Legend of the Maestro

Working Title: Legend of the Maestro

Synopsis: A RPG combining the broad story elements of JRPGS with the combat system of Super Mario RPG coupled with “rhythm game” aspects.

Gameplay Idea: Similar to the Mario RPG series, players will choose their attacks. Timed presses of these attacks at specific points will yield better results. However, these times presses will be augmented by a rhythm section in which players will enact these timed presses with the beat of the music, whatever it may be, to yield bonuses and such.

Classes may also receive passive bonuses based on what music is playing at the time.

Ex. Heavy Metal is playing and an enemy attacks a Heavy Metal character, perhaps a percentage of the damage is reflected back at the attacker.

Certain characters [perhaps only the Main Character within the Player’s Party] will be able to alter the music, allowing certain party members to get additional bonuses and allowing the Player to shift the strategy in their favor.

Some examples of musical genre to RPG classes include:

 

MUSICAL GENRE	CLASS EQUIVALENT
Heavy Metal	Paladin / Warrior / Berserker
Classical	White Mage
Folk / Country	Summoning Familiars
Punk	Thief / Rogue
Dubstep / Electronic	Black Mage
Jazz / Blues	Green Mage
Hip Hop	Bard
Reggae	Geomancer

 

Story:

This will take some time to write, but I can foresee the narrative being broken up into 3-4 main acts, each primarily taking place within a distinct region of this musical world.

Pinball Battle Game

Working Title: n/a

Inspiration: Battle Pinball, Pokemon Pinball, Jaki Crush

Synopsis: Play Pinball to complete missions and defeat enemies.

Gameplay / Narrative: Players use the tried-and-true mechanics of pinball to accomplish a plethora of objectives, including but not limited to defeating enemies, gaining resources, and scoring points. Battle Pinball and Jaki Crush, games for the SNES / Super Famicom that were not released outside of Japan, are definitely the biggest inspiration after doing some research, but design-wise I think more can be done to make a truly stellar title.

Narratively, this pitch can go in numerous directions most of which will be dictated by the theme(s) of the game. Given the unusual hybrid of gameplay, I could see a genre-crossed setting as well. Examples of this could include the Weird West [wild west meets dark magic, sci-fi, etc.] or Steampunk fused with the Dark Ages ala Attack on Titan.

Mechanical examples:

• Gather things
  • Gather enough things to do something
  • Gather things before the BBEG gathers them
• Hit things
  • For damage
  • To activate something else for damage
  • Hit multiple things to do the above
  • Enemies
    • Hit enemies
    • Parts of enemies
  • Ally
    • Hit enemies to help the ally get up the board
    • Hit things to summon allies to help fight
    • Hit ally to heal it
  • Pinball
    • Modified ball
      • Elements [fire, ice, etc.]
    • Duel Skills
      • Players most focus on multiple objectives at once.
        • After the Player gathers enough ammo, a crosshair reticle appears on the screen. The Player can use the joystick to aim and a face button to shoot, dealing damage to the enemy. However, the Player will also have to keep the pinball in play simultaneously.

Potential Gameplay Examples:

• See below.

Elemental Puzzle Platformer

WORK IN PROGRESS

 

OBJECTIVE: Traverse various worlds with the 3 elemental characters, defeat bosses, etc.

GAMEPLAY: Gameplay would mimic Blizzard’s Lost Vikings title in terms of style of platforming. However, character interactions, such as one Viking able to jump on the other Viking’s shield and use it as a platform in Lost Vikings will be much more prevalent.

An interesting concept in the game will be the utilization and transportation of fire, since that is not one of the elements included as a character. See below.

 

THEME: Lush and vibrant backgrounds, colorful characters and enemies.

CHARACTERS: Like Lost Vikings, this game will feature three characters that the player can swap between in order to control. Each of these characters will be unique in terms of special moves, feel, and potential interaction with the environment and other characters. I currently have two different options for the combination of elementals and their powers, but believe this one might be stronger overall.

Ice can use his weight to sit on switches, freeze water, smash objects with punch. Due to his large size, Ice cannot jump.

The design for the Ice character can be a large creature who has been hardened by the elements.

 

Wind can glide, jump twice [second jump is a small gust downwards], and inhale / exhale to influence air currents.

The design for the Wind character can echo that of a flying creature who clearly harnesses the power of flight, wind, etc.

Earth can roll up in a ball, transport fire, and climb vines. One small jump. Able to use ball ability to reach tight spaces [ala Morph Ball] but requires horizontal velocity to move.

The design for the Earth creature can be a small golem made of mud, twigs, etc.

Interactions include, but are not limited to:

Earth in ball form can roll across ice bridges. Earth not in ball form slips.

Earth in ball form can be moved by gusts of wind.

 

Wind can inhale Earth ball to shoot it. If Earth ball is on fire, Wind will take damage.

Wind can exhale on fire to create a flamethrower.

 

Fire is timed; it only lasts a certain amount of time. Wind gusts can refresh timer. Water puts it out.

 

CONCERNS:

            A major concern I have is that with the ideas listed, moving Earth in ball form will become the major gameplay focal point. I think this is indeed an interesting mechanic, but would like for each character to share the spotlight when it comes to gameplay and play time.

 

 

 

5-Variable Mobile Fighter

OBJECTIVE:

Defeat your opponent through rock-paper-scissors style combat, which results in pushing your opponent towards the end of the stage.

 

GAMEPLAY:

The following model showcases how primary combat will work, and will be explained below:

In this model, each color represents a different kind of attack, with the arrows pointing to what that attack beats [ex. purple beats orange and green,but loses to blue and red]. It is a five-way rock-paper-scissors.

With the model above, a character’s moveset can be diverse enough to give them a unique flavor, but, as mentioned above, will be restrictive enough that each color / number will represent a different attack. For example, one character’s “red” attack may be a punch, while a monster-looking character’s “red” attack will be a slash with a claw. Both of these attacks are similar in that they involve hands. In addition the symbols for each of these 5 attacks will have a different color background, making identifying what trumps what easier.

As shown in the chart above, each attack type is good against 2 attacks and weak to 2 attacks. After a player is successful with a certain kind of attack, that attack gains a new property in being strong against 3 attacks and weak to 1. In short, an attack performed successfully once covers one of it’s weaknesses if used again. If that player lands that same attack again, they perform a Momentum Combo. If a Momentum Combo is successful, the Special Combo meter is filled by 1.5 bars.

On top of this basic combat, a player can also unleash a Special Combo by filling up the combo bar. The combo bar will look something like this, and will be explained in greater detail below:

 

Each large rectangle counts as “1”, while the dashed lines represent “½”. After a successful attack, the combo meter fills by 1. If hit with an enemy attack, the combo meter loses ½. After the combo meter fills up, the player is able to unleash a Special Combo, which, if performed accurately enough, can knock an opponent back 2 [or 3] spaces. The Special Combo will be unique for each character, and will features a series of taps, swipes, or other motions utilizing the touch screen or shaking the device through the motion aspect [TBD].

Instead of health bars, combat is won by getting off enough successful attacks that your opponent is pushed towards the end of stage; with both sides having some kind of classic comic-book hazards [ex. Giant vats of acid, blades, gears, large henchmen, etc] Each stage is divided into X amount of “spaces”, with an attack knocking an opponent back 1 space.

 

THEME:

            The major theme of this game will feature comic-book style characters and fighting techniques. More specifically, they will focus on the cartoon feel of many 90’s cartoons that focused on this kind of action, including Justice League, Batman: The Animated Series, and so forth.

As of now, the character roster consists of 5 character to choose from, with 2 characters that can be unlocked. These characters will be focused on different archetypes of comic-book characters. For example, the character list thus far includes an experiment gone wrong,  a kid with powers, a beast mutant, a “protector of an ancient order”, and an inventor / mechanic looking for his son. The two unlockable characters will be a Superman-type hero and a Lex Luthor-type villain. This villain is the final boss of the 5 primary characters stories, and can be unlocked once all 5 stories are completed. After playing through the villain’s story, the Superman character is unlocked.

Each character will have an arcade-style story mode, complete with comic-book style cutscenes [or Soul Calibur 2 ending style cut scenes]. This “Arcade Story Mode” will focus on a specific character with their own goals and motivations battling the other characters in order to get what they want. In this way, each character will literally be a character; complete with personality, motivation, deep back story, etc.

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

            Given the theme of this kind of game, a large focus will have to go into art and animations. In addition, this style of simple gameplay with colorful animations and characters could prove extremely useful for multiplayer [if possible].

Consider extension of Special Meter.

Consider length of stages.

 

Potential Characters can Include:

 

Name: Scourge

Alignment: Anti-Hero / Neutral

Abilities: Increased reflexes, able to generate an extreme burst of black tissue from his skin which forms a desired shape and then hardens into an obsidian-like substance.

Backstory: Cole Venater was deployed as part of a Black Ops recon mission to investigate a supposed guerrilla base in the heart of the Congo. As Cole found out, the base was actually a secret research facility. Before he was able to uncover any more, he was captured within the base. Scientists experimented on him, fusing him with a pre-progammed “D-Type BioMaterial” with the intention of converting Cole into an agent for their side. The BioMaterial would not only give Cole great power, but also give the organization behind the base the ability to use Cole for their own goals. After the fusion was deemed a success, orders were given to release Cole back into the general populus. Cole woke up in the middle of the city, unaware of how he got there, but hearing a strange new voice in his head. A predator’s voice; always telling him to hunt, to feed. What the scientists did not expect was Cole’s willpower to overcome the scourge within him, and use the power to seek out those who did this to him.

Name: Wyvern / Spitfire

Alignment: Hero

Abilities: Fire breath; able to breathe fire onto skin, cover self with fire, etc.

Backstory: 14 year old Philip Ignacio always loved comic books and video games. He loves the excitement of the situations that these heroes get into; loves the fights between super powered good guys and bad guys, and is slightly envious of the fame these characters get. When he was younger, people would ask, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Philip would always answer, “A superhero!” As he grew into his teenage years, he held on to his interest in comic books and video games, but knew that becoming a super powered hero was extremely rare. It’s practically unbelievable, and why would it happen to me, he would think to himself.

That all changed when the Quantum Pulse rattled the world a month ago. The Pulse created a great influx of meta-humans; complete with unbelievable powers. To Philip’s luck, he became included in the “Pulse Generation”, and gained the ability to breath fire. In addition, he found out he could breath fire on to his hands, creating flaming fists. With this power, Philip set off not only to save people from harm, but to gain fame along the way.

Name: Chimaera

Alignment:  Villain

Abilities: Animal-like

Backstory: Alan Founi, once known as Metamorpho, was a hero alongside Guardian. With his ability to shapeshift into a variety of different animals, he aided in the fight for justice. That quickly changed when the Quantum Pulse came surging through the city. Metamorpho’s shapeshifting power was scrambled, and he became an amalgam of the animals he once turned into. Since the Quantum Pulse created a lot of new metahumans, both good and evil, Metamorpho was busy combating the evil ones alongside Guardian. However, his mutated form did not inspire hope in the citizens he saved. Eventually, the lack of recognition took its toll, and the once noteworthy hero distanced himself from the side of good and shifted towards the side of evil. Thus, Chimaera was born.

Name: Ion

Alignment: Hero

Abilities: Tech suit grants him flight, energy blasts, increased strength

Backstory: Jacob Star was once an engineer working at CircleTek Labs, researching “Phaze Energy” (a type of energy that could theoretically make teleportation possible). However, his son got kidnapped, which led Star to sink into a dark depression. His depression led him to drink heavily, and consequently he was fired from CircleTek. Eventually, he it rock bottom, and it was there that he came to a dramatic realization. As he held his son’s picture in his hands and saw Guardian on the television screen, he realized that on top of finding his son, he didn’t want anyone to feel the same way he feels now. He wanted to help people. Utilizing some of the Phaze Energy research he was working on, he created a plethora of different weapons as well as a super suit. The suit was well as the weapons could be attached to him with the use of a belt that, when touched, accesses Phaze Energy, teleporting and attaching the suit and weapons to him anytime anyplace. It was then that Star took on the identity of Ion in order to help people was well as look for his captured son.

Name: Assault + Battery

Alignment: Villain(s)

Abilities: Assault = Agile, stealthy, handy with tools, excellent in close combat.

Battery = Able to absorb physical hits and release the stored energy as power waves.

Backstory: Once henchmen to The Master, Assault and Battery ultimately got captured and sent to prison. It was here that Assault vowed revenge on The Master for not aiding them, and enlisted Battery into his cause. When the Quantum Pulse came, Battery gained the ability to release large surges of power after taking hits; a task Assault did not mind doing. Blowing up the prison wall with an energy wave, Assault and Battery seek revenge on there former boss, and don’t mind killing anyone who gets in there way.

Description: Assault = short, lanky, crazed looking, hyper, provides comic relief. Goggles? Battery = tall, muscular, rarely talks. Ripped jeans, black muscle shirt, bald / slicked back hair / mohawk?

Name: Guardian

Alignment: Hero

Abilities: flight, super strength, able to generate force field-like spheres in a variety of geometric shapes. Also able to shoot these spheres as projectiles.

Backstory: Originally a member of the city’s SWAT team, Lucas Rodgers swore that his duty was to protect people long before his powers came to light. However, once his powers started developing, Rodgers quit the force in order to master his new abilities and become a hero that can save more people everyday. During his time as the city’s only hero, Guardian put away a great deal of petty criminals, but began to realize that there was a much bigger scheme at work within many of the city’s crimes. In time, Guardian confronted the leader of it all; a man who called himself The Master. The Master was gifted with special control over five elements: earth, lightning, metal, water, and fire, as well as being high up an in ancient order. An epic fight ensued, and from that day on Guardian and The Master were rivals.

Name: The Master / Hao Seinori

Alignment: Villain

Abilities: Special control over earth, lightning, water, fire, and metal. Each element is utilized by a different part of his body [ex. metal torso, earth leg/foot, fire leg/foot, water arm/hand, lightning arm/hand]

Backstory: TBD

 

STAGES:

• Warehouse catwalk; vats of acid
• rooftop / side of building; edges
• factory; gears
• Sewers; gators
  Bar; large henchmen

 

Puzzle Combat

 

OBJECTIVE: Control a unique hero and defeat your opponent using a Bejeweled-like system to launch attacks and defeat your opponent.

 

GAMEPLAY: There are 6 kinds of “Runes”, each associated with a different element, color, and shape. These Runes are in a Board, which the player will use to, basically, play Bejewled. The player will have one to three meters, each of which are associated with a different colored Rune as well as the tribe/nation/allegiance the player’s Champion is. As the player makes matches of a color, that same colored meter will fill up. When the meter is full, an attack is performed. However, a toggle button next to the attack can be turned on / off for auto-using attacks [in case you wish to save a healing ability for when you really need it]. These attacks can range from damaging the enemy to manipulating the enemy board to healing your own character. Also, take note that not all meters have to be the same length, meaning a meter that fills up faster will do less.

            Since there are 6 kinds of Runes and only a limited number of meters to fill, the other Rune types that get matched can have a variety of effects. Perhaps it can go to an Experience bar that, when filled, the character “goes up a level”, boosting the damage / effects / duration of attacks as well as gaining more health. (i.e. Level 2 character does more damage to Level 1 opponent and takes less damage from opponent until opponent evolves, then even footing) Each character has 3 Levels they can get to. Or the colors can be associated with different items that can boost damage, grant a shield, or any other kind of effect. The other colors can even be basic attacks, with the associated color strictly being for the meter. Or some combination of all three!

            With the board having 6 rune types, I believe a good size board can be either 7×7 or 7×8.

 

THEME: With such a variable interpretation of this resource system, I believe a theme along the lines of Magic: the Gathering, War Machine / Hordes would be great. In this way, characters can range from human warriors, mechanical beings, magical creatures, etc. This gives great room for creativity and allows for a game world that spans a plethora of genres.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: The Rune types currently in effect are the following. Also listed are there shape, color, and affiliation:

• Earthen Rune- square- green – plants [healing, poison], earth
• Aquatic Rune – circle – blue – water, ice,
• Scorched Rune – triangle – orange – fire, technology
• Umbra Rune – pentagon – purple – shadows, spirits
• Cloud Rune – diamond – white – wind, lightning
• Sol Rune – heptagon – yellow – sun, light

 

            With the amount of characters that can potentially be in this game, the variability for unique and interesting attacks, combinations, and themes present in each character is extremely high, which should create a more enjoyable, competitive, and overall positive experience. Since this is intended to be a mobile game, the simple “pick up and play” aspect, I believe, is present, while the competitive multiplayer niche that this game presents us with could make for a great experience overall.

            The biggest issue with creating this would be making sure a move is always possible. This would mean the game would have to check while Runes are being matched and deliver Runes that will allow for possible moves. I believe Bejewled, along with other games, use something called a “flood fill” algorithm for determining this.