I think the whole concept can be pretty flexible as to whether it’s 2d or 3d, and also flexible as to whether it’s an Action style game or Adventure, but I’m personally more partial to either a combo adventure/action or just action. I’m just going to throw out a few different ideas here but I’m sticking with the underwater theme as an umbrella.
Gameplay - Action, Action/Adventure, or Adventure?
If action only, I think a scrolling 2d would be more fun, and if people want 3d instead, maybe a ‘river’ style design to cut down on the visual design load. Fight enemy fish or octopi or sharks, whathaveyou, save the girl fish from the evil kraken, and at the end build your dream conch house on the beach, etc. I don’t know what the team is able to invest effort wise, so combat doesn’t necessarily have to be complex, it could be just a simple detection style gameplay - avoid the bad guys or you get killed - or more complex, with buffs, multiple attack types, AI, etc. On the small scale, gameplay would be driven towards maybe a scoring system of awards for enemies killed, items collected, damage taken, or instead the usual bosses and evil overlord endgame. I was also thinking this idea of maybe ‘escape from a dangerous enemy land’ sort of thing so it gets harder and when you win you get to go home or something.
If Adventure/Action, action could be literally separated by ‘barriers’ from exploration scenes, but I know that drives some people crazy when it’s separated and doesn't drive storyline. Exploration would be open, could be procedural, but I’d personally enjoy more open exploration type with somewhat larger maps. Maps could have collectible items, semi interactive environments(not puzzles though), and passive AI, whereas action scenes would be more linear and focused on exiting the scene safely, grabbing a protected item, or beating a boss, etc.
If more more adventure style, not really keyed towards bosses and conflict but towards new experiences, so just simple interactables, collectible items, eye candy scenery, passive AI, heavy storyline. Could use the same, ’escape from the dangerous land into the utopian land.' Drives overall would be more like : resource collection, collectible items/trophies, maybe even work towards establishing/unlocking a ‘home base’ after stage completion with premade add-ons(no open building), meeting new NPCs in fish villages, taking on mini-quests(but no RPG elements), etc.
I was actually thinking a fun add-on for action OR adventure style would be a ‘home’ scene where you can relax and look at your home base with little wild fishies and coral or something, like the old school windows screensavers, i.e. your own aquarium tank.
Player character ideas (what is the player character?):
A fish - eats fish food, seaweed, guppies, etc in combat scenes can bites enemies, sonar attack, water push attack, displays aggression buffs, conch powerups, seashells currency. Could be a pufferfish? Lion fish? Flower horn?(flower horn could have psychic powers, just look at the guy lol) or maybe amphibious creatures like salamander, axolotl — In that case it’d be more land-style combat.
Scenes/backgrounds : underwater caves, lagoons, coral reefs, fish cities, etc
Underwater Game:
I think the whole concept can be pretty flexible as to whether it’s 2d or 3d, and also flexible as to whether it’s an Action style game or Adventure, but I’m personally more partial to either a combo adventure/action or just action. I’m just going to throw out a few different ideas here but I’m sticking with the underwater theme as an umbrella.
Gameplay - Action, Action/Adventure, or Adventure?
If action only, I think a scrolling 2d would be more fun, and if people want 3d instead, maybe a ‘river’ style design to cut down on the visual design load. Fight enemy fish or octopi or sharks, whathaveyou, save the girl fish from the evil kraken, and at the end build your dream conch house on the beach, etc. I don’t know what the team is able to invest effort wise, so combat doesn’t necessarily have to be complex, it could be just a simple detection style gameplay - avoid the bad guys or you get killed - or more complex, with buffs, multiple attack types, AI, etc. On the small scale, gameplay would be driven towards maybe a scoring system of awards for enemies killed, items collected, damage taken, or instead the usual bosses and evil overlord endgame. I was also thinking this idea of maybe ‘escape from a dangerous enemy land’ sort of thing so it gets harder and when you win you get to go home or something.
If Adventure/Action, action could be literally separated by ‘barriers’ from exploration scenes, but I know that drives some people crazy when it’s separated and doesn't drive storyline. Exploration would be open, could be procedural, but I’d personally enjoy more open exploration type with somewhat larger maps. Maps could have collectible items, semi interactive environments(not puzzles though), and passive AI, whereas action scenes would be more linear and focused on exiting the scene safely, grabbing a protected item, or beating a boss, etc.
If more more adventure style, not really keyed towards bosses and conflict but towards new experiences, so just simple interactables, collectible items, eye candy scenery, passive AI, heavy storyline. Could use the same, ’escape from the dangerous land into the utopian land.' Drives overall would be more like : resource collection, collectible items/trophies, maybe even work towards establishing/unlocking a ‘home base’ after stage completion with premade add-ons(no open building), meeting new NPCs in fish villages, taking on mini-quests(but no RPG elements), etc.
I was actually thinking a fun add-on for action OR adventure style would be a ‘home’ scene where you can relax and look at your home base with little wild fishies and coral or something, like the old school windows screensavers, i.e. your own aquarium tank.
Player character ideas (what is the player character?): A fish - eats fish food, seaweed, guppies, etc in combat scenes can bites enemies, sonar attack, water push attack, displays aggression buffs, conch powerups, seashells currency. Could be a pufferfish? Lion fish? Flower horn?(flower horn could have psychic powers, just look at the guy lol) or maybe amphibious creatures like salamander, axolotl — In that case it’d be more land-style combat.
Scenes/backgrounds : underwater caves, lagoons, coral reefs, fish cities, etc