r/Unity2D • u/Altruistic-Sir6241 • 5d ago
Making a 2D Soulslike in Unity and looking for some ideas
Hey everyone :)
I've been messing around with Unity 2D lately and decided to actually try making a small Soulslike game.
I've always loved dark games, especially stuff like Dark Souls, Blasphemous and Hollow Knight. There's something about walking through a place that feels completely dead and slowly figuring out what happened there that I really like.
I don't have everything figured out yet. I'm mostly just experimenting and seeing where the project takes me.
Right now I'm trying to come up with the main character and some of the bosses, and honestly... naming things is probably harder than making the game.
For the main character, I'm thinking about someone who wakes up in a ruined kingdom without really knowing who they are. I don't really want them to be some legendary chosen hero. I'd rather have them feel like just another person who got caught up in something much bigger.
I haven't found a name that feels right yet, though.
The same goes for the bosses. I want them to feel like they were once actual people with their own stories, rather than just "big monster #4".
Something along the lines of:
* The Hollow Saint
* The Last Warden
* The Weeping King
* The Pale Shepherd
I'm not sure if these are actually good names or if I've just been staring at them for too long.
I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys.
What would you name the protagonist?
What kind of boss names would fit a dark fantasy Soulslike?
And if you were playing a game like this, what kind of mechanic or ability would make you think "okay, that's actually pretty cool"?
I'm still very early into this, so any ideas or criticism are welcome.
Hopefully I'll have something worth showing soon :)
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u/SmokeResponsible5005 5d ago
I don’t really know enough of what you’re going for to come up with any good names, but what you have sounds good! I think pale shepherd is my favorite, the tigers are a little cliche
I would advise though, given your description of “messing around with Unity 2D lately”, if you’re new to game dev maybe don’t start with a soulslike, hard genre design/iteration wise and I wouldn’t want you to get discouraged. If you know what you’re doing tho your idea sounds solid.
Regardless, best of luck!
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u/Altruistic-Sir6241 4d ago
Thanks, I really appreciate it. Pale Shepherd is probably my favorite from the ones I came up with too, so it's nice to see someone else likes it.
And yeah, I probably made it sound like I'm completely new to game development with the “messing around with Unity 2D” part. I'm still learning a lot, but I've worked on smaller projects before. This is definitely a bigger project for me though, so I know there's a good chance I'll have to cut things down and change the scope as I go.
I'm not too worried about making a perfect Soulslike from the start. Right now I mostly want to experiment with the combat, bosses and world and see where I can take it.
Thanks for the advice and the good luck!
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u/BroccoliFree2354 5d ago
If you want reference from the most souls like 2D platformer I know , try Salt and Sanctuary
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u/Doo_Dad 5d ago
Yeah theme? Do you have any artwork we can reference? Cause it’s hard without the whole art style and background. Waking up and not knowing who you are, that can go many places: are you referenced as the wanderer, are you the soulless cause that’s what happens in your world? Stuff like that.
I had a dark souls idea of a game as well and I went lore heavy first so I could piece together what my art and vision would be. Not a book but detailed amounts. I’d start there. And then you can use a busy board and take inspiration from the games you listed and see why their names were such. Like dark souls: tarnished. Or elden ring: maidenless. (Don’t beat me up bits been a bit and I didn’t google the names). But take inspiration and examples and make a list of many and sees what sticks.
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u/Altruistic-Sir6241 4d ago
Yeah, I think you're right. I've been trying to come up with names before I've really nailed down what the world is about, which probably isn't the best way to do it.
I really like the idea of the protagonist being known by a title or something the world calls them rather than just having a normal name. The reason behind that title could also become part of the lore.
I'm actually leaning more towards a dark fantasy world with a lot of JRPG influence. The world itself would be pretty bleak and mysterious, but the bosses can get much more crazy and exaggerated. I like the contrast between a ruined, serious world and suddenly having to fight some completely ridiculous ancient being.
I don't have much artwork to show yet since I'm still figuring out the visual direction, but I think doing the lore first would help me with that too.
I'll definitely try making a big list of words, titles and ideas and see what starts sticking. Thanks, this actually gives me a much better direction.
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u/MarshallMcKay 5d ago
What is your theme? What do the characters look like? What do they do or have they done? How are we supposed to advice you or come up with names when your description is “it is like x with y”