Ability Design: Post Alpha

Well our team has finally hit our Alpha stage, and I'm pleased with how it has turned out.  We have a functional game that has an interesting control scheme.  We have most of our mechanics worked out, and are ready to use them to create awesome content.

Now that the semester break is coming upon us, I want to design more abilities for the player to utilize as a ninja.  My goal is to, at least, design three abilities.  I've already thought of some cool abilities that would suit the game (and, of course, make the player feel like a bad-ass), so I've decided to share some of my ideas.


1.  EarthTrap Shuriken

Being a ninja, it seems natural that we would use one of their most iconic weapons, the shuriken.  However, with the supernatural/ancestor aspect we are implementing, it needs a little more spice than just a simple projectile.  Thus, I am thinking of making this a type of avoidance/crowd control move.  The move would initiate by having the player back-flip away from his enemies.  Then, in mid jump, the player would launch a magical shuriken into the ground (or into an unlucky enemy).  The shuriken would then emanate an aura that would slow down enemies within a radius (as if trying to move under shifting earth).  From there, the player could either dispose of the enemies in their crippled state, or simply move past them as they struggle to give chase.


2. Shadowstitch

This would be an upfront, almost melee, ability that would activate in front of the player.  It would strike in arc downwards towards the ground which would then become black.  Enemies caught within this arc would be temporarily paralyzed as if bound by unseen wires.  The player then could proceed to defeat the paralyzed foes, or simply leave them in their immobile state.  This is a powerful ability, so its arc wouldn't be too big; it would cost a lot of energy to use as well.  However, it would be a valuable tool when the player is in a bind.


3.  Explosive Illusion

This ability would act as a counter to an enemy attack.  When activated, it would allow the player to vanish in a puff of smoke leaving behind a small explosive.  The explosive, when struck, would unleash a small blast that would damage any enemy nearby (though it wouldn't deal too much damage).  As for the player, he would re-appear, in mid-air, above the spot he vanished from; from this point, he could activate any other ability that can be used in air as he sees fit.  The point is to use it before the enemy is about to strike the player, so the enemy, instead, strikes the explosive.  It feels like a tool a proper ninja would have at his disposal, and it would add an element of timing to the game-play.


These are the three abilities I want to design over the break.  I'm quite excited about getting into the more creative aspects of game design, and will be trying my best to design fun, creative, and bad-ass abilities.