RMMV IM.mortal (Puzzle/Platformer/Horror)

[162]

A personal project I've been fiddling around with. I'm (once again) at the "Which project I should do?" phase of production and wanted to know if this would interest anyone. I'm also curious to see if people think it would work in MV (might use an ABS system), or if some ideas don't quite work out.

BIT OF A WARNING: While certainly not in the realm of an 18+ rating, the story is pretty dark. (The screenshot has a little bit of blood, but not it's not quite gore.) Reader discretion is advised!

STORY

Spoiler

They called you "the Most Loathed." Your name purposely forgotten by history and no ally left in the world because of the horrible crimes you were attached to.

Your foul works did not go unpunished, and only one punishment was deemed fit for you: a twisted form of immortality that sees you revived no matter how harsh your demise. While your health is completely restored, the memory of your deaths remain vivid in you mind and threaten to shatter your psyche. You’re thrown down into the bowels of a labyrinthine prison people have dubbed “the Grinder.” Your torture is carried out daily by one of many ghastly machines the prison houses, and will continue seemingly until the end of time....

Time has passed. You don’t know how long; your memories have become clouded by your constant deaths, the sun the cloudiest memory of them all. You awaken to find not torture awaiting you, but a guest. A guest that promises to guide you out of the Grinder...

CHARACTERS

Spoiler

The Most-Loathed
To this day, nobody is sure why the Most-Loathed took part in that horrible crime; not even the Most-Loathed recalls. You decide the gender of this condemned soul...as well as what to make of the horrible memories that resurface.

Scry
Your visitor, who promises to guide you out at the behest of their master. He/She doesn't talk about him/herself, not even revealing their gender. Who's their master? Why would anyone want to help someone as cruel as you?

The Shopkeeper
Though originally serving only prison guards, issues with its programing now allow you to buy things from it. One of the more jovial droids, the Shopkeeper will even provide you with small talk of all kinds.

The Witness
The Witness acts as the priest of sorts to those of the Grinder, this automaton maintaining the chapels of the prison. It will offer you advice and shortcuts to help make your journey, perhaps, a little easier.

The Spellmaker
Inhabiting the Spell Chambers, the Spellmaker is a more eerie droid, in that only its barest of bones and voice box remain, giving it the appearance of a disembodied voice. What's more, its a fan of making eerie comments.

The Record Keeper
The automaton tasked with accounting for deceased prisoners. Literally trapped in its office, it cannot complete its task nor lie on a record, maddening the droid to no end. Perhaps you can relieve its anxiety?

The Gate Keepers
You're not the last prisoner in the Grinder. Five have been selected to block your way, and will do so with extreme prejudice. It's up to you to figure out how to deal with them...

MECHANICS
Your Curse

Spoiler

For the first time in...you don't know how long, your curse will serve more than just being something to punish you with. The puzzles you face will come in many shapes and forms, but your warped immortality will be the key to solving them.

When you die, you will revive in the nearest safe area, leaving behind up to three corpses and the oldest one fading away with each following death. You're able to lift one of your corpses, unless it's trapped in some way (i.e. impaled on spikes). How you use this curse to solve a puzzle is up for you to figure out...

For example, let's say you encounter a pit of spikes. You can't jump over them...but perhaps you notice that if a body gets stuck on the spikes, you're able to use it as a platform. Die enough over the spikes, and you can walk across the pit.

Hub Area

Spoiler

Existing in every level of the grinder and mostly populated by automatons. Hub areas provide you with not only a place to catch your breath, but places that might make your journey a little easier. Places to visit include:

• Shops - You can buy items here such as medicines and offering tools.
• Spell Chamber - You can buy upgrades here.
• Record Annex - The place to go for side quests.
• Chapels - Access shortcuts and speak with the Witness.

Upgrades

Spoiler

Your curse might be unbreakable, but who's to say you can't add onto it? By enhancing your curse, you're able to grant yourself abilities that might help you in the long run.

Upgrades include:

• The End Is Nigh - You're able to look ahead on a map without moving yourself.
• Past Mistakes - You're able to make a selected corpse fade away, should you have made a mistake.
• Reaper's Delight - You're able to leave more than three corpses.
• There Will Be Blood - You're able to leave a pool of blood when holding a corpse.

Items

Spoiler

Purchased from faulty automatons that once catered to prison guards. Items include:

• Maps - These will help you find your way around the Grinder.
  
• Prayer Candles - Serves many purposes, such as creating an altar you can save your progress at.

Side Quests

Spoiler

Completely optional, but these side missions will certainly flesh out the history of those who were also condemned to the Grinder.

By visiting a level's record annex, you're able to get a name of a prison whose fate is unknown to the prison's forces that be. It's up to you to retrace this prisoner's steps...and ultimately face the same fate they did, allowing you to see their last memories. Reporting back with what you discover will net you quite the reward...

 

[Kes]

This sounds a fascinating idea. I'm not really a puzzle game person myself, but I can see how it would be intriguing for those who are.

 

[Failivrin]

If enemies attack, can you use yourself as a body shield?

 

[162]

If enemies attack, can you use yourself as a body shield?

There might be a trap that requires you to use that sort of approach. *Sing-Songy* Not gonna say which one...

 

[Silveryon]

Hey this sounds like an amazing idea!

 

[Lorenze]

This sounds dope as hell. I'm curious, what made you come up with the idea?

 

[Tetsune]

dude, I would play the heck out of this game. I can imagine all the ideas for puzzles.
Personally, I think a battle system wouldn't be super fitting for this genre. A survival-esque play would put more emphasis on the puzzles. Adding enemies seems more like it would be annoying than challenging.

 

[162]

This sounds dope as hell. I'm curious, what made you come up with the idea?

The very first spark of this idea came from me playing Super Meat Boy for the first time. Whenever a level was giving me a hard time (which, as you can imagine, happened a lot), I'd joke that I could stop buzz saw level hazards by repeatedly diving into them and jamming them with Meat Boy corpses. This idea stayed in the back of my head until I got the idea for the character of the Most Loathed/the setting of the Grinder. Everything just meshed together and the rest is history.

dude, I would play the heck out of this game. I can imagine all the ideas for puzzles.
Personally, I think a battle system wouldn't be super fitting for this genre. A survival-esque play would put more emphasis on the puzzles. Adding enemies seems more like it would be annoying than challenging.

Actually, I didn't really plan on having a battle system; I wanted to go for the same approach as you mentioned. There are mobile hostiles, but they're mostly there to be part of the puzzles you need to solve. And as for things like the boss fights, they're basically big puzzles in themselves.

I'd only use an ABS system because they allow for high-interactivity on a map. I don't see actual battle systems coming anywhere near this game.