Let's Make A Game! Episode 9: Project Moche

This week has been a busy nightmare, so I've had very little time to program. I'm hoping to jump back in once I have a few minutes to catch my breath and put out some fires. In the meantime, I figured I'd talk about what kind of game I'm planning on making.
I got this idea back during my Mega Man article. I mentioned making an open-world Mega Man game with Mega Man 2 sprites and nearly peed myself over the idea. That got me thinking: I obviously can't make a Mega Man game in and of itself, but what could I make?

There's no trademark on the idea of "beat a boss, steal it's power." I could make something similar to Mega Man but pick and choose the things I like while removing what I don't like.

For example, I like stealing powers from enemies and returning to previous levels with those powers. I don't like really long wait times after deaths. I like the solid platforming mechanics of Mega Man. I don't like the lack of exploration involved in most levels.

I also don't like the excess baggage involved with Mega Man, all the sequels and story parts that get tangled up in the actual game. I want a clean slate, a reboot of Mega Man. That's something I can do myself.

Pictured: All the Mega Man sequels.

I have another idea that I want to attempt that examines death in platform games, but it's a pretty complicated concept that I have in mind for that one. I'd rather concentrate on this idea first. Since I'm not ready to pull back the curtain too hard on what I intend to do, I need some sort of codename. Plus, I really like giving codenames to things.

So, from here on out, anything having to do specifically with this game idea, like level design, music and sprites will be tagged "Project Moche," named after an ancient Peruvian civilization. "Let's Make A Game" will be for programming.

I now have to figure out the general rules of my game. What's the point? Who's the villain? What's the story? How much health does the hero have? Who are the bosses?

My head is already spinning, but I can do this. People do this stuff every day, so I can too.