New game idea: "the nightmare"

"The Nightmare" - a idea i came up with at 2 in the morning 

•  first person/possibly changing puzzle game that focuses around the mystery of figuring out whats going on in a nightmare/very much surreal environment


• possibly to figure out the sins of the past?
• figuring deep personal conflict?
• battling with personal emotion and understanding?
• existential crisis?
• grasping the death of someone/personal loss?
• no hidden meaning and let the player impose there own meaning?
• Inspired by
• silent hill
• eternal darkness; sanity's requiem


• portal/half life games
• amnesia games?
• the Stanley parable
• anti-chamber
• among the sleep
• jim hensons labrynth 
• i have no mouth yet i must scream
• personal insomnia

•  game-play elements include:

• change in controls from level to level but still in a way thats fair
• used to simulate lack of control/understanding and complexity of/in a nightmare
• adds a unique challenge to the player as they have to figure out how to act accordingly the changed environment

• purposefully semi-wonky physics
• is probably easier to program
• makes simple task harder than they are again adding to the surrealism

• graphics change throughout the game
• following the same trail as the controls, the changing graphics would change and be used to simulate a changing look and feel of how things are and they constant inconsistency of a nightmare
• adds a unique style that would hopefully stand out
• possible logo or symbol showing up in all different styles?

• changing views/camera angle
• again in similar purpose the the graphics and the controls this would add both challenge and complexity to the game as the player has to adjust and learn the changing rules

• purposeful "breaks" , "crashes", "freezes" , "glitches" and 4th wall breaking puzzles
• makes the player think outside the box and scares/shocks them into thinking that its over when really its just another piece of the puzzle
• see metal gear solid games and eternal darkness

• Art Style



• besides for the fact of the graphics changing throughout the game , i honestly have no idea what the main style should be. 

Currently all i have is what i have written down here but hopefully upon the full or semi-full completion of "The Radical Rider" i can work on this in the hopes of making it or at least a first draft game before i go to college in the fall.