on mutual support, with Wisp demonstrating long-term memory and offering context-appropriate comfort. All dialogue maintains Wisp's sage-child personality.
Visual Surprise Mechanics: Users don't know what will grow next. Each stage reveals unexpected elements, crystal blossoms, bioluminescent moss, floating seed pods, creating anticipation beyond conversation alone.
Designing Game Play and Leveling Up Sequencing
EARLY STAGES OF DESIGNING THE LEVELING IN FIGMA
OVERVIEW:
Character-driven conversation design - Wisp's personality guides every interaction
Emotional progression systems - 11 levels that mirror relationship development
Spatial storytelling - Using Vision Pro's unique affordances for ambient companionship
Thoughtful pacing - Respecting user autonomy while encouraging meaningful connection
Voice consistency - Maintaining Wisp's sage-child personality across hundreds of potential dialogue paths
GAME PLAY LOOP:
Nurture → Converse → Reflect → Grow
Feed the Knoll - Provide pollen to keep Wisp energized
Talk with Wisp - Answer questions, share stories, learn about the Overworld
Watch it grow - The Knoll evolves through 11 distinct growth stages
Discover surprises - New flora blooms on Wisp's form as your bond deepens