So, the project is quite big, but here is a quick rundown of it. If you are interested in joining up to help me. I've included an index to help you navigate. How nice of me! This is a very short and quick version. A more detailed version can be obtained by sending me a mail. However I only share it with people interested in actually joining the project for a position not taken. Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone! Things can change depending on input or if anyone has any good ideas!
Index
Setting
Story
Gameplay
Graphics
Music
About Zelest
Setting
The setting is an alternative world version of victorian era europe. To be exact, a french/english kind of 1800 setting. Clothes, houses, art and such things will be of such design.
Story
You play a very snooty young girl named Elisabeth. She comes from the capital city to celibrate one of her aquantances birthday. She is bored half to death however, this is not at all what she had hoped for. Country bumpkins will always be country bumpkins no matter what clothes they are in.
She hears the other talk about a ghost story. About how a cult used to kidnap and sacrifice young women in unspeakable rituals to feed their dark god. However she doesn't pay much attention. The next day she finally gets to ride home and her carriage crashes near the graveyard.
As she wakes up, she finds herself inside of a cave. Which is where the player finally gains control over her. She comes into the next room where she find a girl tied up to the cave wall. After helping her free, the player gets a choice to either help her along the tutorial level, or leave her. Once the player comes to the end of the level, and she brought the other girl along, the girl will fall though the floor. Now the player can choose to leave her and their budding friendship (which will become a romance...) behind (get the baddest ending) or follow her and try to rescue her... where the real game begin.
This is where she finds a portal to another realm, a strange world very unlike our own.
Gameplay
Explaining the gameplay in detail is very hard, so instead I'll give references to other games. Initially, the gameplay will be a lot like "Prince of Persia" with how you run, jump and climb walls. Towards the end, it will be much more like "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" or "Super Metroid". Hence the name of the project. You get power ups which helps you get past places you could not go before. The twist of this metrovania-like game is that the map is randomly generated and will be new for each new game the player start.
The game will feature a random drop system, together with a way to customize your weapon into absurdity.
Graphics
The game design will be a lot like the old 90ies adventure games. Realistic but clearly game-like. Games to look at is "I have no mouth, and I must scream", "Beneath a steel sky", "Alien 3" for SNES and "Quest for Glory 2 VGA".
There will be blood and gore, however a realistic amount. If you cut me, do I not bleed rather than gush? There will be nudity, however used sparsely and only to enhance a very creepy and disturbing feeling. We will see levels such as dark forests, sacrificial chambers, large towers, a scary castle and even a swamp.
Music
The music will be a mixture of classical music and dark ambient. While I myself can make dark ambient, I'm quite crappy with making videogame music with a classical sound. If the musician can make music for some sort of tracker-like format or so, that's just gravy.
If I get my way, there will be a full audio cast. But.. might just be enough with voices for jumping, getting killed and what not.
About Zelest
It might not look like it if you look at this site, but I'm actually a web designer at heart. I go by many names, and try my best to be androgynous netwise, but the real me is no big secret. You might just have to dig a bit. I know coding, how to make art, how to write and even make music. However, I'm no expert in either of those areas. Meanwhile I could probably make a mediocre game myself with lots of flaws, bugs and which looks quite ugly... I rather make this a project with people who feel skilled in the different areas.
I will assume the role of project leader and lead designer. But keep in mind that this is my first real project of my own... and that it sounds more serious than it is. In the long run, this will be an indie game, hopefully to be ported to many platforms and probably given out for free.