Overview

This game adopts a roguelite structure, where procedurally generated rooms replace traditional levels. Each playthrough presents a unique sequence of challenges, ensuring no two runs are the same. Players must clear these rooms to progress deeper into the game, facing increasing difficulty while collecting resources. Death is not the end; it is an opportunity to grow stronger and try again.

Players enter a room from one entrance and are only able to leave/begin the next room once the current room has been cleared i.e. when all enemies have been confronted.

The goal is to highlight the relationship between gameplay progression and the unlocking or enhancing of abilities through the skill tree

Progression System and Player Objective

• Run-Based Progression:
  • Players progress by clearing room after room, with each completed room bringing them closer to the realms boss encounter. After overcoming the boss, players are a step closer to reaching Acceptance and can begin progression in another realm.
• Permanent vs. Temporary Progression:
  • Temporary Progression:
    • In each run, players progress through a series of rooms – once they are dead, there are not checkpoints and progression is lost upon death, prompting them to restart the run.
  • Permanent Progression:
    • Between runs, players can spend meta-resources (e.g., Terra Shards and Terra Souls) to unlock permanent upgrades, such as health and stat increases or new abilities.
• Roguelite Scaling:
  • The difficulty curve dynamically scales based on the player’s progress within a run. Increased enemy spawns and health pools are introduced to match the player’s growing arsenal and upgrades.

Procedurally Generated Rooms in a Roguelite Framework

Randomness and variety ensures that every run feels fresh, with room configuration and enemy placements changing each time. Rooms should feel challenging enough to feel satisfying when complete and not too easy to avoid boredom.

Rooms will be drawn from a pool of pre-determined level layouts, with the order they appear in and the enemies that appear being randomised.

Procedural Room Generation System

• Generation Mechanics:
  • Rooms are procedurally generated using a combination of pre-designed templates and randomised elements. Each room’s layout and enemies are determined based on the player’s current progress and the run’s overarching difficulty curve.
• Room Themes:
  • Rooms are tailored to the grief realm the player is in. For instance, the ‘Anger’ rooms often feature lava, dry and earthy surfaces and fire-based enemies, while in the ‘Depression’ wet, cold surfaces and frost-themed enemies are the visuals.
• Balancing Randomness:
  • A weighted randomisation system ensures gameplay variety while maintaining a coherent difficulty curve. For example, early-game rooms prioritise ‘easier’ enemies and accessible layouts, while late-game rooms introduce a higher quantity and tougher enemies overall.

Room Shapes and Enemy Spawn

Here is a sketch mock-up of a pool of level layouts with potential entrances/exits and enemy spawn points.

Line of Realm and Skill Progression Through Procedurally Generated Rooms

• The Prologue (in Limbo)
  • Skills Available: None (tutorial phase)
    Players learn the basics of movement and combat. The skill tree is introduced narratively as a “growth system” tied to the protagonist’s powers and resources.
• First Realm (10 rooms):
  • Skills Unlocked: By the time players overcome the first realm they should have the Heavy Attack (For one weapon), additional health/damage buff.
  • Level Features: simpler room layouts, fewer enemies, and frequent drops to introduce core mechanics and build player confidence.
• Second Realm(12 rooms):
  • Skills Unlocked: Additional health/damage buff
  • Level Features: Introduce tougher enemy variants (increased health pools).
• Third Realm(14 rooms):
  • Skills Unlocked: Speed/Attack Speed buff, Additional health/damage buff
  • Level Feature: Combines more intricate room layouts with higher enemy density.
• Last Realm(16 rooms):
  • Skilled Unlock: Speed/Attack Speed buff, Additional health/damage buff
  • Level Feature: Increase enemy health pools.
• Final Boss Encounter (At the end of each successful realm run):
  • Unique arena for the final challenge, ensuring a climactic and satisfying conclusion to the run.

Unique Realm features:

Denial Realm will introduce multi-path rooms, unlike the others and therefore not be linear – causing players to potentially run into dead-ends and having to turn back on themselves.

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Tree of Sorrow Upgrades

Purpose: Enhance player stats and unlock combat abilities for diversified playstyles. There are two upgrade menus. The main skill tree will focus on player equipment and combat mastery while the other will allow players to choose between two “large” stat upgrades.
Structure: Accessible through the Tree of Sorrow NPC. The main skill tree uses branching paths (Players choose from multiple paths based on their playstyle or goals).

Integregation with gameplay systems:

Resource Management: Unlocks are tied to level-based resources
Adaptive Design: Should support different player choices. The skill tree ensures players can progress through all levels, albeit using different strategies/equipment.

The tree will prompt the player to gather Terra Shards to strengthen their abilities and gather Terra Souls to recover the tree and then be rewarded with a large player stat upgrade. By upgrading, players will become stronger and better supported as the game difficulty increases through progression. The concept of becoming stronger also reflects the journey of grief.

Tree of Sorrow Skill Tree Unlockables – “Branch Abilities”

Name	Description	Requirement
Renewal’s Edge	Unlock Heavy Attack – Pair with dash to pierce through enemies in the direction of the dash	– 100 Terra Shards
Respite’s Crush	Unlock Heavy Attack – Slam the ground creating AOE of damage, pushing back enemies	– 100 Terra Shards
Cathartic Chain	Unlock Heavy Attack – Chain damage through nearby enemies	– 100 Terra Shards
Sword Mastery	Increase Heavy Attack damage	Renewal’s Edge unlocked – 100 Terra Shards
Axe Mastery	Increase Heavy Attack damage	Respite’s Crush unlocked – 100 Terra Shards
Bow Mastery	Increase Heavy Attack damage	Cathartic Chain Unlocked – 100 Terra Shards
Mental Vigor	Slight attack speed increase	– Renewal’s Edge unlocked – 50 Terra Shards
Pathfinder’s Grace	Slight movement speed increase	– Renewal’s Edge unlocked – 50 Terra Shards

✧ Players being allowed to choose which equipment they would like to specialise into will better suit their playstyle, or they may choose a more adaptive approach by unlocking all branches.

Large Stat Upgrade – “Root Abilities”

Name	Description	Requirement
Desciderium Heart	Permanent additional heart “Increases health, drawing strength from the soul’s yearning resilience.”	– 1 Terra Soul
Reclaiming Force	Permanent 25% Attack Damage increase “An upgrade that channels the energy of reclaiming lost strength and purpose.”	– 1 Terra Sou

As there are only four griefs to overcome, the player may only be granted four of these larger upgrades, meaning there players can choose the same upgraade four times or have a combination of them. Upon receiving their fourth upgrade this means the player has fully restored the tree and a final dialogue interaction with the tree will trigger signalling the end of the game.

✧ Players being allowed to choose between two large upgrades allows the ability to spec out in different areas depending on the players needs to facilitate their gameplay. It is recommended that the player have at least one of each upgrade.