I Drank The Wine: Inheritance - Game Design Document¶

Version: 0.1.0
Last Updated: December 1, 2024
Document Status: In Progress
Project Phase: Demo Complete → Pre-Production Planning

📋 Document Information¶

Authors: Ozan Yokuva, Kerem Yokuva
Contributors: Expected
Reviewers: Eventually

Purpose: This document serves as the central reference for all design decisions, features, and vision for "I Drank The Wine".

🎯 Executive Summary¶

I Drank The Wine: Inheritance is a roguelike side-scrolling brawler that combines intense skill-based combat with a deeply philosophical narrative about identity, inheritance, karma, and the cycle of anger that burns away false selves to reveal who we truly are.

Genre: Roguelike Side-Scrolling Brawler
Platform: PC (Primary), Mobile, Console (Planned)
Engine: Unity
Target Audience: Action game enthusiasts, story-driven gamers, 18-35 age group
Development Stage: Demo Complete (3 playable stages)

Core Hook: Experience a reverse narrative through heroes who carry the blood of history's greatest warriors—fighting against a silent global invasion while discovering that their righteous anger burns away false identities layer by layer, revealing their true inheritance and ultimate role in an eternal balance.

🌟 Game Vision & Core Pillars¶

Vision Statement¶

"Society buries our true names under borrowed identities. Through righteous fury, we burn away these false layers—discovering we carry the blood of history's warriors, but inheriting not their rage, but their wisdom: that balance, not destruction, is the path forward."

Core Pillars¶

1. Meaningful Combat 🥊¶

Every strike has weight and impact
Skill-based, timing-focused gameplay
Fast, fluid, and deeply tactical
Realistic combat physics with environmental interaction
THIS IS THE CORE - Everything else enhances this

2. Reverse Narrative Discovery¶

Story told backwards—from reaction to cause
Multiple heroes, multiple perspectives
Gradually reveals the full picture of the cycle
Each hero unaware of the others' struggles
Players discover what anger prevents heroes from seeing

🚨 SPOILER: Narrative Revelation

**The twist:** - Heroes believe they're destroyers of evil - Gradually discover their fury perpetuates the cycle - Effect → Evil → Reaction → Effect (endless loop) - Final understanding: balance > destruction - True role: balancers, not destroyers

3. Philosophical Depth & Identity 📖¶

Built on philosophical triangle (Eckhart, Jung, Buddha, Game Motto)
Explores identity, inheritance, anger as purifying fire
Heroes carry bloodlines of historical warriors
Society's false identities vs. true inheritance
Addresses real-world pressures that bury our true selves
Story enhances experience without affecting gameplay
Think of it as "an interactive book you punch your way through"

Game Motto:

"No true self can emerge until every false identity is consumed by flame."

🚨 SPOILER: What Inheritance Means

**True inheritance:** - Not about being destroyers like ancestors appeared to be - About being balancers like ancestors truly were - Historical heroes understood the necessity of opposition - True wisdom = finding your role in eternal balance - You don't destroy evil—you lock hands with it

4. Roguelike Replayability¶

Each run is unique
Permanent skill progression
Dynamic build creation through card system
Risk and reward in every decision

🎮 Game Concept¶

High Concept¶

"Final Fight meets philosophical karma exploration—a skill-based brawler where you fight through cities consumed by corruption, experiencing a backwards narrative that reveals how evil perpetuates itself."

Core Theme: Identity, Inheritance & The Cycle of Anger¶

A silent invasion spreads across global cities. Behind a facade of peace, corruption rises, crime spreads, order collapses. Heroes rise independently—each carrying the blood of history's greatest warriors, though they've forgotten their true names.

The Journey: - Society buried their true identities under false names - Like Spirited Away's river spirit: forget your name, lose yourself - Anger becomes the fire that burns away false layers - Layer by layer: fury → frustration → doubt → self-awareness → new fury - Eventually, true inheritance emerges from the ashes

Playable Characters & Their Bloodlines: - Cengiz → Descendant of Hulagu Khan - [TBD] → Bloodline of Joan of Arc - [TBD] → Bloodline of Baldwin IV - [TBD] → Bloodline of Richard the Lionheart - [TBD] → Bloodline of Emilia Platter - [TBD] → Bloodline of Hattori Hanzo

Total: 6 playable heroes planned

Each believes they fight a local battle, unaware they're all discovering the same truth through different lenses.

Key Questions Explored: - Who are you when society's labels burn away? - What does your bloodline truly teach you? - Is fury the answer, or the question? - Can you break a cycle by fighting, or only by understanding?

🚨 SPOILER: The Cycle's True Nature

**What players discover:** The cycle isn't about good vs. evil—it's about balance vs. imbalance. - Effect → Evil → Reaction → Effect (repeats endlessly) - Heroes' righteous fury IS part of the cycle - Fighting perpetuates what they oppose - Evil cannot be destroyed, only balanced - True inheritance: understanding your role as balancer - Lock hands with opposition, don't annihilate it **The "higher measure":** Without understanding the complete cycle, your righteous actions become indistinguishable from evil. Good and evil collapse into the same shadow when you act from fury alone. The higher measure = seeing the pattern and your place in it.

Philosophy Framework: The Triangular Foundation¶

The game's philosophical depth is built on three interconnected pillars forming a conceptual triangle:

Foundation (Point 1 & 2): Individual Transformation Through Darkness¶

"Unless a man becomes nothing, God can make nothing of him."
— Meister Eckhart

"No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell."
— Carl Jung

Thematic Purpose:
These quotes form the base of our philosophical triangle. They represent the hero's journey—the necessity of confronting one's darkest moments, accepting complete vulnerability, and witnessing the worst of reality before true understanding can emerge. Every hero in our story must "become nothing" and let their "roots reach hell" before they can see beyond their anger.

Jung's True Meaning:
This is an internal journey to your darkest self—shadow work, confronting suppressed aspects of yourself. Like Dante's Inferno: you must descend to the bottom to escape. Not about witnessing external evil, but facing the darkness buried within.

Narrative Application:
- Heroes start consumed by righteous fury - Each must face their personal "hell"—their own shadows - Through losing everything false, they find what's real - Transformation requires complete vulnerability and ego death

Point 3: The Cycle Continues Until Understood¶

"The lesson continues until it is learned."
— Buddha

Thematic Purpose:
Represents the roguelike nature of both gameplay and narrative. The cycle of anger, reaction, and effect repeats endlessly until its true nature is understood. Players experience this through repeated runs, each revealing more truth.

Anger's Layers:
Anger → Frustration → Doubt → Self-awareness → New anger (cycle repeats until understood)

Narrative Application:
- The cycle of corruption perpetuates itself - Heroes repeat their struggles until they see the full picture - Each playthrough reveals new layers - Understanding breaks the cycle, not violence alone

Point 4 (Game Motto): The Collapse of False Identity¶

"No true self can emerge until every false identity is consumed by flame."
— I Drank The Wine: Inheritance

Thematic Purpose:
The core revelation. Society forces names, labels, identities upon us. Like Spirited Away's river spirit forgetting its name, we forget who we truly are. Anger becomes the fire that burns away false layers, revealing the inheritance beneath.

The Journey:

False identity (what society calls you)
    ↓ (anger burns layer)
Fears and anxieties
    ↓ (anger burns layer)
Suppressed true self
    ↓ (anger burns layer)
INHERITANCE - Your true name

Narrative Application:
- Heroes carry bloodlines of historical warriors - But they've forgotten who they truly are - Society buried their true names under false identities - Anger strips away these false layers, one by one - Eventually: they remember

🚨 SPOILER: Complete Philosophical Resolution

### How These Pillars Work Together

                    Buddha (Cycle)
                          △
                         ╱ ╲
                        ╱   ╲
                       ╱     ╲
                      ╱  GAME ╲
                     ╱   MOTTO ╲
                    ╱  (Identity)╲
                   ╱             ╲
Eckhart/Jung ────────────────────── Balance
(Foundation)                        (Resolution)

**The philosophical triangle guides both narrative structure and player experience:** 1. **Foundation (Eckhart/Jung):** Heroes must hit rock bottom, face their darkest selves 2. **Cycle (Buddha):** Pattern repeats until understood through anger's layers 3. **Identity (Motto):** False identities burn away, true inheritance emerges 4. **Resolution:** Only complete understanding reveals the truth **The ultimate revelation:** - Evil cannot be destroyed, only balanced - Heroes are not destroyers, but authentic selves finding their place - True inheritance = being yourself, which naturally creates balance - Lock hands with opposition, don't annihilate it - Your ancestors were themselves—that's what made them perfect pieces **"Higher Measure" Quote (Supporting Philosophy):** > *"Without a higher measure, good and evil collapse into the same shadow."* Without understanding the complete cycle, righteous fury becomes indistinguishable from evil. The "higher measure" is seeing the pattern and being your authentic self within it—then choosing balance over destruction.

For complete philosophical framework, see philosophy-framework.md

Narrative Structure: Reverse Discovery¶

Unlike traditional narratives, I Drank The Wine begins at the reaction and works backwards to the cause:

Start: Heroes fighting against visible evil (gangs, corruption, decay)
Progress: Discovering connections between events
Revelation: Understanding the cycle that created this evil
Climax: Confronting the root cause
Resolution: Player's interpretation of the complete cycle

Each playable character has their own perspective and story, unaware of the others, yet all are pieces of the same larger narrative.

👥 Target Audience¶

Primary Audience¶

Age: 18-35 years old
Gamers who enjoy: Beat 'em ups, roguelikes, character action games
Interests: Deep narratives, philosophical themes, skill-based gameplay
References: Fans of Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Hades, Dead Cells
Values: Story depth, meaningful mechanics, replayability

Secondary Audience¶

Story-driven gamers interested in unique narratives
Philosophy enthusiasts curious about interactive storytelling
Multiplayer co-op fans (post-launch)

Player Motivations¶

Mastery: Deep, skill-based combat to perfect
Discovery: Unraveling the reverse narrative mystery
Expression: Building unique playstyles through card system
Social: Sharing discoveries and co-op experiences

⭐ Unique Selling Points (USPs)¶

What Makes "I Drank The Wine: Inheritance" Different?¶

"What truly sets the game apart is its fusion of deep skill-based combat with survivor-style card mechanics and realistic physics—all wrapped in a philosophical story that tackles today's real-world issues through the lens of historical bloodlines and inherited fury."

1. 🥊 Weighty, Timing-Based Combat¶

The foundation of everything. Fast, fluid combat with: - Weapon speed variation affecting rhythm and strategy - Reactive hit-stun system - Environmental collision damage - Deflect thrown objects mid-air - Knock ground items toward enemies - Send enemies flying into each other - Every strike matters, every hit has weight

2. 🃏 Deep Skill System + Survivor-Style Cards¶

Combines roguelike card collection with permanent skill progression: - Weapon cards change your combat style mid-run - Item cards enhance abilities and unlock combos - Build variety creates endless possibilities - Permanent meta-progression between runs - Dynamic playstyle evolution under pressure

3. ⚔️ Three Combat Identities Per Hero¶

Each character offers three distinct playstyles: - Core Style: Bare-hands fighting with upgradeable abilities - Weapon Style 1: Close-quarters specialty - Weapon Style 2: Heavy or extended-range alternative

This triples variety and replayability per character.

4. 💥 Realistic Combat Physics¶

Combat feels tactical and impactful: - Objects have weight and momentum - Environmental hazards matter - Chain reactions create strategic depth - Combo branching (punches → kicks with timing) - Sprint attacks for aggressive positioning - Ground enemy punishment mechanics

5. 🌍 Interconnected Real-World Cities¶

Each city represents a stage in both narrative and gameplay: - Paris, Istanbul, London, Tokyo - Multi-stage routes with branching paths - Mini-bosses and elite encounters - Powerful main boss per city - Story progression unlocks new routes across cities - Global narrative through urban battlegrounds

6. 🔁 Roguelike Replayability¶

Each run is unique: - Procedurally varied encounters - Permadeath with permanent progression - Risk/reward decision-making - Character mastery system - Every fall is a lesson, every run makes you stronger

7. 📖 Philosophical Story Enhancement¶

The "krema on top"—enhances experience without affecting gameplay: - Tackles real-world issues from unexpected angles - Inheritance and identity exploration - Philosophical depth through Eckhart, Jung, Buddha - Reverse narrative discovery - Think: "An interactive book you punch your way through" - Story enriches the experience, combat drives it

🎮 High-Level Feature List¶

Core Features (Demo Complete)¶

Combat System¶

Fast, fluid, timing-based melee combat
Weapon speed variation affecting rhythm
Combo branching (punches → kicks with proper timing)
Sprint attacks for gap closing
Ground enemy punishment mechanics
Reactive hit-stun system
Environmental object interaction

Roguelike Elements¶

Procedurally varied encounters
Permadeath with permanent progression
Run-based gameplay loop
Risk/reward decision-making

Card Build System¶

Weapon cards (change combat style)
Item cards (enhance abilities)
Collected during runs
Dynamic build creation

Permanent Progression¶

Skill experience carries over
Story progress unlocks new routes
Character mastery system

Stage Structure¶

Multi-stage routes per city
Mini-bosses
Elite encounters
Main boss per city

Demo Content¶

3 playable stages
1 playable character: Cengiz
City: Paris (Demo location)

Planned Features (In Development / Post-Demo)¶

Steam Integration¶

Steam Inventory Items (Target: Demo release if possible)
Trading cards
Collectible items
Profile showcases
Community engagement features
Steam Achievements
Steam Leaderboards (if applicable)

Additional Characters¶

Multiple heroes, each with: - Unique backstory and perspective - Three combat styles - Character-specific stages/routes - Distinct abilities - Total 6 heroes planned: Cengiz + 5 more (bloodlines: Joan of Arc, Baldwin IV, Richard Lionheart, Emilia Platter, Hattori Hanzo)

Expanded Cities¶

Istanbul
London
Tokyo
Additional locations TBD

Advanced Mechanics¶

Character-specific abilities
Advanced combo systems
More card variety
Deeper progression trees

UI/UX Polish¶

Menu system refinement
HUD optimization
Accessibility options

Future Considerations¶

Multiplayer co-op (P2P networking via SteamWorks, 2-4 players)
Mobile/Console ports
Additional game modes
Community features
Seasonal content

🎨 Art & Aesthetic Direction¶

Visual Style¶

Core Aesthetic: Full 3D brawler with side-scrolling camera, featuring dark atmospheric environments and vibrant character design

Visual Characteristics: - Painterly 3D with hand-drawn aesthetic feel - Dark atmospheres contrasted with vibrant character design - Anime-influenced stylization - Classic arcade brawler presentation - Contemporary urban settings with historical flashback capability

Character Design: - Semi-chibi proportions (stylized bodies with expressive features) - Realistic details with deliberate exaggeration - Vibrant character colors pop against darker environments - Anime-influenced facial expressions and fluid animation - Historical warrior aesthetics blended with modern streetwear

Environment Design: - Stylized approach with architectural realism - Real-world cities reimagined (Paris, Istanbul, London, Tokyo) - Dark, atmospheric lighting with neon and vibrant accents - Urban decay: graffiti, corruption, visible societal breakdown - Dual timeline support: contemporary + historical flashbacks - Environmental storytelling through decay and disorder - Full 3D environments with depth and interactive elements

Color Palette: - Base: Dark, desaturated urban tones (greys, blacks, muted browns) - Accents: Vibrant character colors, neon signs, explosive effects - Contrast: Characters pop against atmospheric backgrounds - Flashbacks: Warmer/different palette to distinguish time periods

Technical Approach: - Full 3D gameplay in side-scrolling camera perspective - Baked lighting with simulated dynamics through effects, reflections, and projections - Particle effects for impact and environmental storytelling - Smooth animation prioritizing combat fluidity - 3D physics for realistic object interaction - Interactive & animated environments: - Multi-layered ambient movement (rats scurrying, bushes rolling, debris shifting) - Environmental animations across foreground, midground, and background - Scene vitality through constant subtle motion - Living, breathing world that reacts to combat

Audio Direction¶

Voice Acting & Dialogue: - In-game dialogues developed with AI voice artists - Primary language: English - Subtitles supported in 12 languages (see Localization section) - Character voice direction for emotional range and personality

Music & Ambience: - Game soundtrack: AI-generated compositions - Atmospheric soundscapes for each city - Dynamic music system responding to combat intensity - Demo trailer music: AI-generated - Thematic motifs reflecting philosophical undertones

Sound Effects: - Base: Professional SFX libraries - Enhanced with manual recordings and audio manipulation - Combat impacts with weight and variation - Environmental audio (ambient city sounds, interactive objects) - UI feedback sounds

Audio Philosophy: - Impactful combat sound design prioritizing combat feel - Atmospheric music supporting narrative themes - Environmental audio enhancing city immersion - Silence used strategically for dramatic moments

🌍 World & Setting¶

The Silent Invasion¶

A subtle corruption spreads across the world's major cities. On the surface, life continues—but beneath, crime flourishes, order crumbles, and darkness grows. No single villain, no obvious enemy—just a pervasive decay of society.

Heroes rise independently in different cities, each believing they fight a local battle, unaware they're all pieces of a global cycle.

Cities as Battlegrounds¶

Each city represents: - A stage in the narrative - A unique cultural perspective on the invasion - Distinct visual and gameplay identity - Connection to the larger story

Demo City: Paris - Starting point of player's journey - Represents the visible reaction to corruption - 3 playable stages showcasing core mechanics

Planned Cities: - Istanbul: [Narrative role TBD] - London: [Narrative role TBD] - Tokyo: [Narrative role TBD]

📊 Success Metrics¶

Development Goals¶

Complete compelling narrative structure
Balance all character styles and cards
Implement stable multiplayer
Optimize for target platforms

Player Experience Goals¶

Players complete at least 10 runs
70%+ complete at least one full city
High skill ceiling attracts speedrunners/challenge players
Story completion rate above 40%

Business Goals¶

Successful Steam launch
Positive reviews (75%+ positive)
Build sustainable player community
Establish foundation for future content

🛣️ Development Roadmap¶

Current Phase: Documentation & Planning
Demo Status: Complete (3 stages, 1 character)
Code Status: ~80% complete for demo scope

Next Steps¶

Complete GDD documentation
Plan multiplayer architecture
Design additional characters
Expand content (stages, cards, enemies)
Prepare for funding/team expansion

[See detailed roadmap in Project Management section]

📝 Living Document Notes¶

This GDD is a living document that will evolve as the project develops. Major changes will be logged in the Changelog with version updates.

Related Documents: - Version History - Changelog - Game Mechanics - Story & World - Characters - Project Roadmap

Document Version: 0.1.0
Last Updated: December 1, 2024
Status: Foundation Complete, Expanding Sections

"The wine of anger is sweet, but its aftertaste reveals truths we'd rather not know."