Ah, thank you for pointing that out- fixed the spelling.
The actual gameplay is probably best likened to Advance Wars. Players select a mask to play a specific character, and take turns controlling them on a single playing field. Play will be structured on a grid- certain characters can cover ground quicker than others, as appropriate for their mask- and for a predetermined number of turns. Each player has a single goal that they need to achieve- Pantalone, for example, needs to have so much money by the end of the show in order for him to 'succeed'. As they move throughout the stage, they can interact with the other characters and the environment- for this reason, we're currently only planning one stage with a bunch of environmental factors.
On more than one occasion, a player will activate a special lazzi (gag or slapstick routine) as a minigame. Depending on the situation, they will be played by one person or multiple people. The results then drive the story and can help or hinder any of the players.
An example of this system: The male Innamorati is waiting for his lover to return, so he sits by a well. Brighella, seeing this as an opportunity to fulfill his goal to cause as much unhappiness as possible, moves up to the well. Here, he'll have a few options. He could try and convince the male Innamorati to leave his spot (in pantomime, of course), or he could try and distract him with something shiny. He decides that he's just going to push him down the well. Selecting this command, the players controlling Brighella and the Innamorati engage in a minigame, with the winner emerging victorious from the struggle.
The end result is a strategic storytelling game. Every person is playing what are essentially flat characters, and everything that they are able to do with must fit in with their basic archetype. Il Dottore, for instance, is very unlikely to roundhouse kick Il Capitano, and will probably fail, albeit hilariously. In a way, it's like the opposite of Team Fortress 2. There, the characters were designed around the playing style; here, the playing style is designed to fit the character.
I'll explain the system in greater detail later; for now, here are the WIP concepts for the Innamorati. I haven't really settled on a color scheme just yet, unfortunately; if you all have any suggestions, I'd be very grateful.
And here's a rough concept of how the sprites are going to be designed. This one is for the male Innamorati.
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