As for
Pitch #011... I think this could be fun.
Deep in the farthest reaches of space, a breach exists.
In our hubris, we sought to plumb this wound for power.
Yet, when we peered within... four pairs of eyes peered back.
When a weak distress call emanated from the asteroid-mining colony known as the Labyrinth, Paul Ackmann - a nearby scrapper exploring one of the nearby wrecked Orbitals - was attacked by a sudden swarm of bug-like creatures. Fighting his way through and arriving at the colony, he found it devoid of human life. But, with the UGSF undoubtedly on their way to respond, Ackmann's left with the harrowing task of determining the truth of the Labyrinth, with the help of tools and information left by its previous workers... before it's too late.
P. Ackmann's Labyrinth
(Namco, 2025)
Long story short; a Pac-Man platformer "metroidvania". You play as Paul Ackmann, distinguishable due to his distinctive yellow suit, and armed with an experimental drill acquired from a close friend during his time on Earth. Progressing through the Labyrinth, you'll equip various new items and abilities based on various classic Namco arcade titles, as well as having to fend off against the insectoid creatures from within the Breach - being, of course, based heavily on the
Galaxian series. On top of all of this... four energy-draining "Spectres" are travelling aimlessly around the Labyrinth, and must be avoided or faced with the tools at hand. Of course, Ackmann's unprepared for this at first, but if he can find one of the colony's energy sources, he may stand a chance...
Some weapons, items, and abilities could include;
- Drill Gun - Inspired by Dig Dug (1982). Ackmann's main weapon, it's a combined drill/pile bunker with the ability to repeatedly drill into enemies nearby, or fire off bits as projectiles that must be picked up. It's also capable of tunneling through rock with an upgrade, but can't tunnel through metal.
Miru - Inspired by Pac & Pal (1983). A rare example of a non-harmful Spectre, Miru bonds to Ackmann despite her lack of communicative skills, and joins him in his exploration. She can drain the power around her in a manner similar to the other four Spectres, and is also very adept at determining their location. (It's otherwise possible by looking for regions with no power on your map.)
Sonic Cannon - Inspired by Mappy (1983). A tool devised by one of the Labyrinth's security officers to harmlessly disrupt intruders utilising pressurised soundwaves. When fired at enemies, it momentarily stuns them - though other enemies are highly receptive to the sound and will become agitated.
Blue Crystal - Inspired by The Tower of Druaga (1984). A lighting system featured throughout Labyrinth, of which a handheld variant is found at the very bottom of a structure deep below the colony. It lights up dark places and always orients itself "upward" in relation to Labyrinth's artificial gravity, and has the unique property of being immune to the energy-draining effects of the Spectres.
FLAGG - Inspired by Rally-X (1980). Effectively works as a checkpoint system, of which Ackmann can carry up to three at a time, and "plant" into the ground. Should Ackmann be killed while holding at least one FLAGG, he'll respawn intact at any other FLAGG he's placed down. (If not, he'll respawn at his ship.)
Think of the game as having a sort of cross in terms of visuals with something like
Super Metroid while leaning hard into the space opera vibe seen in
2001: A Space Odyssey. The journey is, in some ways, quite cerebral - it is action-focused, but Ackmann's outlook on things will deteriorate over time, especially if exposed to the Spectres on multiple occasions. Ultimately, you'll need to destroy or dismiss the Spectres, seal the breach, and ensure it's safe for the UGSF to arrive - with a bad ending featuring various ships being overwhelmed by extradimensional forces.
Note that this is in no way intended to be a thematic ripoff of
Shadow Labyrinth. The idea's moreso inspired by a few interesting takes on Pac-Man as an astronaut that I've seen in the past. Also, sorry for the lack of mockups this time around, the lack of Internet coupled with uni starting to wrap up has been running me through the wringer a little!