Have you ever played Hot Potato? If so, you'll have a blast with this one. First because this idea works around three main concepts: emergency, urgency and tension. Also being a super fun multiplayer game to play with friends!
If we analyse the original concept of the Hot Potato game, it's kinda boring... You just pass a "potato" around having a trigger to stop. Well, there's no hurry in that, except if you're using an actual hot potato!
However, we can change quite a few things if we just use another object that's not a potato, but instead, a clocking bomb that's about to explode...
High Concept
Bombs Away! is a local multiplayer mobile game in which the aim is to be the last surviving person during a bomb attack. The play session starts with all devices synched. A random player will then have a clocking bomb dropped on their screen, having to perform specific actions to pass it to another player before it explodes. If exploded or while in standby, players will be able to pick up items or go back to the game by exploring and traversing mazes.
Synch
The game is best played with 3 or more players. In order for it to function properly, all devices should be synched (via bluetooth or wi-fi) before starting the play session so the interactions and functions of the game happen simultaneously to everyone.
Bombs
Once players are set, a start countdown from 3 to 0 prepares and informs the players that the attack will begin. Then, a main bomb drops into a random player's screen. After their first drop, all bombs have a countdown to explode. This countdown is represented in two ways: by the bomb fuse and by a time counter below the bomb.
All bombs will receive a specific and random instruction labeled on them. These instructions are the actions that must be performed by the players in order to get rid of the bombs. They are 7 gestures: UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, TAP, DOUBLE TAP and SHAKE (the device). If done successfully, the bomb will drop in another random player's screen keeping its countdown. If the wrong action is performed, or if the fuse burns to the end, the bomb explodes. There are two types of bombs: the Main Bomb and the Blue Bombs.
Main Bomb
The Main Bombs are the normal bombs that are tossed from player to player. On their first drop, they require only 1 action to be passed. The number of gestures increase by 1 every time the bomb is passed. The main bomb takes 30 seconds to explode and the counter keeps ticking in between players.
Blue Bombs
The Blue Bombs are special bombs that appear in the game only when a player uses a specific item. They are not passed to other players. To get rid of them, 5 random actions must be performed in sequence without error. The Blue Bombs take 10 seconds to explode.
Mazes
Mazes can appear in two moments during the game: when a player goes standby (passing the bomb to another player) or when they explode. In both mazes, players will also control a bomb, but this time, moving it with their fingers through the maze's paths. The control can be performed touching anywhere on the screen.
In the maze, a bomb does not have a countdown. However, if it touches any walls of the maze, it explodes and goes back to its starting position. The number of tries in both mazes is unlimited. Now, as stated before, each condition (standby and exploded) has its own maze type. The two types of mazes are: the Item Maze and the Escape Maze.
Item Maze
Players go to this maze after throwing the main bomb or the blue bomb to another player. The item maze is a closed maze. Players control the bomb within it in order to collect items to upgrade their arsenal of actions. To collect an item, the players have to touch it with the bomb. The item then is moved to the player's inventory in the bottom of the screen.
If a bomb explodes inside the item maze, players don't lose any collected items but will return to the starting position. After collecting all items in a maze, a new maze will appear with more items to be collected. If the main bomb drops on a standby player who is in this maze, they must get rid of the bomb and then go back to the maze, continuing from the position and bomb time they left.
Escape Maze
Players go to this maze only if a bomb explodes on their screen. The escape maze is an open maze. Players control the bomb in order to traverse and escape. Here players have the chance to go back to the game.
This maze has no items to be collected and no bombs are dropped on the player's screen, however, it is more challenging to be completed. Once out of the maze, the player will automatically go back to the game. If a bomb explodes inside the escape maze hitting any walls, players will return to the starting position.
Items
There are 8 specific items that can be collected inside the item maze. They are always displayed with a counter in the bottom of the screen and can be used anytime during the match. They are: heart, fire, freeze, rain, umbrella, kamikaze, free and wall.
Each one has a specific action and influence on various game elements. They are cumulative, that is, the same item can be collected and used multiple times during the game. Also, if multiple players use a given item that affects other players or bombs, their effects can be cumulative in the gameplay as well. Following, is their behaviour and specific impacts in the game:
Heart
With this item, players can go back to the game without having to solve the escape maze. It's like an extra chance/life. This item affects only the player who uses it.
Fire
It burns the fuse and advances the bomb explosion in 5 seconds. This item only affects the main bomb in real time, no matter the player's screen it's on.
Freeze
This item only affects the current player with the main bomb, even if it's the player who uses it. They will have their screen frozen and won't be able to perform any action for 5 seconds.
Rain
If used by a player, all other active players will have blue bombs dropped on their screen. in this condition, this item affects all other players except the one who used it or the one with a main bomb. The blue bombs are not affected by any other items.
If other blue bombs are already on other players' screens, and the main bomb is passed, it will wait to be dropped on the first player who passes their blue bomb.
If a player uses this item with a blue bomb already on their screen, they will cancel the item effect (like a counter) only getting rid of the blue bomb without any necessary action, but also not throwing more blue bombs to other players.
Umbrella
Only the player who uses this item doesn't get a bomb drop of any kind for 5 seconds.
Kamikaze
This item only affects the current player with the main bomb, even if it's the player who uses it. It will explode the main bomb immediately.
Free
This item allows only the player who uses it to perform any gestures to pass any bombs that are dropped on their screen, even blue bombs.
Wall
Using it, mazes' walls become harmless, so the bomb inside it doesn't explode when hitting the walls. This item affects the player who uses it only in the current maze they are in, and it's valid in any maze type.
Winning the War
If only one player is left survivor with the main bomb still on or in standby mode while all the others are in the escape maze, the bomb fire goes out and that player is the winner.
Taking a look at all these rules brings us to many questions. Does the game work? Is it fun? Is any specific item more obsolete or valuable than other? How many feedbacks are necessary? Isn't the maze feature boring?
Well, these are all dilemmas we can only answer by playing the game. Since we are a channel focused on game ideas, the best we can do is explain and explore the game concepts for you to experiment.
For example, right in the beginning we defined that we wanted 3 key factors to be present during gameplay: emergency, urgency and tension.
And did we achieve that? Let's see: the random aspects of the game in the relationship between bomb gestures, item effects, bomb drops and passes can really create an emerging and surprising gameplay experience. The countdown of the bombs and the fact that other players have items to be used against each other is a factor that contributes to the urgency of getting rid of bombs. And finally, the mazes create the tension we thought about. They require a more accurate interaction from the players while everyone else is running to the finish line.
We could go on in the details and create even more features for this game. Different types of bombs, new rules, new items, new player actions, even a totally different approach on the standby and exploded states removing mazes altogether. All of these are really tough game design decisions. The only way to know and learn more about it is putting these ideas to the test.
But now, we wanna hear from you! Tell us in the comments what would you change in a game like this. If you make a prototype, send us a video, a demo or even a print screen of it. We would be more than happy to see our ideas in action!
Thank You
for reading!
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