Looking at Rogue-Lite Design
From a development standpoint, I’ve decided I like the Rogue-Lite Design genre. I see many advantages, namely:
I can actually “feel” the game loop, as opposed to an open world sandbox where you large have to push yourself to find fun as a player.
The loop is much faster, which shortens the game’s overall scope.
Because of this, it creates a “less is more” quality. Instead of doing wide with enormous feature sets, you go deeper with a few.
The “Lite” part creates room for interesting meta elements and story archs.
Procedural levels are really fun to make and play, and take less time to develop.
They are usually single player, something I’m looking for after spending years trying my hand at multiplayer.
They are usually not “Games as a Service”, which is a huge plus for me as a solo dev.
Looking at subject matter ideas through the lens of a Rogue-Lite leads to a fantastic brainstorming framework. By thinking about ideas as reoccurring loops with the possibility of an overall meta sets my imagination on overdrive, and with the sci fi kick I’ve been in for the last ten years I’ve been able to come up with all kinds of ideas that I feel fit this genre like a glove.
What I’m really looking forward to is refining a smaller, bite size game and making it super polished and dripping with replay value. There’s something about enjoying a project that is well constructed and balanced, and I think this will be more achievable with the Rogue-Like genre than the Survival Crafting genre.
Some ideas that can lend themselves to this genre:
Time loops - the player character has amnesia and can only discover more about themselves and the world through repeated runs.
Time Travel - waking up at different times or places based on the previous run.
Metamorphosis - the idea of death being the only way to advance into a more powerful being.
Groundhog Day - the same experience with variations and endings based on player decisions.
And many more mind bending scenarios based around questioning reality and what the player receives after a run, being a story or truth.
As a storyteller, this is exciting because it doesn’t have to be about player power or weapons or item gathering. It can be about unraveling a mystery or looking inwards into philosophical conflicts, which is what the best stories usually are at their core.