Hello Everyone, 

 My game idea is a 2d platforming side scrolling Roguelite about a mouse (I like the name Rupert but undecided currently) armed with a fork and candle attached to it (that later gets moved to a old mining style helmet found after the intro level) ascending from deep in the sewers and reaching the surface. The intro level would be about learning how to pilot the character around in semi darkness hence the candle and mostly platforming with no enemies. After the intro level when the mining helmet is obtained there will be less darkness but the candle will still serve a purpose since it will be somewhat dim with some darkness areas. There will be enemies to fight along the way that includes slimes, flies, and infected mice to name a few I'm still coming up with ideas. The character health would be cheese blocks (typical triangular-ish) that have 5 sections to each and when you get hit a bite or two gets taken out of it I'm thinking max of 3 full blocks so 15 hp technically but starting with 1 block 5hp. I don't plan on having the weapon for the character change but it's damage is increased through finding fragments of sharpening stones. The gameplay loop would be trying to reach the surface. The idea I have for the demo would be after the movement learning level he reaches the surface and it flips the switch on you the camera zooms out and the character wakes up and has to find out if the surface is more than 1 level up. He's always heard stories of what the surface is like or even has his own ideas of what might be up there. At the end of the loop when he reaches the surface it could be randomized with just a quiet neighborhood street or mountains of cheese above who knows?! There would obviously be some sort of Game+ ideas that I haven't thought of yet for how it would impact the game.

I have lots of ideas in this brain of mine but I have a hard time getting started because of a lack of art (as in the ability to do it) I have plenty of design ideas and systems ideas. I have used some AI art to slightly bring my ideas to life but I feel that it's lacking the human touch. I have dabbled in Aseprite with some fairly crude art I'm probably giving myself less credit than I deserve but hey we are our own worst critic. 

 I also think it would be cool to join a team to develop a game to just throw my ideas out there and see them possibly come to life. I am working on learning Aseperite and Godot. 

 I will attach some of the AI art just as a reference for what I'm thinking for how it should roughly look. I have to add the art in the comments.