Overview

Embrace a world that was on the cusp of a golden era, now trapped in a time loop of its own creation. In the post-apocalyptic lands of Embersteel, players guide Cassius, a fearless Relic Hunter with a hidden connection to the apocalypse who embarks on on a journey through treacherous terrain, formidable mechanical foes, and choices that determine humanity's destiny.

Core Narrative

Game Objectives

1. Defeat hordes of enemies and bosses, surviving at all costs.
2. Explore The Fulcrum for ways to break the time loop and better your chances of survival.
3. Meet new Characters with each run, uncovering new secrets and items that persist across loops.
4. Trade Gears and Cogs across The Fulcrum for new weapons, armor, powerups, and upgrades.
5. Strive for high scores and leaderboard positions. Become one with Ember & Steel.
6. Overcome The Great Machine and seek the Engines of Creation.
7. Transcend.

Main Story

1. The Engines of Creation: A mysterious chrono super-device tied to The Great Machine, its parts scattered across Embersteel, has triggered a time loop that keeps humanity from its promised 'ascension', the looming singularity. The role of Cassius Cog, an enigmatic figure, is central to unraveling this mystery.
2. World's Dilemma: Humanity faces a choice: restore the Engines of Creation or stay trapped in the time loop, averting an uncertain destiny seemingly orchestrated by the Great Machine.

Main Characters

1. Cassius Flint: Our first playable character, central to the time loop conspiracy, connected to the Engines of Creation, the Great Machine, and Vorik & Stroud.
2. The Great Machine: A transcendent sentient super intelligence, its intentions unclear, abused by its cult followers and mercilessly hunted by Vorik & Stroud and the Relic Hunters they employ.
3. Vorik & Stroud: Antagonists who unsuccessfully opposed The Great Machine and now guide, hire, and recruit Relic Hunters in finding Engine fragments and piecing together lost technology that may inhibit, manipulate, or access the time loop in ways that change both the story and the gameplay.

Setting & Locations

1. The Fulcrum: Vast and surreal steampunk-themed post-apocalyptic biosynthetic machinescape filled with outposts, cities, landscapes and environments sprawled across the game. 'The Fulcrum' represents Embersteel's overworld. It is the surface level of 'The Great Machine' and where most biological beings live in Embersteel. It is the world as the biological denizens know it.
2. Vorik & Stroud: The mysterious company operating across The Fulcrum in various havens and outposts, and safe houses. This company is on a pursuit for Relics of technologies that may grant humanity an edge in the machine riddled landscape that is The Fulcrum. In their havens they offer both places to rest, escape the loop, and exchange items and gear that might help them along their time defying journeys across The Fulcrum.
3. The Great Machine: High risk, high reward locations. The Great Machine is both the antagonist and the core underground layer of 'The Fulcrum'. This special area is designed as procedural dungeon-like areas placed to challenge players and bring them to new levels via spelunking in the machine treacherous depths, bringing them closer to items, bosses, and areas that lead to new encounters, Relics, Engine Fragments, and other rare powerups and upgrade entities that could persist across loops (or grant further manipulation of the environment/time loop).

Concepts

1. Cogs: The Great Machine's mechanized minions, obstructing the player and swarming them in hordes. These are the primary enemies of Embersteel and will do anything that the Great Machine wills them to do.
2. Cogs (Currency): The remnants of defeated Cogs, used for upgrades, intel, and trading.
3. Relica: Rare, half human half machine cyborg entities that have transcendent powers beyond Cogs, Synths, and Relic Hunters alike. Relica are often praised in Machine Culture, kept close to The Great One. Some Relica are even rumored to be capable of outsmarting the Great Machine itself.
4. Relic Hunter: Roaming, nomadic characters surviving Embersteel, often victims of their own loops with a little agency to manipulate it. These adventurous explorers are on missions to locate Engine shards, lost Relics, and break (or heal) the loop by any means necessary.
5. Synths: High intelligent synthetic entities subject to The Great Machine. These beings operate at varying levels of super intelligence and sentience, drastically altering based on their environment or region often focused on a particular goal set by their master Relica or Machine Lord.

Character Dynamics

• Character Interactions: Encounter intriguing and complex interactions that evolve throughout the game, with deep philosophical themes bridging the connection between self, machine, and the human condition.
• Roles as a Drifting Relic Coghunter: Players can embrace multiple roles, engaging in absurd gameplay that delivers a powerful, curious, entertaining, and intriguing narratives that are as whacky as they are fun.

Player Power Economy

• Cog-Driven Ecosystem: Cogs are central to the game, acting as enemies, currency, and scores. The player's interaction with Cogs builds an integral part of the game's economic system and combat mechanics. Every Cog can lead to something new. Spend them wisely!
• Player Versatility: A blend of traditional gameplay with reverse bullet hell chaos provides endless possibilities and challenges, making players feel powerful and engaged no matter the skill level.

Replayability & Exploration

• Relics & Time Loop ReDiscovery: Players engage with a dynamic replayability mechanism that allows them to explore Embersteel in episodic level adventures. Each level offers a unique episodic quest, culminating in significant boss battles or relic discoveries that progress the overarching story.
• Diverse Environments: Every level has different dynamic safe zones, vast terrains, and varying boss zones filled with secrets and easter eggs that reveal themselves throughout each loop.
• New Secrets New Areas: Explore The Fulcrum's mysterious safe zones and the world of Embersteel, unlocking powerful items, secrets, and story transitions not typically found in the genre. We have hidden many zones within levels that you don't have to visit to finish the game. Seek and discover these hidden zones to complete the loop level by level, episode by episode.
• More Secrets Than Meets the Eye: Encounter bosses, dungeons, and a super-intelligent final boss that define the player's understanding of the world and its complexities, leading to levels of replayability that compound on the time loop theme, making each playthrough a new experience with revelations you may have missed or forgotten on the previous run.