A gameplay mechanic for each theme

Break the system

2D platformer: switches and glitches disable collision detection; disable or reverse gravity; disable or reverse friction.

Chaos

This one's really tricky: leverage use of examples chaotic systems - billiards, two-part pendulum. Think the environment of Super Monkey Ball and the fine control in billiards and time-controls in Braid. Ugh. Time rewind/fastforward is too hard to implement for a first Unity game!

Clones

Too easy. Press space to clone yourself. You can swap control from your hero to any of your clones. Whatever your hero does, your clones will follow. But the reverse is not true and swapping is limited on a per-level basis. This means that, when you can pick up certain items (which grant key powers) as the hero, all your clones will suddenly possess this item, but not vice-versa. 2D sidescrolling or top-down.

Connections

This. Probably going to struggle somewhat while moulding the basic Unity engine to resemble this, though.

Contamination

I'm pretty certain this won't be chosen. Also similar to corruption. See below.

Corruption

A platformer set in 1960s LA? Lol

This. Maybe we can incorporate this corruption mechanic to a top-down game/platformer? The longer you stay in some "contaminated" spot, the stronger (faster) you become. But stay too long and you die (lame).

Creation

This

Alternatively, in a platformer, give the hero the ability to create blocks, circles and barrels, joints, and springs. Kind of like a toned-down version of Crayon Physics.

Death is Useful

Say there are hazards in the world: saws, acid, fire. When you die, your next iteration becomes immune to this hazard. You have a limited amount of lives, and you want to be immune to the correct, limited set of hazards to beat some particular level.

Duel

I hate this theme. I can’t think of anything besides the typical Mexican standoff or medieval joust. It’s just a contest between two persons, can it be a puzzle-solving duel?

Dueling jet fighters. Too hard to implement in 72 hrs.

End of the Universe

While the universe is ending (shrinking, decaying, whatever), you must maintain a viable population of human beings in deep hibernation to ensure the survival for the human race, if possible. Core mechanics are yet to be narrowed down, but they must be, because this is too vague. You control a spaceship (or starship) and are exploring dying planets and stars, scrounging for resources and clues as to possible exits out of this current dying universe. Use dark energy as a clutch/deus ex machina to explain portals to other universes.

Falling

You have vertigo. For every high jump, you don't know when you're going to hit the ground. The height will be exaggerated and you have to reorient yourself and somehow manually control your landing every time you jump.

Some metaphor about falling in love.

Fortress

You are the pilot of a Boeing B25 Superfortress and you play the mission of dropping an atomic bomb over Hiroshima. So much WTF. This cannot be done in a simple jam game, but the subject matter deserves some attention in modern games (indie or AAA).

Four Elements

We can take it in many generic directions:

Fire, water, wind, earth (alchemy) Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium Elements of

davidyu / ld28