Game Design: Genre

From the beginning, there were game mechanics from various genres that I wanted to mash together into my own game. Through development of the code, I had tweaked around with various controls and gameplay style. I was adamant to have real-time gameplay over turn-based, however I realized that the management of multiple units would be too difficult. I ultimately relented and added a "Tactical Mode": a toggle that pauses the real-time combat and allows player to plan out their moves. This should make the game more accessible, since players would have all the time they need to plan each move. I had previously stripped away mechanics like active skill to simplify the game, however the "Tactical Mode" would allow for more complicated controls and challenging enemies.

Choosing your own party is common in most RPG games, but I don’t like the typical turn-based gameplay. It seems quite silly for two sides to line up and stand around while they take turns attacking each other. I like the frantic action of real-time strategy games, but the multi-tasking and high APM required makes it too intense for me. Looking into the different game genres, I’ve realized the game I’m envisioning could fall into the genre of “real-time tactical” (RTT) games. Unlike RTS games, the RTT focuses on smaller skirmishes rather than big clashes. Considering the extremes; action RPGs/MOBAs have fluid action and control, but only over a single character. Other strategy games provide control over entire armies, civilizations, or races. Neither provide the same bond or unique identity as a customized party of four characters.

Similar Games

After browsing the Steam store for reference, I've realized this game would have the following tags:

• Real-Time with Pause
• Party-Based RPG
• CRPG (Classic RPG)
• Roguelike 

This makes me realize that this type of game would be similar to triple-A series like Dragon Age & Divinity: Original Sin. There are also several indie-games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Tower of Time. They all have the same high fantasy art style, which makes them hard to distinguish. They're all epic, story-based games with tactical gameplay.

Something that could help me is the roguelike aspect I'm planning. Some players like myself don't like sitting through cutscenes or dialogue boxes. Learning about the game's world in an entirely new IP (characters, setting, history, etc.) can be uninteresting. A lot of players just skip over all the "flavor" content that writers, artists, and voice actors put a lot of work into. Being able to launch right into the gameplay with no padding or commitments would be a big selling point. The game's "lore" would be barebones and have a subtle narrative through each run. This is also a necessity because I have no idea how I'd write an entire IP. 

Another unique aspect would be the playful, fantasy anime art style, which would stand out in comparison to the other gritty fantasy games.