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Downieville is a side-scrolling stealth platformer. The player's goal is to advance through the various chapters of the game to reach some end point of each chapter. You play as an adolescent boy who, accompanied by a stray klepto-cat, is trying to dig up the mysteries surrounding a thriving gold mining town.
StealthThe player's level of steapthiness is determines by three factors: visibility, quietness, and smelliness. Like other stealth games, the player can be found if seen or heard, but in Downieville, the player can also be found by his smell. Werid, huh? Well in general, stealth games put importance in decision making, and adding smell to the mix increases that importance; you'll have to think twice before eating that garlic to increase your health, jumping into that pile of trash to hide from a patrolling guard, or dragging that rotting cadaver's body to draw less attention. Though, smell can also be used to your advantage. For example, you can manipulate your cat companion by placing sardines at stratgeic location in order to get him go where you want.
SlingshotAnother gameplay element is the slingshot. Downieveille's gameplay is driven by player's slingshot, which the player uses as a weapon and as a tool to otherwise interact with the game's environment. Here are some different uses:
Incapacitating
The simplest use for the slingshot is to shoot projectiles at enemies to stun/damage/kill them.
Example Projectiles: pebble, explosive, smoke device, flashing device, knives.
Interacting
The slingshot can also be used to interact with different objects in the game. You can hit switches, extinguish lanterns, ignite ropes.
Example Projectiles: pebble, flaming object, water-filled object.
Luring
Lure enemies and other objects to you to get in better position to incapacitate, pickpocket, or other modes of interaction.
Example Projectiles: gold nugget, food.
Repelling
Repel things to avoid being discovered or damaged.
Example Projectiles: gold nugget, stinky things, rabbid animals.
FeelThe feel and pacing of the game will take hints from the Paper Mario franchise. Each chapter will take place in a different location, and at the end of each chapter, the player discovers something new to help unravel the mystery that was presented at the beginning of the game. Like Paper Mario, characters will be quirky with lots of personality. The dialogue's humor will be dry and morbid but a bit ridiculous at times.
