Core Concept

The game, "Keep It Together," focuses on a protagonist whose sanity is the main battlefield. The player's objective is to manage the main character's mental and emotional state by engaging in a series of psychological puzzle mini-games. The conflict is internal, not external, and success is measured by the character's ability to remain sane and emotionally stable in the face of real-life encounters.

Gameplay Systems

• Mental Visualization: When the main character faces a problem, the game transitions to a mental space. The player uses an "entry pad" to create symbolic imagery that directly affects the situation. For example, visualizing a waterfall to put out a fire, which represents an emotional outburst. A timer adds urgency to these puzzles.

• Symbolism and Archetypes: The solutions to the puzzles are rooted in Jungian psychology and cultural symbolism. The player must intuit which symbols will have the desired effect. The outcomes have "archetypal ranges," meaning certain symbols will consistently lead to a specific type of result, like a positive or negative resolution.

• Stress Meter: This meter tracks the protagonist's overall mental well-being. Failing the mental mini-games or making choices with negative outcomes will increase stress, while successful or peaceful moments will reduce it.

• Self-Respect Meter: This meter reflects the character's self-worth and confidence. It is affected by the outcomes of the mini-games, particularly those with multiple endings. If this meter drops too low, the character might "give up," affecting the story's trajectory.

Player Actions & Consequences

• Problem-Solving: The player's main action is to solve the mental visualization puzzles. Their success or failure directly influences how the main character reacts to real-world problems. A successful puzzle means the character handles the situation with grace and poise; a failure leads to a loss of composure.

• Emotional Expression: The mini-game outcomes affect the character's expressions and responses, which in turn alters the story's flow. For example, a good outcome might lead to a calm, respectful conversation, while a poor one could lead to an anxious or agitated response.

• Narrative Ripple Effects: The symbolism the player uses is tied to the protagonist's past and foreshadows future events. The player's choices and the symbols they use will have long-term consequences, affecting the character's ongoing situation, relationships, and the story's overarching themes.

• Non-Conflict Actions: Not all mini-games are tense. The game includes peaceful moments, like watching clouds and imagining shapes, which serve as stress-relieving activities to manage the stress meter.

Narrative & Ending

• Evolving Encounters: Each encounter with a specific character or place in the real world has a unique corresponding mental mini-game. These mental games change over time, reflecting the evolving relationship with that person or place.

• Long and Winding Conversations: The mental mini-games can affect the pacing of real-world conversations. If a player engages with a mini-game for a long time, the corresponding dialogue can become "very long and winding," with voice-over (VO) reflecting the character's internal monologue and thought process.

• Day-by-Day Progression: The game unfolds over a series of days, with time of day changing to create a sense of progression. Each day presents new thought-bubble mini-games that help the character resolve their feelings about ongoing encounters.

Potential Design Notes

• Scribblenauts-like mechanic: The game’s core mechanic is similar to the popular game Scribblenauts, but instead of creating physical objects from words, the player creates mental and emotional states from symbolic imagery.

• Implementation Complexity: The biggest challenge for this game would be creating an AI system that can accurately interpret the player's symbolic input and provide meaningful, archetypal outcomes. This would likely require a vast pre-defined library of symbols and their interconnected meanings.