My dream game to make one day would be a metroidvania that takes place inside someone’s brain. Each major region of the brain would be a new area with design that matches its function and appearances. For example, the corpus callosum would be a giant bridge made of what appears to be spiderweb like material, to mimic that it is the axon “bridge” between the left and right hemispheres. As another example, the Pons is often linked to dreaming and sleep paralysis, so it would have a fuzzy, dreamlike appearance, and some of its rooms would appear distorted.
The entire premise is that you’re tasked with entering someone’s brain in a bipedal nanobot. Originally I had the idea that you’re exploring to treat a mysterious new neurological illness that could prove fatal, but perhaps that’s too much of a sensitive subject given covid is still very much ongoing. Whatever the reason, it’s ultimately not that important right now. Along the way, your character will protect the subject’s brain from malevolent forces. These would include viruses, bacteria, parasites, cancerous cells, and other enemies I can conjure up. Each enemy would mimic their real world inspiration in design and attacks, in unique ways. For example toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that breeds in cat stomachs but can wind up in human brains. Many ppl have this parasite without realizing it, but correlations have been made that ppl with the parasite take more risks, among other things (this is because this parasite infects mouse brains to make them less scared of cats and more likely to be eaten). So, I imagine toxoplasma gondii would be a catlike creature, that has little fear of your attacks and approaches even when you have a weapon drawn, but is ultimately not very strong.
Your character’s weapons would be pretty varied. I want to give your character both short range melee weapons and long range weapons that can be equipped at the same time. Almost all the weapons would be sci-fi themed, so less medieval sword or guns and more surgical laser you can swing around or fire at enemies. I’m debating whether there would be elements at play, but instead of fire/water/earth/etc. I think it would be more like heat/toxic/shock, etc. or perhaps even certain weapons having anti-parasitic or anti-biotic properties and the like. I want to encourage the player to swap weapons frequently, even if they have a favorite, because they will be useful in different situations.
When you finish the game, you unlock a new game plus mode, which takes place in the opposite hemisphere of the brain. This means the entire map is now mirrored! Some of your progress from the first run will carry over, but to make up for it, the enemies are much tougher. Speaking of progress, I want the player to not just find new weapons and even armor, but also to have a skill tree. It wouldn’t be super complex, but It’s definitely something I want to implement. A crafting mechanic would be cool too - maybe most of the equipment can be forged at save areas somehow. It doesn’t really make sense with the premise, perhaps, but it would be fun.
Anyways! Let me know if you have any thoughts at all I would love to hear them!
