1) World Creator

World creation game based on the different elements being used at the beginning of Book I to create the universe. Recent games including Magicka and Alchemy take the idea of creating new materials from a small starting subset of elements such as earth, air, fire, and water (heart not included). These can then be combined to create things like steam, mud, lava, etc. I propose that the user could combine the elements in different permutations that would lead to different resulting planets. These planets would evolve and grow depending on certain elements being used. A world consisting entirely of lava and rock would appear barren with magma pooling on the surface. A world that included water, rock, and land would become a more habitable and enjoyable place with dynamic actions taking place within the world's closed system.

 

The game should be laid out in a nice easy to understand format so that it can be picked up and immediately apparent on how to play. A nice navigable grid at the bottom that does not take up that much space would help with this. A large picture of the planet would also be beneficial.

 

The game would be fairly easy to implement at first just by coding specific outcomes based upon the user selection. The difficult portion would be creating dynamic effects that change as each element is added.

 

2) Constellation Battles!

 

Using a system of drag and drop stars (points) the user can create their own constellation. This type of system would be fairly intuitive on a handheld device. These constellations can then be used to fight other user created constellations or randomly generated ones. In Book II as Phaeton is riding in the chariot he becomes scared by the constellation Scorpio. The appearance of the player's creations could be dynamically created based upon the distances and locations of the stars placed.

 

Combat could have a hands-off approach where the user only acts as a creator of the being and then can watch the resulting conflict. Combat could also be more interactive wherein the user can select different types of attacks to use. I think this game would need a light narrative component, but since the majority of it would only exist in one-on-one combat I do not think that it would need an incredibly involved narrative.

 

The appearance would be simplistic with only two dimensions of view needed instead of three. Each star could be dragged and dropped from a variety of stars that could each have their own effects on the fighter. The music would be typical fighting game fodder with a more space-y or techno overtone. The art style would be more simplistic, perhaps drawing influence from the look and feel of Scribblenauts.

 

3)Cattle Hiding

 

In this game you take turns hiding cattle in an environment. Each player is presented with a 3D world in which they can hide a single cow. Essentially the game would function as a virtual version of hide and seek. There will be many hiding places for the player to select and then it will be their opponent's turn to try and find the hidden bovine. This game could be played as a simultaneous game on two separate phones. Both players would be given the same amount of time to hide their respective cows and then they would race to find the cow first. This would be relatively easy to implement on the Android OS since it has many built-in communication functions

 

This is based on the portion of Book II in which Apollo is distracted and no longer pays attention to his herd. During this time, Mercury steals the cattle and hides them in the woods to piss off Apollo because that is just how Mercury rolls.

 

The game should have a cartoony aesthetic with exaggerated cel-shading for the art. The music would be more whimsical with non-realistic sound effects for the cows and other sources of sound in the game.

 

4)Tiresias Sex Change

 

This game idea stems from the part of book III where Juno and Jupiter are debating whether a man or woman enjoys sex more. Tiresias has been both a man and a woman because he hit two snakes with a stick on separate occasions. In this version there could be a particular crisis that arises and our hero needs to solve it.

 

The main game idea is an RPG in which you play as a main character that has only one real power which is the ability to change sexes at will. The story could involve trying to accomplish a set amount of goals with particular portions being easier for a man or woman to do.  It would be a 2.5D game and would feature a style similar to other top-down RPG's like The Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. The music would be more cinematic and feature a fluid score that was different for each location. I could also see this game as being a more cartoony point-and-click adventure in the same style as Sam and Max or Monkey Island.

 

This type of game would function well on a phone's touchscreen. Most games that are turn-based or have a slower game speed are easier to handle than an action-packed game such as Street Fighter.

 

5)Phaeton's Wild Ride

 

In book II Phaeton does not believe that Apollo is his father and so he proceeds to take the golden chariot of the sun out for a test spin. The only problem is that he doesn't even have his chariot learner's permit and cannot control the reins or the horses. In this game the player will assume the role of Phaeton and dodge incoming stars and constellations as well as the deadly lightning bolts of Jupiter.

 

The gameplay would be a 2D shoot-em-up in the style of Gradius, Ikaruga, or 1942. The player would be constantly bombarded with projectiles and enemies that they would have to destroy or dodge.

 

The art style would be detailed and realistic with an intense orchestral soundtrack that has a fast tempo. These would help create a sense of urgency and chaos while still providing a clear view for the user.

 

The game would work well on an Android device with either button control or touchscreen controls. Certain games like Radiant do not even require the player to shoot, but merely to move in one dimension. Ikaruga on the other hand allows the player to move in two dimensions and control the rate of fire. I think that experimentation on the devices would lead to the ideal setup.