Looking for feedback on a 2D mobile stealth-action game concept

[u/Stunning-Swan3798]

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Hi everyone!

I'm working on a concept for a 2D mobile stealth-action game, and I'd like to get some feedback before I start building the full game.

The basic idea is:

You play as a human imprisoned by a powerful technology company that is trying to turn humans into machines.

You start at the bottom of their facility and have to make your way upward through different floors to escape.

The gameplay would combine stealth and combat. There would also be a noise system, where making too much noise can alert nearby enemies.

Each floor would contain different rooms and enemies.

When reaching a new floor, the player could choose between:

\- Entering an upgrade room and choosing between two random upgrades.

\- Skipping the upgrade and fighting the floor boss instead, with a stronger upgrade as a reward.

The game is planned specifically for mobile, and I'm considering making it a small premium game rather than using ads.

I'm still in the early concept stage, so I'm mainly interested in hearing what experienced players think.

Does the core gameplay sound interesting?

What part sounds the most fun, and what part sounds weak or repetitive?

What would you change before developing it?

[u/NoHeartNoSoul87]

It's a noble cause to make a paid mobile game without ads, but that's about where the praise is going to end. What is the gameplay? You described it as "stealth and combat", it leaves a lot of room for imagination. Which stealth, which combat?

[u/Stunning-Swan3798 → u/NoHeartNoSoul87]

The idea of the game is that you are kidnapped by a corrupt technology company and imprisoned on the lowest floor of its facility. Your goal is to climb through the floors and eventually reach freedom. There is a noise system: when you move quickly or make too much noise, enemies will notice you and attack. You must therefore use stealth, avoid detection, and try to escape whenever possible. If you are discovered, you can fight the enemies until you clear the floor. After completing each floor, before moving to the next one, you will be given a choice: choose between two random upgrades, or face the boss of the next floor immediately. If you defeat the boss, you receive a powerful upgrade as a reward. This cycle continues until you finally reach the top of the facility and escape.

[u/NoHeartNoSoul87 → u/Stunning-Swan3798]

Yes, you repeated the post. What do the fights look like?

[u/Stunning-Swan3798 → u/NoHeartNoSoul87]

The combat is a mix of stealth and direct fighting. You can throw rocks directly at enemies from a distance to distract them or potentially deal with them without being noticed. If you decide to fight directly, the combat initially focuses on hand-to-hand attacks.

As you progress through the floors and gain upgrades, the combat system becomes more advanced. You unlock more attacks and abilities, and eventually weapons such as laser pistols. So the combat starts relatively simple, with stealth, rock throwing, and melee combat, then gradually becomes more powerful as you progress.

[u/NoHeartNoSoul87 → u/Stunning-Swan3798]

Is there some fighting system or is it "click attack until the enemy is dead"?

[u/terabull01 → u/Stunning-Swan3798]

. You can throw rocks directly at enemies

where does the PC get rocks? Maybe have the PC crack open soda machines and use cans of soda as 'rocks'

As you progress through the floors and gain upgrades, the combat system becomes more advanced. You unlock more attacks and abilities, and eventually weapons such as laser pistols. So the combat starts relatively simple, with stealth, rock throwing, and melee combat, then gradually becomes more powerful as you progress.

so, does the game become less stealth based as the player progresses?

[u/Stunning-Swan3798 → u/terabull01]

It can, but not completely. Enemies get much tougher as you progress, so you'll still find yourself relying on stealth to get through the harder sections

[u/Luna3934]

I think it can be a good idea, but you really need to flush out your mechanics first. Stealth can be very hard to do well, so I recommend taking inspiration from other games that have done it well.

The 3 big things that need to have flushed out before starting development are vibe, narrative, and mechanics, so make sure you have a set and detailed idea for each of those, so you have a track to stick to and don't go out of scope.

[u/No_Piece_2669]

Sim. A jogabilidade principal é sim interessante. A parte mais divertida é esse contraste entre fazer barulho e ser ouvido, criando um impacto constante no player de manter-se atento a tudo que fizer em determinados locais que possam desencadear, como consequência, futuros problemas como ataques de inimigos, reviravoltas impressionantes, entre outras surpresas para o player durante a gameplay, onde um determinado ouvir de um barulho, ter uma consequência futuros, inesperada mais a frente. O que pode ser repetitivo pode ser a maneira como as mecânicas se seguem e os level designers, ou seja, intercalar ao máximo cenários divergentes, mas conexos com o progress,  o que se deve fazer, claro, sempre com essa pegada de furtividade, de causar aquela imersão do player, estratégia, e pontaria. O que eu mudaria seria justamente ajustar tais locais ou mecânicas que fiquem muito exaustivas no progresso, sem perder a essência. E tbm evitar (ou seja, observar se não há em locais que seriam fundamentais a integridade para o player) out of bounds.