My idea is a plant-themed platformer (I made a stupid joke when I first proposed this idea, and I called this concept a “plantformer”, so yeah… that again). In this platformer game, you are a tiny creature tasked with taking care of your own plant from toe to tip (roots to bud?) This requires you to traverse 4 distinct levels – roots, top soil, stem, and sky – to preform plant maintenance and care, so as to ensure your plant grows in the best way possible. These four levels would translate to four discrete spools (see sketch).
In each of these levels, the player would be charged with area-specific tasks that would get progressively harder through each “cycle” of the game. For instance, in the topsoil level, the player might battle against parasites or insects attempting to harm/eat the plant. In order to accomplish these tasks, the player must go around the spools and explore each environment fully.
Each area would have a distinct environmental design and aesthetic, with the physical set design making heavy use of custom lighting, as well as natural textures. I think the best aesthetic for this project would be to strive for a highly textured, but not quite realistic style, instead possibly using mixed media to create rich, unique zones that seamlessly blend (as much as possible). Generally, though, both the 2D and 3D style would be soft and inviting, maintaining the organic and imperfect qualities of nature in mind.
Source: