When I first started making Miegakure, my goal was for each puzzle to be about a cool consequence of being able to move in 4D. For example, entering a temple that is closed from all sides but not from the fourth dimension, going around a wall in 4D, appearing on top of hill too steep to normally climb, etc…
But it was also clear to me that there should be regular characters that also live in the same world. These characters provide a normal human’s perspective on the 4D miracles the player is accomplishing. For example they might be astonished at how the main character managed to appear on top of the hill. They also make the game much more alive because it’s not just about the pure puzzles themselves.
If characters live in each level, there should be a consistent world they live in. So the temple might be located in the outskirts of a village the player explored previously. The player might meet a few characters from that village multiple times, etc.. A bit like an RPG, except without fighting but deeper puzzles, and split into levels.
It’s possible to think of a 4D world as a bunch of parallel 3D worlds (just like it’s possible to think of the 3D world as a bunch of parallel 2D worlds, see the trailer for more). I use this fact to make the levels easier to understand, so a level might have a “desert world” and a “grass world.” (Actually there are infinitely many worlds, but they are grouped together so worlds next to each other in the fourth dimension look very similar)
So if I use this fact in the levels, I should use it in the world building as well. And hence the world of Miegakure contains a bunch of parallel universes, some of which containing their own civilization. The world the main character is from is a bit like our own, with a Japanese/European medieval theme. But there are others. For example here is some concept art of a windmill from a civilization that is wealthy, extravagant, but also a bit dark, with strange beliefs and customs…
Art by the amazing Kellan Jett (He may post concepts that are in-progress ideas and not representative of things that will actually be in the game).