Game Concept DevLog

3 years ago by BD-UTAS

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Working title.

The Running Gun.

The concept statement.

Survive a kill or be killed gameshow. The contestant(s) will traverse a gauntlet of arenas in an attempt to survive a series of increasingly difficult challenges, defeat bosses and win fantastic prizes.

Genre or category of game.

Given that the game will feature a top-down view with multidirectional shooting, the most appropriate genre for the game would be roguelike, bullet hell.

Concept creation process/area (e.g. subtractive design, anti-game, mashup, etc.) and influences.

The primary influences for the overall plot and theme of the game are borrowed from sci-fi films and games like the Running man and Smash TV. Both of which feature the exact theme I hope to replicate of a twisted game show in the not to distant future where contestants are pitted against one another like gladiators. I hope to pay homage to this kind of media.

The primary influence for the gameplay comes from games like Enter the Gungeon, Smash TV and the mini-game within Stardew Valley - Journey of the Prairie King Run. All feature a similar goal of both killing and dodging waves of increasingly difficult enemies trying to achieve a final objective.

Audience and competitive analysis.

The game would be targeted towards people who enjoy Roguelike, Bullet Hell, Dungeon crawlers. The target audience would be mid to late teens and adults. Players would most likely skew towards the male demographic. People who like local and online multiplayer games would also enjoy this game to play with friends and strangers. I however cannot foresee any competitive aspects of the game beyond perhaps people speedrunning the game.

Game treatment.

The plot of The Running Gun centres around a dystopian television show where the contestants(players) have to dodge obstacles and kill enemies or be killed themselves. As you move from one room to the next, you must shoot hordes of enemies who enter the area via various methods like platforms and tunnels. Once the player(s) have completed all the obstacles and objectives in each area, they will proceed to the next room. The final room in each level is a fight with a boss. At the end of the game, players are finally granted their life and freedom.

Players move with the left joystick or keyboard, while they can aim their direction of shooting with the right joystick or mouse. The shoulder trigger and mouse button can be used to fire various weapons. The Player will start out each run with basic weapons which can be upgraded by collecting weapons and power-up items.

Concept art.