story start.

OK.... so picture this as a starting point...

put the game in... a few studio names pop up (fun first) and then the main menu -
4 or 5 options here, new game, load game, settings and extras... or something to that degree.

click new game... screen fades to black.

while the screen is still black, the player hears rustling and movement through the woods (broken twigs, crunching of leaves) it is nighttime with a full moon(you catch glimpses of it through the dense trees as the camera keeps up with Merle... then the player can see the back of Merle from about 10 feet away as he makes his rush through the woods.

Finally he makes it to the edge of the woods and proceeds through the long grass just before the sandy beach that awaits him...(IMPORTANT: as soon as he exits the woods, the camera shifts to the side and sees him not from behind anymore, but from the side with a wide angle shot...

He moves toward the shoreline and steps a few feet into the water, and as he does this, the camera goes from the side shot, and loops back around behind him and you get a glimpse of what he is attracted to... black ships.. a row of black ships on the horizon moving toward him with a low bass tone. then maybe you see his awestruck face and then bam!.. he wakes up in his bed, atop the hill on a sunny morning.

Merle shifts his feet off his bed, scratches his head and maybe a text box comes up, or even he says aloud "black ships in the sky... I wonder what it means?"...

so... now, you explore your house for a second, and then proceed to town with a reason.. like maybe someone left a letter on your doorstep or some other type of intrigue to explore from the start, it has to be fun remember.

next you leave your house on the hill, proceed to run down the path towards town. I'm not sure what you do in terms of getting acquainted with the movements and play style.. but I would like to see you actually end up on the beach in your dreams somehow(maybe you need to visit someone or fetch something of importance)...

I have some other ideas that will act as fillers for time and story building- let me know what you think of this approach.