How does a singleplayer horror game focused on being alone sound?

Help and Feedback Game Design Support
#1

So I am currently planning on releasing a horror game that is focused on being alone, and I just want some suggestions/criticism/ideas.

So let me go ahead and demonstrate
I’ll go over:

  • 0.5 The name of the game

  • 0.75 What does the name mean?

  • 1 Terrain

  • 1.5 How it will look as the player

Before I start all the typing, just want to introduce myself ( quickly lol )

Hello there, I am BiscuitDev ( or Biscuit for short )
I am a Lua Programmer with almost 1 and a half years
And a Beginner UI Designer ( Still working on improving that is )

So with that being said…

0.5. The name of the game

Firstly, the game will be named Monophobia (Monomania), as I personally really like the name. ( Yes, I am notified that there are a LOT of “phobia” games. ( You can try to give me a better name )
But I am trying to make it stand out from your ordinary “phobia” game.

0.75. What the name means

According to our trusty Google, Monophobia ( or Autophobia, same thing really ) is the fear of being left alone which causes extreme levels of anxiety. Then it goes over relationships and blah blah blah which is irrelevant to the game’s functions.

  1. Terrain

I am going for a realistic-looking horror game, I am currently debating where the game should be based on snowy-like terrain or desert-like terrain ( I’d appreciate some suggestions ). There will be minor cool things such as: Fog, Footprints ( still need to find a way to make it functional ), Wind Animations that affect the main game terrain ( such as wind , snow etc. ).

( I know I am sort of spoiling the game but remember: this isn’t final and I am constantly working on it whenever I have free time )

1.5 How it will look as the player

Here in 1.5 I will explain the following:

  • How did I come up with the name ( As I said, give suggestions lol )
  • The style of the game
  • Inspiration for the game’s development

How did I come up with the name

Well this is a really tough question, as I don’t quite have a “unique” answer. Basically a few weeks ago I checked a game called “Apeirophobia” and I was fascinated by it. So with my terrible horror game scripts that I had in the past and with the total IQ of a monkey, I opened studio and… closed it again because I had no ideas ( funny ). So after like 2 weeks I decided to come up with a unique game idea by looking at different phobias online, and the best one that stood out to me was “Monophobia”. So that’s basically it ( Not unique at all if you ask me )

  • The style of the game

Oh boy, now we getting DEEP into this. Where do I begin, hmm. Well, if anyone here at the Developer Forum has played a very popular game called “Doors” they would see that there are almost infinite rooms.

  • " But doesn’t Doors have an exit at level 100 :nerd_face: "
  • " Yes NERD it does, but that’s not the point."
    ( 10/10 conversation )

Whenever the player spawns in, they will be located inside of their house alone, with all the neighboring houses being isolated/destroyed.
( I’ll try my best to explain as my explaining is sometimes… trash )

When the player then goes out the house ( with animated doors that is :sunglasses: ) They will be greeted by a humongous snow storm ( haha amongus reference not funny? oh :frowning: ) ( what has my humor become ). And at the distance there will be a mountain ( surrounded by mountains ) with a nuclear power plant at the top. Whenever the player has reached a certain point in the game, the game will then use a dialog system telling the player " I should probably head back home "
That’s when the actual horror game sort of begins?.

The player can explore the house but at a certain point the house will generate a random door that will then open a room that looks unidentical to the previous room ( ex: You open a kitchen door that leads to a forest )
So as the player progresses the rooms/areas get way more disturbing/weird/creepy. ( still thinking about this one as I can’t animate )
And when the player reaches certain areas ( aka, a lab )
Then there will be enemies/bosses that they will either have to defeat or avoid in order to progress. ( Very sorry if this sounds bad or is worded terribly, still looking for ideas so I can make it more “realistic”
( Edit whilst I was typing this: This sounds stupid, please let me know if it also sounds stupid to you ). I am still working on making the style better.
( oh and if anyone is wondering why I haven’t added screenshots or videos, it’s because all of this is inside of a plan that I have, the actual developing will start next week when I will be ready to start with the right mentality, because all of this is a lot to do, so this project/game will take a while )

Last but not least:

  • Where/When did my inspiration for the game start

I am not your typical “Average Roblox Horror Game Enjoyer” as I myself despise horror games ( A rawblocks developer doesn’t like horror games :exploding_head: would you look at that )

My love for Monophobia started from a game called Resident Evil Village, I saw the terrain of it and I instantly wanted to make a horror game with snowy terrain.
It also started by a game called Apeirophobia, the backrooms ambience and aspects of it were and still are amazing. ( also the fact that you’re alone in a big empty space )

So that’s basically it, I don’t have anything else to put in this thread/topic/comment/something. I am looking forward on hearing your opinions and suggestions ( + criticism because who doesn’t like criticism )

This is my biggest post ever made so I hope it doesn’t flop!!
Cheers!
-BiscuitDev

3 Likes
#2

Hey, about the name, I feel like something shorter like mono might be easier for players to find and search as your other title is hard to remember. I know it doesn’t have as much meaning so its obviously up to you. I think its a real cool design. Personally, I think it should be set in the snow as you can add cutscenes of foggy creatures hard to see and etc. It would also make more sense for the footprints. If you wanted to add snow you could use a rain plugin and change the texture id to something snowy. I wish you luck and would play this game if it was out!

4 Likes
#3

I feel like that rather than adding monsters and supernatural mechanics, you could just focus on the atmosphere/environment.

4 Likes
#4

I agree. I feel like that would make the game unique. Perhaps you could add a storyline with dialog for the player to complete, and add more chapters as updates.

2 Likes
#5

theres a lot of forest horror games out there so making it in the snow might stand out (that is a good thing)

6 Likes
#6

true but wont the player feel bored or maybe they were looking for more action rather than exploring?

1 Like
#7

#help-and-feedback:game-design-support

#8

Well if you create an interesting storyline you can still add mysterious figures just maybe don’t add fictional creatures.

1 Like
#9

will do, i apologize for the wrong category!

#10

Look at the game Anxiety. There are no monsters. It is terrifying.
Look at the original backrooms, and games based off of it including The Complex: Found Footage. It has no monsters, no jumpscares, just atmosphere. It is terrifying.

2 Likes
#11

Just played Anxiety, I almost cried. It’s so terrifying that’s it’s scary.

1 Like
#12

this is so neat!!
i personally like the name monomania more, but i understand why you’d go for monophobia.

personally, i’d like the terrain to be snow!! most horror games that i’ve seen often go for the typical forest or abandoned building aspect. snow would be cool to explore!! deserts would be cool too, but for some reason i have a fondness for snow… the idea you have for what the player will explore is interesting, but i wonder if when it comes to opening the generated door in the house, if things could take a surreal turn? things that feel more abstract, but something is missing, for example.

if you go through with this, make sure you account for sound design! it’s very important when making any horror game. creepy occasional ambiances, little strange sounds, all of that!!

3 Likes
#13

Sounds like an interesting idea. Just have a couple of questions though.

  1. Do you plan to add replayability to the game (Doors, Evade) or just a linear storyline (Mimic, Judy, Apeirophobia)?

  2. Do you plan to add a story? If you’re especially good at writing, it can maintain a possible returning player if you have the replayability aspect down.

2 Likes
#14

Very interesting questions I have to say.

  • Replayability I really want to combine both to be honest, I just can’t find the script way to do it. For now ill keep it a " you beat the game, yay, you can replay it now " but i also want to add story to it. I just suck at it ( the game will be long, so i dont know if players will like their data being wiped, but i just cant script it… so that’s why im trying to look for a programmer to help me )

  • Storyline There will be a story, it’s just that i dont know the difference between ** good story ** and ** okay now youre getting away from the story**

I hope my answers were good, and sorry for the late reply!!

2 Likes
Can 1 player server games profit?
#15

Thank you!! Thats exactly what i was going for, as snow is rarely seen in roblox games ( any genre of roblox game )

I really need to find out how to make the generated door’s rooms look good. Plus i really want to find a programmer soon that will help me with randomly generated rooms ( inside of the generated door that is ). If you want to see what im going to go for you can check this amazing video made by Lucac221 The facility... Bloxburg build tour! - YouTube

2 Likes
#16

I can help!

extrawordscauseyes

1 Like
#17

Alrighty! If you have Discord you can contact me via: ImaginePancakes#6600
I am not really done with the game so it’ll take a tad bit of time!

#18

Sent a friend request. Extrawordfun

1 Like