Neoforce
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Neoforce is about a citizen who sets out to return the color that has been drained from his world. However, he too draws energy from this color, and should this energy deplete, he will revert to the same gray, colorless state of his comrades, unable to act and rescue his world. He must act quickly!
Gameplay
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Therein lies the unique dynamic of Neoforce. The character does not normally lose health in the traditional sense; it is depleted over time. When not touching "beacons", the players' health gradually declines, and they must return to said beacons in order to recharge their health. As such enemies, focus on disrupting the player's flow and momentum instead of dealing damage. They might simply get in the way of progress, or sack the player with impeding effects (inverted controls, half speed, heavy falling, etc.). Also, some will even try to push the player into the color-sucking "void" that sits at the bottom of each stage, the force that is draining color from the world and that will deplete the player's health at a severe rate.
Part of the point of this dynamic is to put more weight on a player's decision-making. Both hastiness and hesitation can kill in this game; one has to learn to think logically but quickly, striking a balance between the two. You have to watch and seize the moment, as making a mistake that costs you ten seconds could be the difference between you clearing a level or not. In short, I want level design to punish the player for making hasty mistakes (as the health mechanic is meant to infuse urgency into the game). I want the decisions the player makes to have consequences.
So what do you all think? Good idea? And what are some thoughts you all have on how to "punish" the player?
