Credit to ChatGPT for the dream idea, myself for the "traversing through books in the library" idea, and my father for background inspiration.
Category: Action Adventure, Platformer
Synopsis: You enter a library in your sleep and you have to find your way out. Collect dream spirits and battle nightmares trying to corrupt the stories of slumber. Preserve the fantastical dreams and awaken the wanderer, for they need to come to before they are lost to time forever.
Background:
In a hidden corner of the world lies a forgotten library unlike any other. This ancient library, rumored to exist only in the realm of dreams, holds a collection of books that contain the uncharted stories of human imagination.
One fateful night, you find yourself standing at the entrance of this ethereal library. Moonlight filters through the trees, illuminating the ornate doors adorned with symbols from forgotten languages. As you push the doors open, a gust of cool, otherworldly wind rushes over you, carrying with it the faint scent of adventure and wonder.
Inside, the library's shelves stretch infinitely in all directions, and each book is more peculiar than the last. Some volumes are bound with dragon scales, while others shimmer like stardust. A few books appear to be alive, their pages turning on their own, whispering secrets to anyone who dares to listen.
In a hidden corner of the world lies a forgotten library unlike any other. This ancient library, rumored to exist only in the realm of dreams, holds a collection of books that contain the uncharted stories of human imagination.
One fateful night, you find yourself standing at the entrance of this ethereal library. Moonlight filters through the trees, illuminating the ornate doors adorned with symbols from forgotten languages. As you push the doors open, a gust of cool, otherworldly wind rushes over you, carrying with it the faint scent of adventure and wonder.
Inside, the library's shelves stretch infinitely in all directions, and each book is more peculiar than the last. Some volumes are bound with dragon scales, while others shimmer like stardust. A few books appear to be alive, their pages turning on their own, whispering secrets to anyone who dares to listen.
Game Play:
Main hub is a library where you have to explore certain areas of the building to find key books where corrupted energy resides. Each book can be accessed through climbing up ladders, finding hidden passages behind bookshelves, and using the power of the Lucid to pass obstacles. You will know which book is the correct book to travel in by the smoke effect and open floating book. You get a new power in a new dreamland. Each dreamland contains a few chapters, like a book would have, and you have to explore the area or complete a quota to progress.
Main hub is a library where you have to explore certain areas of the building to find key books where corrupted energy resides. Each book can be accessed through climbing up ladders, finding hidden passages behind bookshelves, and using the power of the Lucid to pass obstacles. You will know which book is the correct book to travel in by the smoke effect and open floating book. You get a new power in a new dreamland. Each dreamland contains a few chapters, like a book would have, and you have to explore the area or complete a quota to progress.
Characters:
- MC: The protagonist of the game. The childhood friend of Dreamweaver. They had moved away a long time ago, not knowing how much of an impact it would play on Dreamweaver’s life. When arriving at the Library, they are tasked with the quest of saving the wanderer by Quibble, the Librarian in charge of keeping order in the Forgotten Library.
Powers include:- Flight (pair of invisible wings on back)
- Enhanced senses (strength, speed, defense)
- Teleportation
- Transformation (into raven, wolf, and rabbit)
- Telekinesis (moving objects, or teleporting objects to your hand)
- Quibble/Morpheus: Helper and assistant in the game. He knows about Dreamweaver, yet due to his restrictions, cannot say Dreamweaver’s name or background directly, just that Dreamweaver is the wanderer needing saving. Knows about Dreamweaver as they are a spirit of his former pet Shadow Weaver killed, thus promoting Quibble to want to save Dreamweaver and get him out of his toxic environment. Watched over Dreamweaver and tried his best to ease the nightmares created by Shadow Weaver.
Powers include:- Shapeshifting (is Morpheus with Magpie wings)
- Telekinesis
- Flight
- Clairvoyance
- Dream manipulation (not a lot or else consequences)
- Shapeshifting (is Morpheus with Magpie wings)
- Dreamweaver: the antagonist of the game. Doesn’t know about his past, thus rendering him vulnerable to Shadow Weaver’s tricks and manipulation. He was abused by his mother and got hit in the head by a beer bottle, sending his body into a coma and his mind trapped in the Forgotten Library of Dreams. Because of his abuse, he is manipulated by the Shadow Weaver, a manifestation of his mother and her abuse towards him. He was told that in order to escape the library, he needed to corrupt dreams and collect nightmare energy, which actually boosts her hold on him. Dreamweaver needs to be the one who defeats Shadow Weaver to leave the Library of Dreams and wake up.
Powers include:- Light(glow) manipulation
- Weapon summoning
- Light travel/Teleportation
- Light(glow) manipulation
- Shadow Weaver: The dream manifestation of Dreamweaver’s abusive mother. She controls his actions through gaslighting and threats. She uses telepathy to control his mind and whisper cruel thoughts into his head. She was the one who told Dreamweaver that in order to escape the library, he had to corrupt dreams and collect nightmare energy. Nightmare energy boosts her hold on Dreamweaver’s mind and keeps him tied to the Library. She can be defeated by either killing her (normal ending) or by transforming her into something harmless (Secret ending) rendering her unable to hurt Dreamweaver anymore.
Powers include:- Telepathy
- Shadow strings
- Shadow travel
- Silver tongue/vicious mockery
- Telepathy
Game Objective: As you traverse through the books of dreams, you have to collect required dream energy before heading to exit, where a boss battle will take place. Each dream has its own unique story, some completely fantastical, some closer to reality. Some require you to seek out the dream whisps to pass, and some you have to follow a storyline to reach the ending.
While on your journey, you encounter the Dreamweaver, the person responsible for corrupting the dreams and trying to collect Nightmare whisps to escape the Library. Along the way, you discover foggy collectibles that look out of place from the dreamland. These collectibles, when all are found, unlock a secret corridor in the library where you discover the backstory of the Dreamweaver through cutscenes and dialogue.
Collectibles include:
● Ripped up teddy bear
● Dirty ribbon
● Broken picture frame of a torn photo of child with a friend
● Bloodied magpie feathers
● Box of cigarettes
● Local Newspaper article about a trial and divorce
● Letter of acceptance to college
● Broken beer bottle
While on your journey, you encounter the Dreamweaver, the person responsible for corrupting the dreams and trying to collect Nightmare whisps to escape the Library. Along the way, you discover foggy collectibles that look out of place from the dreamland. These collectibles, when all are found, unlock a secret corridor in the library where you discover the backstory of the Dreamweaver through cutscenes and dialogue.
Collectibles include:
● Ripped up teddy bear
● Dirty ribbon
● Broken picture frame of a torn photo of child with a friend
● Bloodied magpie feathers
● Box of cigarettes
● Local Newspaper article about a trial and divorce
● Letter of acceptance to college
● Broken beer bottle
Dreamweaver's Backstory Notes:
Is a coma patient in the conscious world. Got into an accident, causing brain damage, thus stuck in a coma, unable to wake up as their mind is stuck in the Forgotten Library of Dreams.
As a child, they didn’t grow up in a healthy environment. They were abused verbally, never physically until later in life by their mother. She would demand money for unnecessary things such as more cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. His mother would guilt trip the child into believing that their current state is the child’s own fault and that if the child was smarter, their current situation would not have happened. This explains why Dreamweaver breaks down after getting beaten by MC after so many battles. Dreamweaver also would flinch when MC approached them; Dreamweaver and MC didn’t know exactly why as this was more of an unconscious reflex. Dreamweaver had a supporting figure in life (Is revealed to be MC), but due to circumstances, the figure is not currently present in Dreamweaver’s life (moved away). Also had a secret pet magpie named Quibble that was loved by both Dreamweaver and MC. Quibble was killed in front of Dreamweaver by Shadow Weaver and was gaslit into believing that Quibble’s death was Dreamweaver’s own fault for not telling his secret.
As Dreamweaver grew older, the abuse grew as well, which led to physical abuse (i.e. beatings with discarded beer bottles, cigarette burns which are hinted at by burned spots on Dreamweaver’s design). Dreamweaver managed to get out of the toxic environment (i.e. father divorced and took Dreamweaver with him), and made a new life for themselves, but just as they were about to fully cut ties with their mother. In a fit of rage, she struck Dreamweaver on the head by a glass bottle, thus rendering them in a coma, and unable to leave the Library.
When realizing who Dreamweaver truly is, it becomes MC’s duty to collect enough dream whisps and take down Shadow Weaver, a manifestation of Dreamweaver’s abusive mother, and allow Dreamweaver to wake up.
Is a coma patient in the conscious world. Got into an accident, causing brain damage, thus stuck in a coma, unable to wake up as their mind is stuck in the Forgotten Library of Dreams.
As a child, they didn’t grow up in a healthy environment. They were abused verbally, never physically until later in life by their mother. She would demand money for unnecessary things such as more cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. His mother would guilt trip the child into believing that their current state is the child’s own fault and that if the child was smarter, their current situation would not have happened. This explains why Dreamweaver breaks down after getting beaten by MC after so many battles. Dreamweaver also would flinch when MC approached them; Dreamweaver and MC didn’t know exactly why as this was more of an unconscious reflex. Dreamweaver had a supporting figure in life (Is revealed to be MC), but due to circumstances, the figure is not currently present in Dreamweaver’s life (moved away). Also had a secret pet magpie named Quibble that was loved by both Dreamweaver and MC. Quibble was killed in front of Dreamweaver by Shadow Weaver and was gaslit into believing that Quibble’s death was Dreamweaver’s own fault for not telling his secret.
As Dreamweaver grew older, the abuse grew as well, which led to physical abuse (i.e. beatings with discarded beer bottles, cigarette burns which are hinted at by burned spots on Dreamweaver’s design). Dreamweaver managed to get out of the toxic environment (i.e. father divorced and took Dreamweaver with him), and made a new life for themselves, but just as they were about to fully cut ties with their mother. In a fit of rage, she struck Dreamweaver on the head by a glass bottle, thus rendering them in a coma, and unable to leave the Library.
When realizing who Dreamweaver truly is, it becomes MC’s duty to collect enough dream whisps and take down Shadow Weaver, a manifestation of Dreamweaver’s abusive mother, and allow Dreamweaver to wake up.
Copyright © 2023. The Folder of Many Things by Kyra Fradenburg.