So recently I've been walking around with an idea for a game, and I'm interested in what other people think of it, aswell as what they would remove, add or change to the idea.

The idea is somewhat based of of League of Legends (No, its not a idea for an MMO), and thus you'll need some basic understanding of the playable characters (champions) in that game, as well as the core idea of them.

--Skip this if you know league of legends, or if you're just not interested--

LoL has multiple characters, all featuring an unique kit of 4 abilities and 1 passive ability. All of them have different playstyles, but they are sorted into groups of what kind they are. In my opinion, the Assasin type champions are the most fun.

Abilities are triggered with Q, W, E and R. After using an ability it goes on cooldown for a few seconds.

Katarina:

Katarina is a melee fighter. Trowhing knives at enemies, swirling her blades and teleporting to enemies and allies she is able to kill targets quick and effectivly. Especially since her passive will reset all her abilities.

LeBlanc:

LeBlanc is able to put marks on targets, popping them and dealing extra damage whenever she uses another spell on that target.

She is also able to blink away and teleport back to her original location. And shoot chains to a target, rooting it for a few seconds if she keeps them connected for long enough.

What makes LeBlanc fun to play is her R, which lets her Mimic her last used ability, thus making for some really nice and fast paced combo's.

Zed:

Zed is a ninja who is able to spawn shadows who will copy the abilities he uses, as well as that he is able to switch playes with those shadows.

While his kit seems the most boring, I find him actually the most fun to play. I just like the concept of him in general.

So with that out of the way, let's get into the actual idea;

I want to create a 2D platformer in which you can play as one of these 3 champions (Although there are some I want to include too, I just didnt list them).

You'll be set in a medium sized arena, against another one of these Assasins.

In the arena will be minions as well. Creatures that attack you, but do very little damage and dont have any special abilities.

Your goal of course, is to kill your enemy assasin, as quick as possible.

After you do this you'll be going to the next arena, facing off against another assasin, etc etc.

In the last arena you'll be going against the same champion you are playing as. However, he will have a better AI than the previous enemies you've fought, as well as having higher base damage.

Do also note that you're playing as mobile assasins. Gameplay will be fast paced and probably really intense.

I want to make this game with pixelart. With sprites as small as 32x32, giving it a more retro feel.

What do you think of this idea? Would you play it? Would you enjoy playing it?

What doesnt appeal to you? What does?

Any feedback would be appriciated.

(Also, do note that I dont want this to be a full blown game. Just something as a small fun project which people can play for free if they want to.)

What you are describing is a sidescroller, not a platformer (unless there are actual platforms you forgot to mention). It also sounds like it could be better compared to Mortal Kombat, but with minions that attack as well as the main enemy. Also I don't play LoL so I don't really know the characters in the game, however if those are actual characters in the game you should change them and replace them with your own to avoid any kind of copyright infringement. Not to mention creating your own characters is the fun part of development for stuff like this. Assuming you add some serious depth to the game (varied and interesting combat, its very own lore, maybe add some dynamic elements to your levels, just generally spruce it up a bit) I would try it out at least.

After a quick google search... You are indeed right, it's a sidescroller :p

And yes, you could see it as a somewhat hybrid between the two. Although you will have a lot more freedom to walk around and interact with objects in the arena.

For the characters, I know that there could be some potential copyright issues (Which slightly doubt, seeing as this will be a project that wont be played by a lot of people, mainly friends), and really, I'm not all that good at making assasin like characters. (Although I do have an idea for one character I would like to include. Maybe some sort of easter egg)

At the moment Im just creating some of the art I will use. So that when I find the time to start programming I will have it already done.

For the characters, I know that there could be some potential copyright issues (Which slightly doubt, seeing as this will be a project that wont be played by a lot of people, mainly friends), and really, I'm not all that good at making assasin like characters.

Never undermine yourself or your work. Although it may start out with just you and your friends, that isn't an indicator of where it could be some time down the road. If something like Flappy Bird can get millions of downloads, there is no reason why you can't at least get a couple thousand. As for character creation. If you are truly have that much of an issue with it, then ask someone for help. The forums of Gamedev.net are sure to be able to come up with something. Or if you're really desperate I would be happy to help out myself.

Heh, at first I thought this was going to be Awesomenauts. (2d sidescrollin' MOBA) Zed sounds like he came from the old 2D Ninja Gaiden games, right down to the shadows that copy moves, though Ryu couldn't swap position with them, they just followed him around.

And lastly, good platformer AI is pretty hard, just a heads up. Unless maybe you don't have any platforms? It could be more of a sidecrolling beat'em up a la the old double dragon or streets of rage style games. Most of the old 2d games mirror the "minions that do very little damage" and "Bosses that do more" thing, so I'm curious if I'm misinterpreting the gameplay.

And yes, you could see it as a somewhat hybrid between the two. Although you will have a lot more freedom to walk around and interact with objects in the arena.

When it is a fast paced game, you will not have lot of time to interact with objects

For the characters, I know that there could be some potential copyright issues

You should design your own characters, considering that the Lol sounds quite different to your game. LoL is a team based action game, with character design targeting to support team work. In a 1vs1 scenario you would need to redesign a lot.

At the moment Im just creating some of the art I will use. So that when I find the time to start programming I will have it already done.

Your ambition and scope sounds right. It sounds, that you just want to make some quick game to play around and have some fun. This way it sounds pretty cool, I wish you good luck and having fun making it, eventually it will be a great experience

Heh, at first I thought this was going to be Awesomenauts. (2d sidescrollin' MOBA) Zed sounds like he came from the old 2D Ninja Gaiden games, right down to the shadows that copy moves, though Ryu couldn't swap position with them, they just followed him around.

And lastly, good platformer AI is pretty hard, just a heads up. Unless maybe you don't have any platforms? It could be more of a sidecrolling beat'em up a la the old double dragon or streets of rage style games. Most of the old 2d games mirror the "minions that do very little damage" and "Bosses that do more" thing, so I'm curious if I'm misinterpreting the gameplay.

Yes, but in those kinds of games those bosses really arent really smart, or have nice attacks. They're more like, "I'll fly up and down, and shoot some slow moving fireballs at you that you have to dodge otherwise you die, and I have a ton of hp too" kind of deal.

In this case the characters you are playing are equally strong, but have unique playstyles to them. It doesn't matter if the enemy is able to get a nice combo on you, but you should be the one outsmarting that enemy. Outplaying it with the abilities you have.

And yes, you could see it as a somewhat hybrid between the two. Although you will have a lot more freedom to walk around and interact with objects in the arena.

When it is a fast paced game, you will not have lot of time to interact with objects

For the characters, I know that there could be some potential copyright issues

You should design your own characters, considering that the Lol sounds quite different to your game. LoL is a team based action game, with character design targeting to support team work. In a 1vs1 scenario you would need to redesign a lot.

At the moment Im just creating some of the art I will use. So that when I find the time to start programming I will have it already done.

Your ambition and scope sounds right. It sounds, that you just want to make some quick game to play around and have some fun. This way it sounds pretty cool, I wish you good luck and having fun making it, eventually it will be a great experience

I think that even though its a fast paced game, players will be moving around the arena a lot. Not only because some spots may give them an advantage over the enemy, but also because you will have to; Dodging the enemies abilities while setting yourself up for a good combo.

In the end, players should be constantly moving for potential advantages.

While LoL is indeed a teamgame these characters are Assasins, meaning that they dont neccesarely need their team to be effective, Assasins can kill squishy targets quick and effectivly, yet also coming out alive due to their mobile kit.

As a small example, as LeBlanc you could use your "Blink" to get near the target, bust your combo quickly and then teleport back to your original location unharmed.

This is why I find these characters so fitting for this game, because 1v1'ing with these kinds of characters is probably the most fun in LoL in my opinion.

As a small example, as LeBlanc you could use your "Blink" to get near the target, bust your combo quickly and then teleport back to your original location unharmed.

This is the reason she is a team player. Without the distraction of her team (and I don't talk about any noob-bashing), she wouldn't be able to reach the squishy characters at the backline. If you have a 1v1 you suddenly need to reconsider a lot of factors. For one, squishy characters will be suddenly without any protection, therefor you need to tweak them to keep up competitive. If you have a burst damage character, it would be too easy to reach the enemy, especially if you have burst+escape, so you need nerf him.

The whole dynamic changes with a 1v1 and you would need to tweak and redesign a lot to balance out the new situation, because you need to ensure, that both player have fun and not only one.

As a small example, as LeBlanc you could use your "Blink" to get near the target, bust your combo quickly and then teleport back to your original location unharmed.

This is the reason she is a team player. Without the distraction of her team (and I don't talk about any noob-bashing), she wouldn't be able to reach the squishy characters at the backline. If you have a 1v1 you suddenly need to reconsider a lot of factors. For one, squishy characters will be suddenly without any protection, therefor you need to tweak them to keep up competitive. If you have a burst damage character, it would be too easy to reach the enemy, especially if you have burst+escape, so you need nerf him.

The whole dynamic changes with a 1v1 and you would need to tweak and redesign a lot to balance out the new situation, because you need to ensure, that both player have fun and not only one.

Im well aware of that. My game shouldnt just be "spam all keys and win lol", it should take skill and planning to take.

This would mean that aside from abilities having to be very balanced there should be some sort of award for performing well.

Characters should also be reliant on their abilities. LeBlanc has a really good movement ability, so maybe to make her more reliant on it she should be outran by all the other characters.

This way players will be forced to plan what they're doing, otherwise they will just be caught without any ability to save herself from any potential harm.

Why go through all the trouble of designing this game, only to set yourself up for trouble with characters stolen from LoL?

Even with your point taken into acoount that this game would not going to be public, why not exchange the characters for different ones (seeing how the rest of the game design seems to have not much in common with LoL and frankly, from what I hear about it as a non-player with little interest in the game, LoL itself sounds as generic and streamlined as a game can be)?

Why not change the graphics, names, and swap out the skills, which would net you game you actually could go public with without being sued and, if you want to go that way, show as part of your portfolio down the road without your potential employer always asking the same embarassing question: "are those LoL characters you borrowed there for your game?"

Really, if you are any good with art, try to come up with your own chars. Not only because of what was mentioned above, but also will the difference in style between your environment art and the characters be much smaller if you design them yourself.