INVICTUS

Invictus is a UI based prototype for an action roguelike game revolving around the life of a Roman gladiator fighting in the Colosseum. The core gameplay revolves around hard-hitting melee combat and high stakes boss battles. The player's success is tied to their ability to accumulate favour, which is accrued from high risk behaviour such as taunting opponents or fighting without armour.

Favour increases pay-outs for fights and is the only method of permanently increasing player vitals such as health and stamina. The idea was to develop a system of player progression that rewards intense risk-taking by tying it to their ability to level up and upgrade their gear.

At the start of each run, the player creates a new character, drawn from the masses of slaves, fugitives and criminals held in the dungeons of Rome. The game features permadeath, as dying in the arena at any point forces the player to create a new character from scratch.

As the player survives and grows stronger in each run, they begin to turn their character from a nobody plucked from the dregs of society to a renowned and famous gladiator. Passing key favour thresholds unlocks new gladiatorial games to participate in, and once the player accumulates enough favour, they are given a chance to earn their freedom and leave the arena for good.