My strength is not writing, and definitely not long-form storytelling.

I’m a designer. I communicate meaning through imagery, motion, and composition.

With that in mind, I wonder if it would be better to have this project be entirely free of dialog. Cutscenes could play out with characters popping up a bubble over their heads with a symbol representing the topic of their thoughts, in the style of The Sims. I would also have to ensure the positioning, speed and style of movement of the characters is on-point, to help convey their personalities.