The Game in my Imagination

First of all, if you've found this post, thank you for taking an interest in my passion project. Mementos: Lost to Time started as a love letter to my favorite game series, The Legend of Zelda, but it has since turned into so much more than that. I have plans in my head for up to five fully original, Zelda-style dungeons as well as a vast overworld for the player to explore. You can collect useful items that help solve puzzles and progress to new areas. But with each playthrough, the locations of the items will change to anywhere in the world!

If you're anything like me, a lof of your personal identity is tied up in objects and places from your past. This game is meant to evoke the same sense of nostalgia and longing that washes over you when going through old things that used to hold a lot of sentimental value: Mementos from the past that have since lost their meaning. 

When playing the game, you'll be thrust into a world of broken imagination where time has decayed the sense of purpose in every corner. By embodying your younger self, you can travel to a parallel versrion of the world where memories are stitched together to form a picture of the past. There you can collect mementos and begin piecing the world, and your identity, back together. But be warned, as entering this state means lowering your defences! 

Development So Far

A year and a half ago, this project was nothing more than a test project to see if GameMaker would do the things I told it to do. I have no background in coding or game development, so every step along the way has been a learning experience. 

I started by creating a way for the player to transition between the past and future states of the world, highligting the physical differences that would accumulate from the passing of time. Objects can appear or disappear depending on if your in the future or past. Much of my time was spent on the rather mundane task of letting the player do things like push boxes around or take items out of their inventory. So far, there are two functional items and a third in development. 

The player can use the Clone Tool to make a copy of specific objects in the game and then place it down in designated cloning areas. By collecting more Clone Tools, the number of copies you can create increases as well. What would any game be without a way to shoot enemies from a distance?  Find the Zapper to do just that. And thirdly, there is a giant magnet you can find and use that is still under construction. 

My recent focus has been on making the game more challenging by adding simple enemy intelligence. So far, Slimes can sneak up on you and deal some painful chip damage, and the little monsters underneath the rocks might just blow you up! I've also spent a good amount of effort recently to start the randomizer functionality that hides items in random locations. There are nine items to collect right now, with plenty more awaiting a good hiding spot. They'll be in  a different location every time you start up the game. 

The Path Ahead

My goal is to have a playable prototype of the game running by the end of summer, 2024. In order to meet that goal, I have a lot of work to do. 

• Enemies need better mechanics so you don't get knocked around too much. 
• More levels need added, including a set of puzzles utilizing the Cloner Tool. 
• Some movement physics need tweeked to keep you from getting stuck. 
• And there are a lot of miscellaneous player actions that sit in an unfinished state. 
• There are Mementos to collect, but right now, they don't do much. That needs to change. 

There's no way to have the entire game done within even the next few years. I've signed up for the long and drawn out process of solo game development. But by focusing my attention on creating a single, playable, proof-of-concept dungeon, I hope to be able to put out something that will show my vision to the world. The prototype will be small. It will lack a lot of the flavor and neuance that I have in my imagination. But if I can create a prototype showcasing just 10% of what is in my mind, I believe it can be something truly great. 

Thanks for taking the time to read through my vision for this passion project. If you feel so inclined, please show your support  by following the project or leaving an encouraging comment. Every kind word is multiplied tenfold into motivation to make my dream a reality. Thank you.