Laura Sawin – Game Concept

Follow the story of the Queen and her mice after the end of the story in an exciting platformer adventure game.  Each quest involves helping complete tasks given by the Queen as one of the castle mice.

Player Objectives:

  • Help the Queen complete tasks to save the kingdom!
  • Fight off the enemies sent by Max
  • Collect the Queens lost jewelry to level up your mouse to make advancing easier

Game Mechanics:

  • Movement: Ability to move in any direction and jump
  • Collection: Pick up items (the sword and bugle)
  • Power Ups: Gain new abilities after completing side quests for the Queen and collecting her lost jewelry
  • Attack: Defend yourself against enemies
    • Jump on them
    • Punching (unlockable)
    • Weapons (unlockable)
  • Bugle Playing: After the bugle and sword have been picked up, the player can use them to summon a mouse army. The mouse army can help in several ways:
    • Fighting: attack enemies with a hoard of attacks
    • Platforming: direct the mice to help bridge gaps and travel to previously unreachable areas.

Characters and Key Objects:

  • Characters:
    • The Queen – Gives tasks for mice (the player) to complete
    • Mice – The player will have the ability to chose to play as one of several different mice. Each mouse has a different set of skills and appearance.
    • Max the Magnificent – Afraid of the spread of the story of his shameful defeat, Max sends monsters, cats, and other enemies to the castle to eliminate the mice and Queen.
  • Key Objects:
    • The Queen’s jewelry:
      • Collect the Queen’s lost jewelry during quests to receive power ups from her.
    • The bugle and sword
      • Collect the bugle and sword during Quests on your way
      • Blow the bugle to summon the mice army and use the sword to direct them

Game World:

  • The game begins inside of the castle but later branches out to the surrounding castle green. During each level, you are restricted to a certain area of the castle.  Certain areas in the castle and green are unreachable without finding the bugle and sword earlier in the level.

Gameplay Highlights/Hooks/Features:

  • Adventure component – exploring the castle and battling enemies sent by Max
  • Musical component – Need to play the bugle in certain ways to conjure the mouse army in different areas. Rhythmic challenges in blowing the bugle before the mice will come.

Intended audience and how to appeal to it:

  • Similar audience to Zelda or Mario games. Nothing in the game would be frightening enough to prevent any age group from playing it. The art style will be cute rather than scary, appealing to a group who enjoy lighthearted games.  The game would appeal to musical audiences with the bugle playing in levels.  Additionally, the game would appeal to those interested in medieval themes by focusing on excellent environment design in the castle.

Game Style/Player Experience:

  • Level-based
    • Complete levels as tasks are given to you
      • Locked into a certain track while completing each level
    • Upgrade your character by collecting things along the way in levels and advancing through the game
  • Platformer Adventure
    • Similar style to Mario games
      • Complete levels that combine platforming, item collection, and enemies
    • Story Elements
      • Discover more about the Queen by bringing her jewelry back and examining the artwork and items in the castle.

Concept Art:The art style for this game would differ from the book in some ways:

  • Brighter, more lively colors
  • Warm lighting from fires or natural lighting from windows
  • More cartoon-ish characters – less realistic in general
    • A more whimsical look
    • Maintain similar outfit designs
    • Keep a painted/colored pencil look
  • Environment inspired by a Medieval castle with exaggerated vibrancy in the colors
    • Lots of stonework
    • Luxurious carpets/artwork

 

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