some quick notes I jotted down at lunch today. I write shit like this down a couple times each month. for 2 years now? jeez. Been thinking about writing more (anything) in this blog, so. figured. why not dump this here instead of in a private storage spot.
(how do i put a “break” in here? damnit. i haven’t used wordpress in … years?)
1) There should 3 rivers in level 2 – murky water, green magic slime from house/roots, red lava from hell
- bridge like bloodborne yarnham “passage”. crazy overwraught
- construction workers are devo, chins swap out. hats evoke dwarves/gnomes in lev 4? more about goggles?
hats are kinda pthumerian skull shells with white bone and brown red in between?
2) each level has 5 steps.
you progress slightly through the space with each new wave. so you feel slow progress.
- perhaps based on blood collected in circle/reservoir, you place the phase on pentagram, using blood from circle rim to drive the next spot. in this way each level lets you choose route. a puzzle, to unlock proper route. can only reach as far as blood stored. like yoshi/kirby paint.
lev1: like you need van to escape to unlock level 2. start there? get there?
lev2: you save dog to unlock lev4. you move to 5th step to get off main road and go to cabin (lev3).
maybe this level is linear?phase3 is always the dog part?
lev4: you can accidentally open portals to send animals back to earlier levels as more enemies. which makes them harder.
- level 5 has largest steps. only place where you can’t see last stop. as if you are moving through it quickly?
- level 3 has cutscenes at each step. front porch greeting. entry room settling and refreshments. retire to bedroom for the night, then screams for help. back porch no running away everyone infected with ink. main rom seance to cleanse ink (create necronomicon book).
3) fromSoft concept art for each level.
- level 1 has duck tape ribbons on piled boxes. thingshanging. subtle. rotting shredded tires like wreaths. socks and other clothes hang. long underwear. plastic bags have santa hat fluff edge. filthy rotting slightly crushed carboard boxes have bows.
- lev 4 is about god rays into dusty mine. bright holes to fantastic overwrought evil dead cabin rooms (angelic./ bloodborne over design) above you, and piles of coal around you. light shining down and through like the hardwick charnel lane witch houses. plus clusters of candles nestled in the coal (dangerous!). mine carts are curled like santa sleigh. tracks run past you? keep an eye on the rails for when they vibrate??. goose wings nailed up like, angelic altars. bear traps as halos (also on gnome heads? with mistle toe). like it’s raining black snow. shiny black snow flake crystals fall.
- lev2 has tree houses strapped together like blair witch. shaped like snowflakes. construction workers are like deep sea divers extending shiny metal and lights into this creepy old decrepit ewok society. taken over by trees and roots. glass ornaments hang. poison spore sacks? epiglottis (uvula?)? dangerous wicket barbwire trip lines with holly mixed in. and christmas lights. satanic star ornaments on top like meta helmet. the trees come for you.
- level 3 has dark souls library feel. german toy shop? pages nailed to walls. gepetto the furniture maker. no toys. carpentry for alchemy. wrought iron and tubes. for lights, not chemisty. ink pots. large quills. huge christmas dinner laid out and rotting (like The Platform movie). Quills in inkpots instead of candels.
- level5 is baroque buildings. blue marble in hell. with bells. bells within bells. broken fallen bells. yarnham. the glow of fire deep within. dark metal ribbon shapes twirl.
limbo “other levels” main menu room is… subtle about revealing it is 5 fingers? at first it’s just lonely pathway. tire tracks like skid marks cross the level2 entry area with spot lit lost highway road lines extending from middle?
mohrbacher geomtric circles and lines connect all through the air. highlighting connection possibilities.
plus maybe a sense of spinning cyclone? maybe save that for the pause screen? like evil dead vortex… with totems flying out to give you options. sense that chaos is on hold, but about to pounce.
4) each level introduces a new baddie type, with 2 stages.
1- deermon (horns fly open)
+gas god boss (gingerbread cooked man?)
2- trees and holly sprouts. sprout tongues and teeth instead of flowers. spittle spores.
+christmas tree boss
3- book ghosts (book as collar below ghostly head, like haunted mansion. pages flutter below as particles). exudes inky lines like veins in a monstrous muscled beast body we can’t perceive?.
+necronomicon? (partially written in snow with piss? frost damage? snowflakes flying around sharp with pages?)
4- jumping burrowing gnomes with bloodborne helmets (spikey pyramid head style). sweaty buff little hairy dwarves, emergine from snowy ash shells. friends to the animals? arms pop off and helmet clamps down, making them into small flying missles that hurt you? … bones? slime?
(like puddle beasts in dark souls, they become hard to kill if melted into thick slime maceration?)
+screaming snowman made of coal, with whistle inside
(shift end contraption. upturned mine cart foot. canary in cage is rarely revealed weakspot – to free)
5- classic red imps, as adorable elves. plus all previous baddies are there for the big party. crawl over every surface. no gravity.
+satan wears the gas station guy’s skin as santa suit. dances and marches the baddies around. candycane inverted pitchfork.