Inspiration: Pikmin and Creepy Crawlies

I'm typing this while riding in my car. So excuse me if my thoughts are as jumbled up as my body on this pot-hole infested road... ;^)

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We've been investigating sources of inspiration for "The Amoeba Of Light." We have covered character design and art style.  More fundamental than these is the game itself. 

I've been boasting that this game is a brilliant, one-of-a-kind beauty, using strange words like "sui-generis" that force you to learn Latin. In reality, my game was influenced. Every game is. Mario, Link, and Dungeons and Dragons all changed the industry. 

One great source of influence came from a very unlikely place, and is very important to so many ideas. That game is Pikmin.

Game Concept: Pikmin 

Freaks of Nature

Specifically Pikmin 2.This game is my nostalgia trip. It's a 2004 Gamecube strategy game featuring a cast of plant-like minions camed Pikmin. Olimar and Louie have crashed landed on a strange planet. Using the odd plant creatures, they are able to fend off the even stranger and significantly more deadly “bugs” that live all over the world. 

I've said it before: I relish nature. The design is so marvelous. Tied directly to my affinity for creation is an appetite for exploration. Pikmin 2 embodies both of those in a game. While playing you encounter the weirdest things (which are also sometime frightening!)

Like this.

 And this.

All of which helped lead to this! (I'm referring to that tentacle wielding animal on the left).

To a lesser extent, Spore was also an instigator of my focus on creature interaction. 

 

Pikmin was such a joy to play because it allowed the player to discover its secrets. "Allowed" is important for a reason. The underground caves were mysterious, dark, and creepy: trademark Pikmin gameplay that every fan remembers. And the peculiar theme bathed the whole experience.

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Once you get your hands on the Amoeba Of Light, you'll realize the clear similarities and taste the flowery flavor of Pikmin in the many facets of the game.

Bulborb image from Mobygames.com

Toady Bloyster image (C) IGN

Fiery Bulbax image: http://pikmin.wikia.com/wiki/File:Pikmin_2_Fiery_Bulblax.png

Burrowing Snagret image: http://pikmin.wikia.com/wiki/Burrowing_Snagret

Spore Screen (C) Wired.com