The Game Idea

Several game ideas were pitched before our team decided to work on Shadow. Here is the game idea that was pitched for Shadow:

The as yet unnamed main character is sent by his dying master to find a magic crystal to replace his master’s. His master’s crystal is becoming dim and it seems this will save his master.

The master gives him a magic key that will start him on his journey. When used, the key makes a door appear that leads to a different place (themed like the key, so an ice key leads to an ice place, etc.)

The main character is a creature made of shadow and can’t move though bright areas. He can sink into the ground and move through it with only the top of his head showing. He must navigate through different places, observing these places have various problems, but moving on to find more magic keys.

This will be a puzzle type game where the player must create pathways of shadow to move along, as the main character can’t stand in light. The character avoids enemies by sinking into the ground.

Eventually the player will find their way to a radiant crystal cave. But the problem will remain that the character is made of shadow and unable to move into the light. The character will make the decision to move into the light even though he is afraid and there is an overwhelming force and pain pushing him back when it tries. As he touches a crystal, it bonds with him and he finds he is able to stand in the light without repercussion.

The player finds one last key that leads back to the master’s place.

The player arrives to find their master has passed away, the crystal empty of light. The character laments their loss and wishes they could have gotten back faster and feels as if their effort was for nothing.

The character then finds a letter from their master naming the character for the first time in the game and explaining that it was his time to die and the crystal would not have saved him. The reason he was sent to find a crystal was to take his place as the carer of the different realms beyond the doors. They had fallen into disrepair, as the character would have noted on his journeys, due to his master’s inability to fulfil his roll due to his condition. He explained that the main character would be able to put things right and the crystal would aid him.

The player now runs back through the realms they’ve been through with access to areas outside of the shadows and able to attack monsters with the crystal (they are still able to sink beneath the ground). The levels are now accessible to their fullest and obstacles first used to create shadows are now used to negotiate the level in other ways.

The main character goes around fixing the realms in whatever order the player wants and can return to the master’s place at any time (the keys remain in your possession). The realms will change when they are fixed (stop looking corrupt or such).

When all the worlds are fixed, the player will find one last key that leads to some beautiful place and the game will end. As yet undecided.