We all get some great videogame idea from time to time, an idea that will probably never be realized. Here are two of my own:
1) A Zelda dungeon.
This idea can be applied to anything, but it came up to me in the form of a 3D Zelda dungeon. You remember the twisted hall from Ocarina of Time's Forest Temple?
That hallway's mechanic is that when you press a switch to twist it or set it straight, it also rotates the next room allowing you to access an entrance or chest that were previously unreachable.
So I thought of something similar, and the mechanic would be a switch to change a hallway and rooms from PSX style graphics (as in low polygons, Standard Definition), to whatever current generation style graphics (High Definition) is available. So, to teach the player what's happening, you start in a hallway with the graphics looking like PSX games, blocky low poly, ugly textures, and as you walk forward, the graphics start to change bit by bit into Dreamcast-level graphics, then Gamecube-level, then finally into HD-level of whatever the system is capable off.
It's important that the graphics be blocky for the following reason: puzzles!
Let's say you enter a room in SD/PSX-style graphics. You see a round indentation on the floor, and you need to fit a boulder there. But due to the low-poly nature of the graphics, the boulder looks like a cube (!). So what you have to do is find the switch to flip that room into HD graphics, and voila, the boulder will be round due to the high-poly count. It also works the other way around: you enter a room in HD graphics, you see a square indentation on the floor, but the object you need to fit on it is round. So you flip the switch and the round object becomes cube shaped.
Another use would be needing to read some clue on the wall, but when you enter the room in SD/PSX-style graphics, the text is unreadable due to the low resolution. So you have to find the switch to flip it to HD so you can read the clue.
Enemies would also be affected by that switch, so you would have to fight enemies in both low poly and HD forms. And in low poly you are unable to defeat some enemies due to not being able to accurately see their weak point or something like that.
2) A 2D Castlevania idea.
Notice that this will not be a Metroidvania-style game.
My dream idea would be a Castlevania 2 style game, that mixes Castlevania 1 and Castlevania 2, but with Rondo of Blood-type graphics. Bear with me here.
What's the difference between CV2 and a Metroidvania? Well, unlike Metroid and all the Metroid-inspired games that tend to have a lot of corridors, vertical rooms, and vertical shafts; Castlevania 2 is more horizontal-leveled with a strong focus on platforming.
For those that don't know, Castlevania 2 takes place a couple of years after Castlevania 1. So, imagine you boot the game and you start in Castlevania 1 like normal. You can ideally go through the game as usual (to the right), finish the game, and not be any wiser (such as people initially not knowing about the inverted castle in SotN). But in the first stage is where the secret lies.
Remember how Dracula's castle in Castlevania 2 matched the castle entrance in Castlevania? Now imagine that you are able to uncover that altar room the same way you do in Castlevania 2 (holy water) and through there is where you trigger more stages or maybe an alternative route in the same castle. Click image for a bigger version.
But wait, there's more! Now that you know about the altar room from CV2 is there, how about the rest of Transylvania? Remember Castlevania's intro?
Why not turn left at the entrance outside the castle, head towards that gate and walk to the still active town of Ghulash (since Dracula's curse hasn't kicked in yet, everyone's alive).
Click image for a bigger version.
..and buy something for the item and status screen you didn't know you had before secretly pressing Start and then Select?
Now, at this point you'll have to beat the Castlevania 1 portion of the game to trigger the curse and be able to enjoy the rest of Transylvania with proper hints, a more logical-connected map design, new areas, new items, new abilities, and multiple playable characters (a la Castlevania 3).
And speaking of Castlevania 3, since those stages are in the Transilvania of Castlevania 1&2 (only 200 years later), how about we could also visit them in an interconnected way, but this time they are decrepit and overrun with vegetation. Maybe some floors have crumbled leading to new areas, and stuff.
3) Nintendo Universe RPG
My favorite Nintendo RPG idea would be one that I've had for decades now. Something multi-verse like Smash Bros, but as an RPG.
You would chose your universe to start with: Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Kirby, Metroid, etc.
Once you pick a character/universe, you start their own individual story in their own world, but a few hours in somehow the character you picked (and friends) get 'sucked in' into another universe, an RPG universe, where you eventually meet up with the other characters from the other universes.
My own twist idea is that depending on the universe you picked, in those initial hours, you play as their original game would have played. For example, if you picked Super Mario, then you play as Mario for a few sidescrolling levels before facing Bowser and then being sucked into the other universe. If you pick Metroid, then you'll a few non-linear areas for a bit. If you pick Star Fox, then you'll play through a few flying missions, etc.
Once you are in the RPG universe, then it's all about meeting the other characters (classic and originals). You could have Ash attack with his Pokemons, or Kirby using the enemy's powers, Mario using his tanooki suit or his RPG repertoire, Link using his usual items or runes, etc. Depending on the universe you picked, you could have events exclusive to that character happen during the game. And once you get to the final battle, before fighting the 'real' last boss, you can fight the big baddie from that character's universe. Mario fights Bowser, Link fights Ganon, Fox fights Andross, etc.
When I thought of this idea I imagined it as an isometric-style RPG like Mario RPG, but I guess nowadays it would have to be a 3D game. I would still hope for an isometric one.
1) A Zelda dungeon.
This idea can be applied to anything, but it came up to me in the form of a 3D Zelda dungeon. You remember the twisted hall from Ocarina of Time's Forest Temple?
That hallway's mechanic is that when you press a switch to twist it or set it straight, it also rotates the next room allowing you to access an entrance or chest that were previously unreachable.
So I thought of something similar, and the mechanic would be a switch to change a hallway and rooms from PSX style graphics (as in low polygons, Standard Definition), to whatever current generation style graphics (High Definition) is available. So, to teach the player what's happening, you start in a hallway with the graphics looking like PSX games, blocky low poly, ugly textures, and as you walk forward, the graphics start to change bit by bit into Dreamcast-level graphics, then Gamecube-level, then finally into HD-level of whatever the system is capable off.
It's important that the graphics be blocky for the following reason: puzzles!
Let's say you enter a room in SD/PSX-style graphics. You see a round indentation on the floor, and you need to fit a boulder there. But due to the low-poly nature of the graphics, the boulder looks like a cube (!). So what you have to do is find the switch to flip that room into HD graphics, and voila, the boulder will be round due to the high-poly count. It also works the other way around: you enter a room in HD graphics, you see a square indentation on the floor, but the object you need to fit on it is round. So you flip the switch and the round object becomes cube shaped.
Another use would be needing to read some clue on the wall, but when you enter the room in SD/PSX-style graphics, the text is unreadable due to the low resolution. So you have to find the switch to flip it to HD so you can read the clue.
Enemies would also be affected by that switch, so you would have to fight enemies in both low poly and HD forms. And in low poly you are unable to defeat some enemies due to not being able to accurately see their weak point or something like that.
2) A 2D Castlevania idea.
Notice that this will not be a Metroidvania-style game.
My dream idea would be a Castlevania 2 style game, that mixes Castlevania 1 and Castlevania 2, but with Rondo of Blood-type graphics. Bear with me here.
What's the difference between CV2 and a Metroidvania? Well, unlike Metroid and all the Metroid-inspired games that tend to have a lot of corridors, vertical rooms, and vertical shafts; Castlevania 2 is more horizontal-leveled with a strong focus on platforming.
For those that don't know, Castlevania 2 takes place a couple of years after Castlevania 1. So, imagine you boot the game and you start in Castlevania 1 like normal. You can ideally go through the game as usual (to the right), finish the game, and not be any wiser (such as people initially not knowing about the inverted castle in SotN). But in the first stage is where the secret lies.
Remember how Dracula's castle in Castlevania 2 matched the castle entrance in Castlevania? Now imagine that you are able to uncover that altar room the same way you do in Castlevania 2 (holy water) and through there is where you trigger more stages or maybe an alternative route in the same castle. Click image for a bigger version.
But wait, there's more! Now that you know about the altar room from CV2 is there, how about the rest of Transylvania? Remember Castlevania's intro?
Why not turn left at the entrance outside the castle, head towards that gate and walk to the still active town of Ghulash (since Dracula's curse hasn't kicked in yet, everyone's alive).
Click image for a bigger version.
..and buy something for the item and status screen you didn't know you had before secretly pressing Start and then Select?
Now, at this point you'll have to beat the Castlevania 1 portion of the game to trigger the curse and be able to enjoy the rest of Transylvania with proper hints, a more logical-connected map design, new areas, new items, new abilities, and multiple playable characters (a la Castlevania 3).
And speaking of Castlevania 3, since those stages are in the Transilvania of Castlevania 1&2 (only 200 years later), how about we could also visit them in an interconnected way, but this time they are decrepit and overrun with vegetation. Maybe some floors have crumbled leading to new areas, and stuff.
3) Nintendo Universe RPG
My favorite Nintendo RPG idea would be one that I've had for decades now. Something multi-verse like Smash Bros, but as an RPG.
You would chose your universe to start with: Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Kirby, Metroid, etc.
Once you pick a character/universe, you start their own individual story in their own world, but a few hours in somehow the character you picked (and friends) get 'sucked in' into another universe, an RPG universe, where you eventually meet up with the other characters from the other universes.
My own twist idea is that depending on the universe you picked, in those initial hours, you play as their original game would have played. For example, if you picked Super Mario, then you play as Mario for a few sidescrolling levels before facing Bowser and then being sucked into the other universe. If you pick Metroid, then you'll a few non-linear areas for a bit. If you pick Star Fox, then you'll play through a few flying missions, etc.
Once you are in the RPG universe, then it's all about meeting the other characters (classic and originals). You could have Ash attack with his Pokemons, or Kirby using the enemy's powers, Mario using his tanooki suit or his RPG repertoire, Link using his usual items or runes, etc. Depending on the universe you picked, you could have events exclusive to that character happen during the game. And once you get to the final battle, before fighting the 'real' last boss, you can fight the big baddie from that character's universe. Mario fights Bowser, Link fights Ganon, Fox fights Andross, etc.
When I thought of this idea I imagined it as an isometric-style RPG like Mario RPG, but I guess nowadays it would have to be a 3D game. I would still hope for an isometric one.
