Pulse Lover’s UnReality (PC Casual Tempo Game)

Pulse Lover’s UnReality
Concept

P.L.U.R is an multiplayer “beat” RPG designed for the computer with a rapid passed ATB system. Modifiers for actions (like attacking and defending) are influenced by the amplitude of the waveform at the moment the user takes an action. Players try to defeat their enemies by utilizing various dance-themed attacks.
Story

There is a beat to the world and some are gifted with the ability to “feel the beat”. Utilizing this, humanities last hope must defend us against an invasion of energy sucking fiends. Called “Vibe-Hounds” they keep the beat of the world pulsing strong as they battle the hordes of enemies.
Active Time Battle System Beats (“Beats”)

A player can take an action ever beat by striking one of the keys for their action. (Alternating is a good idea) Before combat each player selects a playlist of songs to play during combat and the game analyzes the song. Each player can make an action every beats. (If a song has 60 beats per minute they can act every second) Actions are few and keyed to familiar keys for ease of use. Players attempt to keep a beat for bonus modifiers (+2% for each beat stacked) In this way higher tempo songs are more challenging but more effective to use. They receive more actions but the beats come quicker. A player may not act exclusively on-beat, giving them the option to delay their actions until they are at a more agitated section of the waveform.
Actions

Showing Off

Key: Space Bar

Alt Key: Backspace

Uses the amplitude of the waveform at the time of activation to determine damage. The formula for damage is height above or depth below zero crossing + style stat= damage.

Observing

Key: Enter

Uses the amplitude of the waveform at the time of activation to determine damage negated until the next beat. The formula for damage negated from incoming attacks until the next beat is the height above or depth below zero crossing + charisma stat= damage negated.

Chilling

Key: Enter

While “Chilling” players regenerate 2% of their total HP every beat. Chilling destroys any combo you may be building.

Stats and Levels

When you kill an enemy you gain experience points. Leveling up allows you to put points into “Style”, “Charisma”, or “Resilience”. Style elevates your damage output, charisma elevates the amount of damage you can negate with a defend action, and resilience raises the total number of hit points your character has. When you level up you also gain access to songs of higher tempos. Players start off with songs that range from 60-100 bmp and gain 10 bmp per level advanced to a maximum of 220. (When at 220 players can play songs above that)
Game Play

This game is designed to be “psychotic fast” beat matching tied to a traditional RPG system. The game is as much a beat-matching game as it is an RPG- player must equip themselves properly to gain an advantage over the enemy and build their stats in order to overcome an enemy.
AI

In general the AI enemies will send a “blast” at a player exactly 1 beat after they attack them. (It is suggested that the player defend against this.) The AI will attack the player outputting the most damage. (If not being attacked players will tend to simply attack, building up more damage)
Demographics

This game’s target audience is the teenage demographic though anyone who has a love for techno will probably enjoy it. I expect the art style to attract a casual game demographic while the RPG and challenges will probably cater to the hardcore demographic as well.

Notes:

The name of the game “P.L.U.R” is a pun on the acronym “P.L.U.R” (Peace Love Unity Respect) popular in the techno culture. In opposition P.L.U.R mean “Pulse Lover’s UnReality”

“Showing Off” has an alternate key so a player can use two hands to attack more effectively when not being targeted by an enemy.