Old Game Treatment: Jungle Princess
TITLE AND GENREThe game is Jungle Princess, an action-packed third/first-person role-playing game.THEMEOne of the themes that inspired this game concept was anti-imperialism, specifically the resistance of indigenous people to the invasion of foreign powers. The game’s storyline draws its main influence from the conquest and exploitation of the African continent by European powers in the late 19th to early 20th century, or what is often euphemistically labeled “colonialism”. The game also presents the theme of Europeans appropriating the archaeological heritage of indigenous peoples, with one notorious example being the plundering of ancient tombs and monuments in Egypt and Sudan. This is a game where you can play the Africans as they fight to defend their homeland and its treasures from European pillaging.HIGH CONCEPTYou are Kabanga, warrior princess of the Watenga chiefdom deep in the jungles of the Myombi Basin. For centuries, your people have guarded the sacred golden Bowl of Nzambi, which represents an ancient covenant made between the gods (or Nzambi) and your ancestors. Now it has fallen into the clutches of Matilda, Empress of the Occidental Empire, whose ultimate ambition is to use the Bowl’s power to seize control of the entire Myombi. What you must do is unite the disparate Myombi chiefdoms into a united fighting force that can take on the Occidental Empire’s industrial-tech garrison and reclaim the Bowl before Matilda can drain it of its power. Over the course of your journey, you must brave not only the Empire’s gun-toting hordes, but also dinosaurs and other savage beasts, marauding bandit, and skirmishes between the tribes. Can you bring the warring peoples of Myombi together to defeat their common adversary and save their homeland?BACKSTORYThe game takes place in a fantasy setting based on the Congo Basin of Central Africa during the late 19th century. The Occidental Empire represents an amalgamation of the industrial-era European powers that invaded the continent of Africa during this period, whereas the various Myombi chiefdoms draw loosely on the many different (but predominantly Bantu-speaking) societies native to Central Africa. The character of Kabanga herself owes a little bit of inspiration to Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba along with the so-called “Amazon” female warriors of Dahomey, whereas her arch-nemesis Matilda resembles a young Queen Victoria. However, unlike the real Congo, the Myombi Basin is also populated by prehistoric reptilian monsters such as dinosaurs, pterosaurs, giant snakes, and giant crocodiles, among many others.In the ancient past, all the chiefdoms of the Myombi once made up a larger civilization after whom the entire Basin is named. This larger civilization (which has left behind numerous stone ruins littered through the jungle) disintegrated for unknown reasons a few centuries ago, and the Myombi nations have gone their separate ways (and even warred with one another) ever since. The Bowl of Nzambi which the Watenga people keep was once the old Myombi Kingdom’s most treasured artifact, a symbol of national unity as well as a covenant made between the ancestors of humanity and the gods.As for the character of Kabanga herself, she is the eldest daughter and heir of King Djamba. She wants more than anything to prove herself a worthy successor to her father and feels ashamed when her actions in the storyline’s first act (explained in the Storyline Synopsis section) jeopardize the safety not only of the Watenga nation but also the entire Myombi.STORYLINE SYNOPSISThe game’s storyline opens with Kabanga hunting in the jungle, when she encounters an Occidental expedition under attack by raptors. She rescues the expedition by fighting off the raptors and then offers directions to the ancient tombs the expedition claims to be seeking. Only when it’s too late does she find out that the expedition’s true goal is stealing the Bowl of Nzambi hidden within those tombs, and it’s up to her to retrieve the Bowl and drive the Occidental forces out of the Myombi. The middle act of the storyline requires Kabanga to travel across the Myombi Basin and win favor with the many different tribal chiefdoms so she can unite them into one army against the Occidental garrison. To do this, she must embark on various action-packed missions for each chieftain and their subjects. In the process, she will gain experience (measured by experience points) that allow her to develop new skills and abilities. For example, towards the end of the middle act, Kabanga can learn to ride dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex into battle if she has acquired enough experience.In the final act of the storyline, Kabanga and her unified army must storm into the Occidental stronghold on the Myombi coast and recapture the Bowl of Nzambi. The last conflict in the game will take place between Kabanga and Matilda, the latter of whom will be mounted on a giant steam-powered robot. After Matilda is defeated, the game ends with Kabanga ruling as Queen of a united Myombi nation.PLATFORMI have in mind the PC as the primary platform for the game, as it is the platform I prefer to use and have the most familiarity with. However, the game could potentially be ported to consoles such as the Playstation and the Xbox, much as many other RPGs made for the PC are.TARGET RATINGThe presence of violent action and bloodshed in the game will necessitate a rating of T for Teen at minimum. We are not out to gross out players with excessive blood and gore, but it is the nature of the game’s setting and conflict to feature those aspects of life. Furthermore, the brief clothing conventions of the Myombi natives (analogous to those of traditional African societies) might be interpreted as too revealing for players under their teens, although no pornographic sexuality is planned for the game.ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGNMuch of the game’s natural terrain will be covered with a tropical rainforest of gigantic trees, tangled vines, and dense undergrowth. For variety, there will also be clearings of tall grass and shrubby vegetation, misty swamplands and river valleys, and mountainous terrain with volcanic activity towards the Basin’s eastern boundary. Scattered across the landscape will be the rural villages of wooden huts and/or treehouses that the Myombi peoples reside in, overgrown ancient ruins, and the castle-like outposts of the Occidental Empire. The largest of the latter will be situated on an offshore island near the mouth of the central Nzadi River, and will be manned with cannons in its turrets.INTERFACE DESIGNFeatures of the user interface should include:- Bar meters for health, stamina, and ammunition (if you are carrying a missile weapon like a bow and arrow, or a gun retrieved from a slain Occidental soldier)- A map displaying the geography of Myombi along with the locations of chiefdoms, villages, quests, and other locations of interest. This map should allow fast-travel between locations you have already discovered.- An inventory screen where you can store weaponry, armor, amulets that give her special gameplay bonuses, and potions to restore your health or stamina.- An in-game “encyclopedia” of lore explaining the different cultures, history, animals, and other features of the game world.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCESince the peoples of Myombi are divided into multiple tribes and chiefdoms, how these communities will treat you will depend on your relations with them. Tribes that begin hostile towards you or your allies will attack on sight, whereas those that are friendly will help you fight any enemies in the region and offer healing or stamina restoration. Warfare may also break out between tribes, but through the performance of certain actions, it is also possible for you to end these hostilities and bring the once squabbling tribes together. On the other hand, forces of the Occidental Empire will always remain hostile towards you after the storyline’s opening act.In addition to the AI of the human characters, the lush world of Myombi houses a thriving ecosystem of dinosaurs and other creatures interacting with one another. Predators will stalk prey and fight each other over hunting grounds and kills, and herbivores will graze in herds and compete over mates. Animals will also reproduce and protect their offspring. If you kill anything in the game world, its reeking carcass may attract the unwanted attention of scavengers and other meat-eaters.TARGET MARKETIn addition to the fans of open-world, action games, and RPGs, Jungle Princess should hopefully attract the interest of people who are fond of dinosaurs, exotic settings, and jungle adventure stories. Since the protagonist is a Black female warrior, the game will hopefully draw in players of African descent and possibly female players from any racial group, especially those of a feminist bent.COMPETITIVE ANALYSISThe mechanics of Jungle Princess owe much inspiration to open-world RPGs and action games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Far Cry series (most especially Far Cry: Primal), and the Witcher series. However, Jungle Princess’s Central African cultural influences, the jungle environment, and the presence of Mesozoic creatures such as dinosaurs should distinguish the game at least on a cosmetic level. There are plenty of RPGs with a medieval European flavor, but very few with the combination of African and prehistoric themes.FEATURE SUMMARY- The player takes on the role of a young warrior princess resisting the encroach of an industrial-tech empire in a vast, lush jungle world of dinosaurs and squabbling tribes.- The player’s goal is to unite the feuding chiefdoms of Myombi so they can lead a unified resistance to the Occidental Empire’s invasion.- The player can travel through the jungle not only on foot, but also by climbing on trees, “surfing” on mossy branches, and swinging between vines.- The player can fight with a spear, bow and arrow, throwing knives, blowgun, or even firearms retrieved from slain Occidental forces.- The game takes place in a verdant open world with a thriving ecosystem of diverse creatures and cultures.CONCEPT ART,,,,,,,,,
BrandonScottPilcher
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