See title. Whaddya got?
I’m not deciding on what I’m doing yet until I have time to do it, but I’ll certainly post it here when I do.
I'm working on a gothic space fantasy game where the PCs are Seekers, dead heroes whose souls have failed to leave their bodies. They are in constant decay, withering as they slowly lose grasp on their souls. To stave that decay, they must seek powerful beings that rule forgotten corners of the star cluster and consume their souls ("Heroes" was meant narratively, not ethically. Prolly not good people). Mechanically, it seems like it'll be quite similar to VH, but with a focus on the decay mechanic: PCs can almost always succeed if they are willing to take on some more decay. Will they get to their objective before they run out? If you think you're doomed, may as well go out with a bang, sacrifice yourself for the sake of your companions. It'll probably be just a draft by the end of the jam, but hopefully it's interesting.
I'm making a Mega Man fan game with Total//Effect and the hit location system from Celestial Bodies. But there's also a tactical side-scrolling combat grid, including rules for gravity and controlling space with projectiles.
Playtests have been REALLY fun! The changed axis of movement makes every choice to change position just so interesting! You're always sandwiched between one obstacle or another, and picking your spacing becomes a really important choice. The risk/reward dynamic of the combat has felt so much more intense than top-down.