Strengths:
- I think a visual novel is a good idea considering you're a one person team, especially since you say you've done them before. I think scope-wise you'll be able to create something interesting within the time of the jam, though you'll need to decide (a) how long the game will be, (b) what the extent of the branching narration will be, since it sounds like your pitch is setting up a minimum of binary choices at periodic points, but potentially more.
- Your art direction sounds simple but effective, as Khaprani highlighted. Careful, considered choices like that which convey ideas and themes with very little workload is perfect thinking for a solo dev.
- It sounds like your background is a great strength here. For a small narrative experience, especially one about a theme like this, attention to detail, granular focuses bringing out bigger themes, and a grounded setting are all important ways to drive home the emotions and the central messaging. I therefore think it's a great idea to pick a specific draught and how it affected a specific species within an ecosystem, and Olepi's pov sounds like an interesting one.
Things to think about:
- Pick the key things you'd like early feedback on and make sure they're included in your prototype submission. Your scope is small enough that early playtesting is less important for this project than one with multiple mechanics, but since you're working solo the key touchpoints of the jam are your main ways of getting outside opinions and advice.
- I like the themes about interconnectivity of nature and the morality of involvement (and, after-all, we're all so much more than bystanders, ourselves deeply enmeshed within the webs of exploitation and environmental destruction that our economies depend on, which itself fosters certain mindsets about the futility of change). I'd be really interested in how these are fleshed out, and it'd great if some sort of design plan or flowchart could be included in the next entry to allow feedback on how you'll flesh these out as the story progresses.