GAME CONCEPT
This is a personal game project of mine that I am trying to work on in my free time. Initially, the whole concept was part of my application to PlaygroundSquad in Falun where I was tasked to make a game concept about water physics. But the more I thought about the game and developed the world around it the more it grew into a passion project for me.
My goal and vision for Archipelegends is that of an action-adventure game in the vein of Zelda and Okami but centered around maritime cultures and marine life (another personal interest of mine). The game is not only supposed to entertain but to convey an environmental message as well; partly as explicit part of the game’s story but also by letting the player explore the secrets of the underwater world and wake an interest - and hopefully a fascination - about the oceans of our world.
CORE GAMEPLAY
The player takes on the role of a silent, genderless protagonist named Mare who acts as a messenger of the ocean itself. In order to restore the balance between humans and nature, Mare will traverse through the world of Archipelegends and help the various inhabitants - both on land and underwater. To face the challenges and master the temples of each region, Mare will gain so-called Garments that will change their skill palette and each have individual strengths and weaknesses. In terms of gameplay, those Garments take the role of items (e.g. a grappling hook or a glider) and might be comparable to the masks in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Additionally to the new abilities, a garment also determines the range and mode of Mare’s attacks, their damage and health, as well as their swimming behavior (how well Mare can swim and how deep they can dive).
The Octopus Cloak, for example, grants Mare the ability to become invisible for a short time and to use the long arms as a grappling hook or to do long-ranged attacks. On the other hand, the damage output is lower than with other Garments and the defense is even lower, which means that Mare will take more damage while wearing the Octopus Cloak.
DUNGEON CONCEPT
As much as I burn for this project, I know there is still a long way to go and a lot more to design and develop, after all, I want to do my idea justice. On the other hand, I have observed how often the practical aspect of design can reveal quirks and potential problems that were overlooked during the theoretical part of the design process. And since my interest in level design was strongly inspired by the amazing dungeons of the Zelda series I thought that I would like to try myself at my own dungeon.
