Core Concept

"Blind as a Bat" is a first-person adventure game centered on a single, core gameplay constraint: severe nearsightedness. The player, after losing their glasses, must navigate a familiar urban environment that has become a blurry, abstract world. The primary goal is to return home for an important event, with the game's challenge coming from the sensory deprivation and the need to rely on sound and context clues to interpret the surroundings.

Gameplay Systems

• Sensory Navigation: The world is constantly out of focus, with only objects in very close proximity becoming clear. Players must physically get close to items to identify them, read text, or discern details.

• Aural Immersion: Heavy audio design is the most critical system. The game would rely on distinct and dynamic sound cues to provide information about the environment. Players would use footsteps, distant conversations, car horns, and other ambient sounds to deduce where they are, what dangers are nearby, and what important objects are present.

• Environmental Clues: Certain elements in the world would function as temporary aids. Passing reflections in windows, water puddles, or even the subtle distortion of light through a glass of water on a table could briefly reveal the true nature of a distant blur, providing a fleeting moment of clarity.

• Optional Combat/Gunplay: The game could include combat where traditional aiming is replaced by sound-based targeting. Players would have to locate enemies based on the sounds they make, such as footsteps, dialogue, or reloads, turning combat into a high-stakes auditory puzzle.

Player Actions & Consequences

• Exploration by Proximity: The primary player action is moving through the environment to get close enough to objects, people, or signs to interact with them or to make them clear.

• Time Management: With a time-sensitive event to get to, the player must balance careful, methodical navigation with the need for speed. Losing time or getting lost could have narrative consequences.

• Interacting with the World: The player must touch or get very close to objects to confirm their identity. For instance, to check the time, they would need to find a public clock and get close enough to read it, adding a layer of simple puzzle-solving to the most mundane tasks.

• Sound-Based Decisions: Every decision, from crossing the street to engaging in combat, would be driven by what the player hears. An approaching car horn is a signal to stop, a voice is a cue to approach for information, and a distant gunshot is a warning to take cover.

Narrative & Ending

• Relatable Premise: The narrative starts with a very relatable, everyday scenario: getting your glasses knocked off by a pigeon and breaking them. This grounds the bizarre experience in a recognizable reality.

• A Journey Home: The core narrative is a simple, high-stakes journey home. The player's success is defined by whether they can make it home on time and in one piece.

• Environmental Storytelling: The story is told through the player's interactions with the blurry world and the sounds within it. The details of the city, its characters, and the protagonist's impending event would be revealed through fleeting moments of visual clarity and persistent auditory cues.

• Multiple Endings: The game could have multiple endings based on the player's success with the time limit and any optional combat encounters, ranging from a peaceful return home to a more tragic outcome.