FusionWind pt. 1
Last week I began by saying I had little to report. If only that were still true. This week was a rough one; domestic and work responsibilities saw to it that my partner and I were spread thin. Still, I drew my line in the sand and said I was going to start doing... something. Hopefully, this counts.
Before I can write for a game, I need a game. With no burning passion projects in mind, I decided to keep it light and breezy. Letsmakeagame.net to the rescue! This website randomly mashes up a genre, mechanic, setting, and theme. From these I'd extrapolate a rough synopsis for a game and then flesh it out. I had hoped to have a complete something to show for it, but this week being what it was, I only have the broad strokes. I'll fill in the rest next week.
Behold! A prompt:
And, because coming up with titles is the bane of my existence, I also used their title generator:
My overall intent was not to second guess myself too much at this stage. I just need enough of an idea that I can reasonably write stuff so we're going first thought/best thought on this.
FusionWind is a 16-bit retro platformer ala MegaMan X. It tells the story of a game developer who gets trapped in his virtual reality game while trying to debug it. As a result, nothing works exactly as it should. Levels appear corrupted and unfinished; his powers all have tricky side effects.
See? Easy peasy! So obviously the next thing I should do is throw out everything I said about keeping it simple and begin pontificating on allegory and Deeper Meaning. At first, maybe you're a good guy, just trying to get home? But as you progress and get stronger, it becomes clear that you are the most destructive force in the game. Or maybe it turns out you've been the bad guy all along and don't realize it? Like an "I am Legend" situation where you're the thing the NPC's hate and fear. Or, what if the more you use your powers, the more it harms the game world or the NPC's inhabiting it? Corruption begets corruption, right?
The more I thought about it, the more the game was becoming a moral morass meditative malfeasance. I could use it as a platform to say something about the dangers of AI or good and evil or excessive wealth, or, or, or...
Finally, a singular thought derailed me from this grimdark path: It didn't sound like fun. I don't enjoy games where the novelty of a new mechanic is weighed against a value judgment. Gaining new powers is fun. Making people feel bad for using the fun thing isn't a great way to win friends or influence people. Rather than continue to spin my wheels here, I decided we're going to keep it light. But, like, for realz this time.
As I was thinking of alternative paths, I found myself reminiscing over the exemplary "There Is No Game". It's cheeky, self-aware, and occasionally breaks the fourth wall. That felt like a more enjoyable vibe to work with.
The given theme is "search for identity". Maybe, when you first wake up in the game world you don't remember who you are or what you're doing? Eventually, you meet bosses and upon their defeat absorb their powers along with a memory from your real life that begins to piece your psyche back together.
Woo! Now we're getting somewhere! Except for the title. I have no clue where the titular "wind" will enter the equation. Maybe you move incredibly quickly? Maybe it's the figurative "winds of change"? Can you have a platformer with flight? Unclear.
But I think I have enough to get started.
I'm still not sure what that means exactly. For all the reading I've done over the past couple of months, there hasn't been a ton about the actual writing, formatting, and presenting of game writing. I suppose that's a rabbit hole for Next Week Paul to explore. Regardless, I'm excited to see where this all goes, I hope you are too!