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[Bryan Legend]

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[flowerthief]

Bryan, that looks amazing! I love designing games, I love metroidvanias, and I'd love to work on this project. In fact, while watching your video my mind began exploring possible themes and narratives and mechanics that could work with such a game. I came up with one concept for the zombie theme that (to my knowledge) hasn't been done in a metroidvania yet, that I think would make this game interesting. It would work together well with the mechanic of obtaining the same abilities used by bosses the pc has to defeat, which you expressed interest in.

However, what you are doing is clearly professional and probably I don't have the professional credentials you're looking for. (All the games I've made to date have been low-budget non-commercial solo endeavors) Nor have I ever made anything like a metroidvania before, unless we count in Little Big Planet, haha.

Well I'll just tell you what my idea is because why not. Whether or not you want to work with me, you're welcome to use it if you like.

So you know how a common trope in horror is a group of people working together to defeat zombies while the zombies are picking them off one by one? The remaining heroes find themselves having to put down their former friends-turned-zombies attacking them--often reluctantly because of the wonderful inner conflict you can create in characters when you put them in such circumstances. Best example of this I've seen in a game is the 3D third-person survival horror game Siren (Forbidden Siren in the UK) from the ps2. In the beginning of that game you were controlling a dozen different chars, from an old man to a schoolteacher to a little kid, but by the end almost all had become enemies that the few remaining survivor(s) had to contend with. (It was REALLY creepy playing as a little girl being hunted by the same schoolteacher you had played as in an earlier chapter back when you had an escort mission to protect her)

I think this kind of thing could work in a metroidvania. In the beginning you control several varied characters one at a time in distinct story chapters. As they get killed off one by one according to the script, the remaining characters--which eventually gets narrowed down to a single remaining character--must battle their old friends...and after the fight picks up their gun or jetpack or grappling hook or whatever the new ability is to add to his arsenal. (yes, the player would be already familiar with the ability from having played as that character earlier)

The narrative, though, should be more interesting than a generic zombie attack. I've played through almost all the entries in the Castlevania series, and although the games are fun, let's be honest, the stories are not that great, so I know we can do better. It would be fun to flesh out the characters for such a story.

Well I'd be surprised if you haven't gotten offers from other people, so anyway best of luck.