Initial Ideas

For my initial ideas, I need to look at the features of Hunt the Wumpus that I'd like to keep in my re-imagining:

• Permanent Death - I feel this is an important feature of the original as, if the game plays well enough, it will add so much replay value to the game.
• Randomization - This also adds to replay value, since the player's experience is different every time they play.
• Room-to-Room Gameplay - I feel this can be a chilling thing in games. You never know what might lie in the next room and are sometimes hesitant to find out.

These are the main features that I'm going to keep in my game, but only work around, not make the main focus. Otherwise it would just be a copy of the original!

I want to make the game a little more immersive than the original Wumpus, so I think the one thing that was missing from that was audio. In my personal experience, I've found that the key to full immersion is a quiet place, dim lights and the game volume up to a reasonable level. From this, I want to make my game quite sound-based, while retaining the original's key features. I figure, that if I can create a solid game mechanic and Unique Selling Point, this game will stand out from most others due to the sound-based immersion tactic.

I think my target audience will be for people who love games with an atmosphere similar to that of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the perspective and humour of Luigi's Mansion and the roguelike gameplay of classic RPG's and a recent release - The Binding of Isaac. These two games are among my main inspirations for the re-imagining of Hunt the Wumpus, so I'll look at their key features to see what I can translate into my work.

The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a roguelike shooter.

The Binding of Isaac:

Even though most people make more of a connection to the original Legend of Zelda, most of the elements present in The Binding of Isaac can also be compared to Hunt the Wumpus in many ways. While the first two aforementioned games are much more interactive playing experiences, a lot of common RPG and roguelike elements are still retained in Hunt the Wumpus. The main part of The Binding of Isaac (and to an extent The Legend of Zelda) I'd like to add to my re-imagining is the exploration element it has. I feel that the Wumpus lacks immersion because all the player does is move from room-to-room in a single frame, and being in a room serves no purpose. I think that, by adding a reason to look in each room, the player will have much more reason to explore the whole map, and not just the vital parts. I'm thinking of adding items into the mix as well, maybe collecting items to build a trap? I think I'll see how it fits in with the other mechanics I'm using...

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

I think that the game's sound mechanic will create a feeling of immersion that works so well, it will also lend itself to the horror aspect of the game. Even though the visuals and characters may seem quite playful, the player will still be fighting for there life with a very low level of defence within the game. This factor will keep the players attention fixated on the game, since they'll need every bit of concentration they have to survive.

Luigi's Mansion


I'm looking to take the light-hearted atmosphere and some of the exploration elements from Luigi's Mansion and incorporate them into my game. Also, I really like the camera perspective used in this game, since it's easy to see where things are in each room without it being a plain bird's-eye-view. I feel like this perspective will also lend to the visual style I have in mind...

Hunt the Wumpus

"Your village has suffered too long from the nocturnal attacks of that horrible beast, the Wumpus. At your coming-of-age ceremony, you vow to do what no other hunter in the village has had the courage to try. Donning an old suit of armour and taking only a torch and a crossbow with a single arrow, you enter the cavernous lair of the Wumpus. The path is unknown, twisting through narrow corridors and forgotten chambers. Ancient pits, built by a dead people for their lost subterranean gods, ooze slime as they wait to claim another explorer. Monstrous bats inhabit the caves, carrying the unaware through the darkness and releasing them again at whim. Most terrible of all is the Wumpus, who slumbers even now in the darkness. Woe to any who come upon the beast in the shadows!

But you have chosen to face these dangers, great as they are. You will free your village or fall in the attempt. Because you alone have chosen to Hunt The Wumpus!"

The original computer game, Hunt the Wumpus, featured a mysterious monster known only to the player as 'The Wumpus' who the player would attempt to kill before they were eaten. The original BASIC version was a text-based game, while it was later ported to other systems with a variety of programming languages and graphical versions. I even managed to find a version on the Android market!

The best version I've managed to find is by Dream Codex Retrogames. This version is the most visually appealing and easy to get the hang of, so this is the one I'll be looking into.

The game's Title Screen.

Contained within the game, are a number of chambers/rooms. These vary in content and type, which are listed on the webpage below the game:

The game's style is comparable to that of the in-built Windows game: Minesweeper. The strategy in figuring out which room the Wumpus is in is very similar in the way that you must look at which rooms surround others to work out which room you're about to step (or shoot) into.

One of an infinite amount of  Wumpus dungeon layouts.

You could also place this game in the 'roguelike' genre, where each game is completely randomized, has a permanent death feature and are typically dungeon crawls. I think, when reinventing Hunt the Wumpus, this is one of the key features I want to keep.

Project 1: Brief Introduction

Game Document

In this brief, I've been given the task of re-imagining the classic computer game, Hunt the Wumpus, for a modern contemporary audience. To accompany this, I will also create a Game Design Document and 'pitch' my game to clearly explain my idea, the game's mechanics etc. 

The finalised Game Design Document will include persuasive imagery, a thorough explanation of the game's story, mechanics, and USP (Unique Selling Point). It will also contain research into target audiences, marketing and platform.