The first thing I want to do when devloping my idea is to actually nail down how I want the game to look and the how the characters will work. The playable character is going to be changing ‘between worlds’. but what does this actually mean? I know I want the core gameplay loop to stay the same, however, the mechanics should change, so what can change about the character? For me this is size and time. By having the playable character be able to shrink down allows for a wider range of potential puzzles all in the same place. I still want the character to be the ‘same’ rather than having the players prefer one playstyle to the other, and as such I think changing the traversal options would also allow for a more intersting development. In my intial ideas this would be through shadows. Having the rig jump into the shadows that the player creates with the main body would allow for unique puzzle solving and by jumping back into the main body’s shadow, the player can resume the main level.

I really like the idea I came up with about a sentient cloak or shadow. The shadow would have to pretend to be a real person while interacting with what I’ve dubbed the “real world.” It would slip out like an ooey-gooey slime, jumping into NPCs’ shadows to move around the level and progress.

The only aspect I feel is lacking in this concept is the question of ‘intent.’ Why is the shadow going through all this? I believe the best way to address this is to connect it to the environment. Similar to the ‘Vashta Nerada’ concept from “Doctor Who,” where the shadows are a hive mind living in darkness and originally relied on scraps in the forests, my idea is that these shadows were forcibly displaced by people cutting down their homes. Instead of causing chaos and destruction as in the TV series, my shadows would simply be trying to peacefully return home without being revealed as monsters.