Hello!

I have no idea on how to make games. My hobby is just drawing and I know some programming due to my job. Recently due to corona I start working from home and I have a lot of time to spent so I started drawing digitally. I always loved playing 2d and after playing hollow knight (and katana zero) I thought to my self “it should be fun making such a game”. Since I have a job I am not into “quitting my job to be an indie game maker” but I understand that working on a game can help my art, programming, organization etc skills.

Now lets start the question. I have the BEST IDEA EVER for a game (:P). A amoeba like creature that starts as an amoeba and can eat its way to the top of the evolution! So a metroidvania game where the character eats the enemies and gains their powers to be able to eat more difficult enemies.

Can you give me a direction with the implementation? (look below)

a few problems with this: 1) the “eat them” ability it self is too op (why not use only this ability?). 2) after 10 enemies you will have a huge amount of abilities so it is boring and unbalanced. 3) no idea where to focus (exploration, combat, puzzles) and how

Thank you all and sorry for the long post (no potato unfortunately)

@seasonas Your idea sounds very interesting! Some thoughts on point #2:

1. Make it so you need to be at a certain level to use a certain power. I.e., just because you killed a level 5 lifeform doesn't mean you can immediately use their skills.
2. You can only use 3 skills at a time. Perhaps you'll need to try different combinations of three skills that allow you to kill a tough enemy.
3. Have the skills you obtain interact synergistically.. Maybe if you acquire a stinger appendage AND the ability to make poison, you're far more dangerous. Part of the game could be discovering these combos..
4. As far as obtaining ‘abilities’ or ‘skills’ what if you were acquiring ‘genes’? It makes it sound more biologically plausible.
5. Have some skills have weaknesses. Example if you're lifeform has a strong exoskeleton, they're armored, but they can't move as fast.

Good luck!

Usually in a Metroidvania, skills are not acquired from every enemy, but from bosses and/or items in the environment. This way it's a lot easier to keep the number of abilities scoped down, which in turn paces out unlocking specific parts of map.

Building off what @scott8 suggested, you could collect snippets of RNA from individual enemies as you eat them, which eventually puzzle together into abilities. Say a “Photosynthesis” ability lets you heal when you eat plants, and it needs 3 pieces to string together: A, B, and C. A you get from eating a certain kind of enemy, B you get from an item, and C you get from beating a boss. Maybe the A form lets you use the ability once, the C form lets you use the ability on cooldown, but tying them together with the B item makes it unlimited. Lots of ways to handle this.

The beauty of game design is you can work iteratively. Design a system, test it out, grow it or cut it based on feedback. Never be afraid to experiment!

Thank you both @scott8 and @lantanadan ! I like the idea of obtaining an ability by combining parts of it and the idea of having “synergy” between abilities!

You moreover solved my first issue too (eating = getting RNA/genes from killing enemies).

Thank you both for your very good feedback I now have some guidelines to start experimenting on ?

Just another thought based off biology: maybe you could find something that can cause mutations in genes/DNA. This could be something that functions like a gambling component. Apply a ‘mutator’ to your gene for venom, and maybe the venom becomes 5% more toxic.

There is an obvious and thematically sound way to let the amoeba eat everything without power inflation: the growing creature can frequently lose parts of its body (and the accompanying power), either necessarily or with softer negative feedback on size. For example:

• Being hit might cause localized damage, removing a piece of the body instead of 1 life or 1 hit point, and eventually a growing amoeba will be too large to defend itself
• Puzzles (e.g. weight-activated triggers) or defensive tactics might demand deliberately leaving behind an amoeba piece (either inert or AI-controlled). Reclaiming and merging surviving pieces at a later time could be a possibility,
• Obstacles might not allow a large amoeba to pass unharmed. For example, it might be too wide to stand on a platform, with excess material falling down.

Metroidvanias are hard from design standpoint.
Huge connected worlds with parts that are interconnected.
And you need to guide player through this carefully balancing linear progression and branching out.
(usually start is linear, once player learns more paths open, but making sure they are all fun is really hard)

1) eating doesn't sound OP if implemented correctly
e.g. you can eat only defeated enemies,
usually mind control like or instant kill effects need some elaborate setups that are harder than just defeating opponent
like stealth or getting them very low and hitting with particular not great skill shot

2) think about how many abilities distinct in important ways you can actually give PC
generally not that many as implementing them all will be hard, and especially in metroidvania
when navigation it is already hard to design
if you want to have plenty many of them will be variants, more like weapons that change skin, params and hit boxes of attacks
so i'd treat them more like a themed weapon system with occasional key ability unlock that stays
for metroidvania getting key ability by assimilating defeated boss would be pretty suitable

3) metroidvania has all 3 of fight, explore, puzzle,
with probably puzzle being the least important
generally you need a good combat system as this will be bread and butter for your gameplay, so i'd start with that
once combat is fun double check what movement related abilities are used and how they can be used to cross navigation puzzles (double jumping, wall jumping, some air dashes etc)
then add some exploration only mechanics (swimming, burning bushes, etc)
puzzles are more optional, there will certainly be some puzzle or puzzle like elements for proper exploration and pacing
but this one i'd assume will come more naturally once you design how to expore given map area
and will need the least up front design and iteration on prototype

You can limit OP player attacks with a “currency” like mana/life force/energy/anima that way you can still have an interesting array of OP special attacks, but can only use them sparingly. This adds a strategy and skill element to the game by making the player choose when to use those attacks wisely, and manage the resource to progress.

I do not recommend limiting OP skills by effectively long cooldowns.
This can degenerate to pattern where skill is still OP, but player waits for resource to fill up, so combat becomes boring.
It kind of works for mid power skills to force diversity or “get out of jail free” skills that player uses as last resort.