Hey everyone,
Disclaimer: I'm a bit late on this forum, as I've been updating Oneiro for about 9 months on Itch, and foolishly marking earlier update as a minor update, because in the grand scheme of things, they were minor - though that is not helping the Itch.io system realize the amount of work that has gone into this game over the last year.
About
Oneiro is my largest project yet. It revolves around 4 natural sleep cycle stages; Non-Rapid Eye Movement 1 through 3, and Rapid Eye Movement. Dreams get more and more intense as you delve deeper into the cycles, and the game takes this sleep cycle as a skeleton for the difficulty scale.
Kickstarter page
Core Gameplay
The core gameplay for this game is as follows:
- The player starts off in their hometown, which is cursed and everybody in the town dreams up of a similar nightmare every night.
- The player begins the main game by going to sleep in his bed
- The player will find themselves in a randomly generated labyrinth, with enemies, treasures, and weapons. By speaking to towns people before the dream, you can learn that the labyrinth as a whole is supported by a core. This core rests at the peak of the labyrinth, and taking that core away will cause the labyrinth to diminish, and drop you and everything else in the labyrinth into the boss arena.
- Once defeating the boss, the player will dream up of a more intense labyrinth, different enemies, different items and weapons to discover, and different generation as a whole. These changes will really impact the variety in the labyrinths.
- When the player reaches the Rapid Eye Movement stage, that will be shown through the aggression of the final boss, "Terror".
That's the planned gameplay loop I have for the game, and I'm working hard to see it become a reality.
Weapons, Items, Enemies, in depth
In the previous section, I spoke about labyrinths, enemies, items, weapons, and all that, but what's so special about them? Let me explain:
- Generation of Labyrinths
- The generation of the labyrinth has recently gotten an overhaul in 0.7.6, and is much more effecient for both the player and me as the developer. The player begins in the center of the labyrinth, and the further out you go the tougher the enemies are, and the better loot you discover. Another important thing to mention is that every wall and ceiling is destructible, and causing a ceiling to collapse will not only deal extra damage to enemies, but it can also create a ramp for you to reach the roof of the labyrinth to access more treasures.
- Items
- Items can be found throughout the labyrinth treasure chests, or dropped by enemies. Oneiro features unlimited item stacking as a way to encourage players to loot all the chests they find, and to feel progressively powerful the more they do so. A good example of this is an item called Magical Lamp, which grants you an extra jump in midair. However, if you find a second one, you'll end up having 3 total jumps, including your grounded jump. This item stacking mechanic works with every single item, and allows for some bizarre combinations for the player to discover.
- Enemies
- Enemies are split among 4 sub types of enemies; Normal, Elite, Miniboss, and Boss. Normal enemies will spawn in the main area of the labyrinth, while the Elite enemies spawn in special places, such as Weapon Chambers to test the player. The miniboss is summoned through activating special glyphs that are generated around the Labyrinth. Finally, the boss is spawned with the Labyrinth. If you really want to, you can fight him the instant you dream up of the Labyrinth.
- Weapons
- Weapons, like the enemies, are split among 4 sub types; Swords, Hammers, Spears, and Karambits. Each of these types have their benefits and drawbacks, so the player has to decide on which one fits their playstyle the best.
- Swords are the most "average" type of weapon; Decent range, and decent power, and a combo of 3 hits. Their secondary attack is a 2 hit move that can paralyze enemies and stop them in their tracks, leaving them wide open and defenseless.
- Hammers have an emphasis on damage. They're range is typically slightly worse than swords, and their combo only includes 2 hits, and slow hits at that. Hammers make up for these drawbacks by packing a lot of power behind each swing. Their secondary attack is a 2 hit move that launches the enemies sky-high, and follows through with a slam to the ground causing a shockwave to destroy surrounding environment and push enemies.
- Spears emphasize safety over power by providing the player with long reaching, and consecutive attacks. They are lackluster in regards to damage, though are quick to attack to make up for this. Their secondary attack is throwing the spear to impale it in enemies and walls alike. Impaling the spear in the wall will allow it to be used as a platform if you need a little extra height.
- Karambits have an aggressive feel to them. They are ranked as the quickest attacking weapon type in the game, and are paired up with a normal 6 hit combo. They're damage output is quite high, but they are the shortest reaching weapon, meaning you have to run right up to the enemy to do any significant damage. Their secondary attack is a counter, and if landed successfully, will allow the player to teleport next to the enemy and perform a quick stab that they can link into the normal 6 hit combo.
- Weapons, like the enemies, are split among 4 sub types; Swords, Hammers, Spears, and Karambits. Each of these types have their benefits and drawbacks, so the player has to decide on which one fits their playstyle the best.
If this game interests you, feel free to join the official discord! I'm active quite a bit on there, and I'm always happy to see a new face in there!
https://zaffresheep.itch.io/oneiro
Thanks for your time, and I'll be sure to update this forum post with the next version!
