Gameplay Design

The pact is a third-person Roguelike shooter. Players have an objective: defeat the lord. They may die during their journey, and through the loops between rebirth and death, they become more familiar with the game mechanics, as well as find the secrets behind this mysterious world. Thus, the gameplay is separated into single-loop and between-loop mechanics.

Single-Loop Gameplay

Combat

In a single loop from birth to death, the player shares the same “ability pool” with enemies. The ability pool contains light attack and heavy attack. Each attack has three upgrades, and the player or enemy can combine these upgrades together to build a unique combat style.

Light attack:

  • Press/hold left button

  • Shoot bullets with high fire rate (reference: hand gun)

  • Low damage

  • Recover soul power

  • Damage and soul power recovery reduce through distance from the enemy hit. 

Heavy attack:

  • Press/hold right button

  • Shoot bullets with low fire rate (reference: sniper rifle)

  • High damage

  • Consume soul power 

  • Damage reduces through distance from the enemy hit. 

Dash:

  • Press the space bar and wasd

  • Dash to the corresponding direction

  • It has x energy cells

  • Each energy cell is charged in x seconds

Light attack upgrades

Greed Ricochet 

  • Enable soul bullets from light attack to rebound among nearby souls 

  • Maximum rebound number of each bullet: x

Anger Burst

  • Accumulate the anger of your soul to make a charge attack

  • Add a new pattern to light attack: hold the light attack button for at most x seconds

  • Shoot a large number of soul bullets at the same time

  • The number depends on the time holding the button

  • Can still move, but cannot dash or run

Vulnerable Blade

  • The bullet shot by light attack becomes dozens of blades penetrating the soul and weaken its defense

  • Level 1 - x, effect weak to strong, the effect lasts for x seconds, every hit refreshes the duration

  • When reaching the highest level, enemy’s defense is broken and enters weak (inherit the debuff effect from highest level of vulnerable, add additional effect: each bullet from all the light and heavy attacks causes an extra x true damage to the debuffed enemy) for x seconds, then clear vulnerable debuff

Heavy attack upgrades

Soulflame Detonation

  • Detonate the power of the soul hit by the heavy attack and hurt actors nearby

  • Explode when hit, explosion radius x

Horror Frost 

  • Provoke the deepest fear inside the soul, apply a frost debuff and slow it down

  • Level 1 - x, effect weak to strong, the effect lasts for x seconds, every hit refreshes the duration

  • When reaching the highest level, the soul is frozen for x seconds, then clear frost debuff

  • Need more levels to freeze the mini-boss and boss

Soul Meteor                                                                

  • Cohese the power of soul and summon meteors in specific area 

  • Add a new pattern to heavy attack: hold heavy attack key for x seconds, cannot move, dash or attack while charging

  • Release heavy attack key to cancel. If it is canceled, no meteors will be summoned

  • After it is fully charged, shoot a signal detonator. While it hits any enemy or object, create a circle with it as the center (radius: x)

  • Then summon heavy bullets in this area. They will drop from the sky

Character Growth

Players can get abilities by “leveling up”. The initial level is 1. Each time players destroy a lodestone, they get 1 soul energy. The energy required to level up to each level is different.

Lodestones are protected by enemies. Once players come close to a lodestone, the lodestone is activated. A big shield is spawned around it and blocks players inside the combat area around the lodestone. Then enemies are spawned inside the combat area. When players defeat all the enemies, the lodestone can be destroyed. After it is destroyed, the shield disappears. 

Each lodestone has four states: 

  • Deactivated

    • Before the player enters the combat region

  • Activated

    • When the player fights against enemies in the combat region

    • Enable the dome 

  • Drained

    • When the player defeats all the enemies in the combat region

    • Enable the player to absorb it

    • Break the dome

  • Absorbed

    • When the player is absorbing the souls in the lodestone

The level is reset after players die, which means that they lose all the abilities they get in this loop.

Between-Loop Gameplay

When players die, the devil brings them back to the past. Players keep their soul power but lose all the abilities they get from the last loop. Players’ level is reset to 1. Players are reborn on an altar with 8 soul flames. 

Every time players die, the devil consumes its power to reverse the time. There is a limit to rebirth. When players are reborn, a soul flame is consumed. Players can choose to consume an extra soul flame to unlock an extra ability selection.

Character Growth

The demon automatically absorbs the dead enemies’ souls to increase players’ power. Players’ maximum HP increases when the devil finishes absorbing the soul. 

The growth of soul power is permanent. When the demon brings you back to the past, you won’t lose the power of your soul.


Contact

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Email
liuboning2012@gmail.com