So I got bored one night and started doodling and jotting down ideas
And it eventually ended up as a Metroid and Megaman Zero love child, a 16/32 bit action/adventure/horror(ish) game dubbed "Corinth".
The game begins in a high-security space prison. You play and view through the eyes of a convicted bounty hunter, Delvern Zetia, who's been given a chance at redemption. A research team who went to a planet known as C-5629-4398, or Corinth, have gone completely missing alongside every rescue team sent to save them. If he succeeds in recovering the lost research team, then his sentence is ended and his criminal record is cleared.
Accepting this chance, he is sent to Corinth immediately, at least after he is given back his Sygrin Nanite Armor. So he fights through the surface of the bio-mechanical planet, getting neat upgrades, fighting robots gone rogue within the planets cave systems, slowly learning what happened to the teams sent to Corinth.
One of the game's signature abilities is the Corinth Nano-Hook Blade, salvage off of big boss. You can use it like a grapple, or use it to turn basic enemies into make-shift FLAILS, and use it to combo attacks on tougher enemies.
Basically, take what made Metroid unique exploration-wise, and throw in the kickass combat in MegaMan Zero. And mix the two artstyles from both games together, with my own added spice of course. Oh, and a headbandin' soundtrack.

I'd love to hear feedback from you guys, your critiques and input can push me towards perfecting the idea and make it a game.

Skyward_Saint said:
The game begins in a high-security space prison. You play and view through the eyes of a convicted bounty hunter, Delvern Zetia, who's been given a chance at redemption. A research team who went to a planet known as C-5629-4398, or Corinth, have gone completely missing alongside every rescue team sent to save them. If he succeeds in recovering the lost research team, then his sentence is ended and his criminal record is cleared.
Accepting this chance, he is sent to Corinth immediately, at least after he is given back his Sygrin Nanite Armor.

Sounds fine for an opening cutscene. Just remember that many players aren't going to care about the minutiae of the fiction and will mash buttons until they reach gameplay.

Skyward_Saint said:
So he fights through the surface of the bio-mechanical planet, getting neat upgrades, fighting robots gone rogue within the planets cave systems, slowly learning what happened

In terms of a "game design best practice", this is more useful and on-point than "Metroid and Megaman Zero love child, a 16/32 bit action/adventure/horror(ish) game".

Again, not to downplay your narrative, but something to keep in mind is that most players don't have the patience for long dialogue, either. Some will, of course, but a lot of game writers use the length of a tweet as a rule of thumb for when your dialogue is "too long". Even better is opt-in narrative, where the fiction informs background elements and prop placement, and there may be things in the world that the player interacts with and can reveal the narrative, which are entirely skippable.

Skyward_Saint said:
One of the game's signature abilities is the Corinth Nano-Hook Blade, salvage off of big boss. You can use it like a grapple, or use it to turn basic enemies into make-shift FLAILS, and use it to combo attacks on tougher enemies.

Insert pun here about what sounds like a good "hook" for your gameplay. This is where you should spend most of your time thinking - how many ways can we play around with a high-tech space brute using a grappling hook and incorporate it into the level design and gameplay?

Besides swinging off of ceilings, can you use this against walls to climb upwards?

Can the grappling hook nab powerups and health/ammo pickups?

Can the grappling hook penetrate certain walls to reveal secrets?

Conversely, can the grappling hook fail to grapple certain surfaces?

When swinging enemies around, is that intended to be a circular arc coplanar with the screen (which is great for attacking/defending in all directions, but finicky about distance), or perpendicular to the screen (great for attacking/defending at all distances, but only in certain directions)?

What happens if you grapple onto something electrified? Maybe that's an environmental hazard so the player has to think more carefully about navigating some areas.

Does the grappling hook interact with switches? Can you hang from grappled switches as parts of the room move around you, or as the room itself moves around you?

Are certain enemies incorporeal (gaseous or phantasmic) and thus immune to being grappled?

Are certain enemies able to turn the tables on the player and pull them into trouble if grappled by the player?

Will certain enemies or bosses have a grappling hook of their own, with abilities that mimic the player's (or that teach the player new abilities)?

How does grappling hook progression work, in general? Is it based on item drops (Most Metroidvanias, including Metroid and most Castlevanias after Rondo of Blood), or beating bosses (most Megaman games)?

You should also start thinking about area themes. Sure, it's a planet, there will probably be a boring, obligatory lava zone, but---

• Is the overworld in a swamp, in mountains/ravines, in a forest, in the arctic, in well-developed-but-maybe-abandoned urban development? Or somewhere else?

• Is the underground mostly natural caves with some outcroppings of industrialization/civilization, or is it mostly well-developed with some caverns left alone?

• If mostly caves, consider that there are a bunch of different looks and feelings and color themes to different cave systems, based on the types of mineral composition of the rocks they're carved out of. Some are dry, others wet, some salty (literally made of crumbly salts) while others made of rigid granite.

• Are any of these caves mines? For mineral wealth, salt, water, or maybe just giant excavations for building materials? Maybe underground farms or ranches for either local or imported flora and fauna?

• Is the lighting artificial, or natural? Bioluminescence? Does the character simply see in the dark and nothing is really black? Can the light sources be extinguished, at least sometimes?

Other general purpose recommendations:

When building your art style, find a *ton* of reference materials showing the various elements of style that you're looking for, besides just Megaman and Metroid. Also find counter-examples so that your contracted artist(s) know what to stay away from.

Ditto the music: You describe it as "headbandin'", but what does that mean? What kinds of sounds are you thinking of? Heavy Metal/Rock a la Megaman X/X2/X3? J-Synth a la Megaman X4/X5/X6? Dark Synthwave a la Super Metroid and the Metroid Prime series? Also, go beyond video game examples, look into various music genres and labels - there is a world of difference between the sounds of Scandroid, Lazerhawk, Waveshaper, Dance of the Dead, GOST, Mega Drive, and Perturbator, even though all of those are nominally some degree of "Synthwave".

ikdind said:
Sounds fine for an opening cutscene. Just remember that many players aren't going to care about the minutiae of the fiction and will mash buttons until they reach gameplay.

In terms of a "game design best practice", this is more useful and on-point than "Metroid and Megaman Zero love child, a 16/32 bit action/adventure/horror(ish) game".

Again, not to downplay your narrative, but something to keep in mind is that most players don't have the patience for long dialogue, either. Some will, of course, but a lot of game writers use the length of a tweet as a rule of thumb for when your dialogue is "too long". Even better is opt-in narrative, where the fiction informs background elements and prop placement, and there may be things in the world that the player interacts with and can reveal the narrative, which are entirely skippable.

Insert pun here about what sounds like a good "hook" for your gameplay. This is where you should spend most of your time thinking - how many ways can we play around with a high-tech space brute using a grappling hook and incorporate it into the level design and gameplay?

Besides swinging off of ceilings, can you use this against walls to climb upwards?

Can the grappling hook nab powerups and health/ammo pickups?

Can the grappling hook penetrate certain walls to reveal secrets?

Conversely, can the grappling hook fail to grapple certain surfaces?

When swinging enemies around, is that intended to be a circular arc coplanar with the screen (which is great for attacking/defending in all directions, but finicky about distance), or perpendicular to the screen (great for attacking/defending at all distances, but only in certain directions)?

What happens if you grapple onto something electrified? Maybe that's an environmental hazard so the player has to think more carefully about navigating some areas.

Does the grappling hook interact with switches? Can you hang from grappled switches as parts of the room move around you, or as the room itself moves around you?

Are certain enemies incorporeal (gaseous or phantasmic) and thus immune to being grappled?

Are certain enemies able to turn the tables on the player and pull them into trouble if grappled by the player?

Will certain enemies or bosses have a grappling hook of their own, with abilities that mimic the player's (or that teach the player new abilities)?

How does grappling hook progression work, in general? Is it based on item drops (Most Metroidvanias, including Metroid and most Castlevanias after Rondo of Blood), or beating bosses (most Megaman games)?

You should also start thinking about area themes. Sure, it's a planet, there will probably be a boring, obligatory lava zone, but---

• Is the overworld in a swamp, in mountains/ravines, in a forest, in the arctic, in well-developed-but-maybe-abandoned urban development? Or somewhere else?

• Is the underground mostly natural caves with some outcroppings of industrialization/civilization, or is it mostly well-developed with some caverns left alone?

• If mostly caves, consider that there are a bunch of different looks and feelings and color themes to different cave systems, based on the types of mineral composition of the rocks they're carved out of. Some are dry, others wet, some salty (literally made of crumbly salts) while others made of rigid granite.

• Are any of these caves mines? For mineral wealth, salt, water, or maybe just giant excavations for building materials? Maybe underground farms or ranches for either local or imported flora and fauna?

• Is the lighting artificial, or natural? Bioluminescence? Does the character simply see in the dark and nothing is really black? Can the light sources be extinguished, at least sometimes?

Other general purpose recommendations:

When building your art style, find a *ton* of reference materials showing the various elements of style that you're looking for, besides just Megaman and Metroid. Also find counter-examples so that your contracted artist(s) know what to stay away from.

Ditto the music: You describe it as "headbandin'", but what does that mean? What kinds of sounds are you thinking of? Heavy Metal/Rock a la Megaman X/X2/X3? J-Synth a la Megaman X4/X5/X6? Dark Synthwave a la Super Metroid and the Metroid Prime series? Also, go beyond video game examples, look into various music genres and labels - there is a world of difference between the sounds of Scandroid, Lazerhawk, Waveshaper, Dance of the Dead, GOST, Mega Drive, and Perturbator, even though all of those are nominally some degree of "Synthwave".

Wow, firstly, thank you for the sincere feedback!! It really helps to see it from another's prospective.
If I ever do make the game, the story will be simple and skippable. the story of the main character will be told through a series of small, yet descriptive, cutscenes. For those who have a need for speed, the cutscenes are easily skippable and let you jump right to the openning of the game.
Now, I truly loved your comments on my Nano-Hook. So, I'll answer a few of the questions you asked.
*Yes! The grapple can grab pickups and activate switches and such.
*Of course you can grab onto ledges and walls, even certain enemies.
*I could make it so you can grapple and rip out certain blocks to unlock new areas or find items or shortcuts. Quite a good idea!
*Depending on the enemy or surface, you can fail to attach and the blade will return to the gauntlet.
*Yes! There are enemies that don't like being grabbed and will pull you towards them or sling you.
*Flailing enemies can be like Thor's hammer, charging the throw until you release. Alternatively, you can spin the grappled foe around you in a circle, knocking back enemies.
*In the concepts of the game, certain bosses will require you to grapple up to higher points, such as platforms or walls, to hit their weak point. Oh, and bosses drop new upgrades and abilities, like the Blink-Point Dash
*In the 3rd "layer" of the crumbling temples and dark caves, you fight a boss who's equipped with the Nano-Hook Blade. After beating the boss, you salvage the blade and equip it to your left forearm.

As for the setting...
In areas that are artificial, it varies.
Temples
Power Facilities
Chemical Laboratories
Residential Areas
Research Labs
Factories
Etc.
Caverns are different.
Some lead into deep ravines illuminated by floating bioluminescent bugs.
Others can be flooded with water or lava. With water pressure too high to trek in for too long, or the caves being hot enough to boil your blood.
Some are ruins of older facilities, like an old Power Plant.
Enemies are machines in artificial areas, with some alien creatures in-between. Caves are vice-versa, aliens and some robots wandering about.

The artstyle is what bothers me a bit. It is hard to pin down what I want it to look like, and not get annihilated by Nintendo or Capcom. Striking a balance like that is kinda difficult.

The music is my personal must-be-perfect for this pet project. Music like Carpenter Brut's fits like a glove. The heavy hitting bass and powerful build up of his tracks can easily fit into the game's atmosphere. I want to convey a story through subtext and music instead of just telling them. Corinth isn't just a game, it's a story that you play.

I hope the clarifications help clear any suspicions or questions!
Oh, and thanks again for sharing your ideas, it really helps!