After thinking about dualities (for conflict!), I’ve decided I want to explore the space of light and darkness. The character should be able to switch between a “light” persona and a “dark” persona, which would permit different interactions in a “light” and “dark” realm. I’ll be taking inspiration from games like A Link to the Past and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
The object of the game will be to reach the end of either the light realm or the dark realm – puzzles will focus on switching between light and dark states to progress through the realms. Being in a mismatched state (light persona in dark world or vice versa) will drain energy, and reaching a minimum level will transport the player back to the start of both worlds.
I intend to keep the controls fairly simple (walking and jumping), but I’d like to include ways to make the light and dark personas different. Rather than influencing the player’s movement, I want this to influence the environment, reflecting the notion that our good and bad choices are reflected most evidently in the results they have on our setting, rather than some direct impact on oneself. My current idea is that light personas draw things to you (which could attract unwarranted attention) whereas dark ones repel objects (which hurts when you’re looking for support).
The Unity mechanics for this would include either brightening or darkening the background (to reflect the respective realms), some method of switching and detecting personas (easily identifiable by a variable tied to the player character), and the reactions that has on the environment.
