My concept is a ninja game which takes place during the Sengoku period in Japan. The level will take place in a temple. I am going to use the Shitennoji Temple, one of Japan’s oldest temples, as reference. The environment of the game will consist of symbols and designs that were used in the Sengoku period. I want this game to show the outside world but, the actual gameplay will be inside the temple.

Game Pitch:

The player is a ninja that’s objective is to steal a secret scroll inside the temple. The scroll contains an ancient technique that will assist in the growth of the players skills. The scroll is hidden in a room that can only be unlocked with a key. The only problem is that the key is locked in a room that has guards around every hallway to get to the key. This is going to be a stealth game where the Ninja has to get past every guard without alerting them. Alerting the guard will result in the Ninja being killed and the end game. Some game mechanics in this game will be running, rolling, and climbing walls. 

In order to do this, you will need to make some important decisions about the type of game you want to make and the game world that you want to creatively depict over the course of the term. The game design might be based on one (or more) of the classic 3D game genres: adventure, stealth, platformer, first-person shooter, etc. Since in this course we are focused on the artistic aspect, I plan to keep the game mechanics and goals simple: collect a few items, find the secret treasure, avoid/defeat all the enemies, and so on. Most of the game highlights will be in the beginning of the game where the player is in front of the temple, seeing this massive building (Start of quest). Some key features in the game that will draw the player’s interest will be the various strategies the player has to find using trial and error to hide from the guards. This game is for people who like slow paced games that use your cognitive skills to analyze each floor. There will be 4 floors that will consist of different ways to hide from the guards. This is still a rough concept but, I am still thinking of ways for the character to utilize Ninja tactics. Like rolling, sneaking (Silent walk), and possibly an ability that allows the player to become invisible to the guards (time limit for this ability). Since this is a 3d game, I see the art style resembling a bit like Valorant’s 3d map style. I can see my temple looking similar to the temple in the haven map. In terms of the character art style (Ninja and Guards), I am going to create them to be cartoony, but they will also have that vintage style. I want both the character models and the 3d environment to mesh and feel authentic.

Concept Art:

Temple Concept Art:

Reference Images:

Refence Found on Pinterest.