Little Little Fighter (Escapes from The Maze)

The working title:

Little Little Fighter

(Escapes from The Maze)

The concept statement:

Escape the maze.

Fight enemies.

Little Little Fighter (Escapes from The Maze) is a strategic roguelike puzzle-solving game infused with fighting elements set in a 2D pixelated art style that promises a different experience with every gameplay.

Genre/category:

Rogue-like puzzle escape

Concept creation process/area and influences:

The idea for this game was influenced by several of the rogue-like games I played.

The initial inspiration was Slay the Spire, a rogue-like card game set in a tower. However, I realised that balancing the card dynamics, graphics and design would not be possible in the few weeks we have to complete the game.

Thus, I decided to switch out the card game component into a simpler fighting game like that of a simplified Little Fighter 2 while maintaining the puzzle solving maze component of Slay the Spire.

I thought of a twist on the health bar concept where the player begins the maze with a set number of points/steps which would be reduced for each step taken in the maze as well as for fighting plays against the enemies encountered (both for attacking and when attacked). The player dies when the number hits 0.

To make it more interesting, players would not be able to see the maze in its entirety from the beginning – they would only be able to see the directions available from the step they are on. The route/routes they have taken however, will remain visible.  

I am also intrigued by the relic, weapon, shop systems that are incorporated in many rogue-like games that give players a different experience with each gameplay; if time permits, I will also hope to be able to bring some aspects of that into my game as well. For example, a relic that removes the visibility of the routes you have taken but reduces the number of points you need for certain activities, weapons that can increase your attack speed but require more points, and a shop where you can purchase using an extra currency the afore mentioned relics and weapons, or even points.

Audience and competitive analysis:

The main target audience are hardcore roguelike players who are nostalgic for the flash web fighting games reminiscent of the good old days from the 2000s. It is quite a niche group, but I would like to bring my own twist to the games I enjoyed in my childhood with my friends and even possibly share this joy to people who have never played them before.

While the game is not targeted towards any gender in particular, it would cater more towards the tastes of those who like fighting games – hence a larger more audience can be presumed.

Understandably, with the vast array of roguelike and puzzle games already available on the market, this game might not have a particularly high reception but would hopefully be attractive for some nostalgic audiences with lower expectations seeing as the game is a rather simplistic one created in Unity.

Game treatment and concept art

“You are the last of them.”

“Who?”

The Little Little Fighters

As the sole remaining Little Little Fighter, you must work your way out of this dungeon maze and continue the legacy of the ones before.

You must fight – even if the enemy looks like a past comrade.

“Remember little one;

Every step counts.”

 Fig 1. Concept art example of player movement from Little Fighter 2 (lf2.net, n.d.)

Fig 2. Concept art example of weapon and strike movements from Little Fighter 2 (lf2.net, n.d.)

Fig 3. Hand-drawn impression of first level 

Fig 4. Concept art example of maze (reddit, 2017)

Fig 5. Concept art example of illumination of maze (Miguel, 2013)

References:

lf2.net. (n.d.). Little Fighter 2 Official Website. [online] Available at: http://lf2.net [Accessed 12 Apr. 2021].

Miguel, J. (2013). Ludum Dare #26 postmortem: Title. [online] Rukbottoland.com. Available at: http://games.rukbottoland.com/blog/ludum-dare-26-postmortem-title/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2021].

reddit. (2017). r/gamedev - Free Assets - 360+ piece 2D maze-based game (CC BY 4.0). [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/6k6lp3/free_assets_360_piece_2d_mazebased_game_cc_by_40/.