Echoheart Combat System

Title: Echoheart System: Emotion-Driven Combat Loop

Type: Complete Game System Design

Designer: Josh Hawkins

Date: June 2025

Project Pitch: Echoheart Combat System

The Echoheart Combat System is a fully designed action-combat loop where the player's emotional state directly influences gameplay. Built to merge storytelling with mechanics, this system allows for fluid transitions between emotional modes like Anger, Fear, Sorrow, and Hope, each dynamically altering stats, abilities, and visual/audio cues in real time.

This design answers a core question:

What if a character’s feelings weren’t just part of the story, but part of the gameplay itself?

Echoheart is modular, immersive, and ideal for emotionally rich boss-fight or story-driven games.

1. System Name

Echoheart Combat System: A dynamic action combat system where the character’s emotional state alters their abilities in real-time, affecting not only stats but also move sets, sound cues, and potential outcomes in narrative or boss interactions.

2. Design Intent

This system was designed to merge mechanical challenge and emotional storytelling, reinforcing narrative through gameplay. Emotions such as Anger, Fear, Sorrow, and Hope manifest as temporary states that evolve during combat based on player choices and in-game events. The system encourages adaptability, psychological engagement, and replay ability.

3. Core Mechanics

A. Emotional States

Anger: Boosts attack power, reduces defence, increases combo speed. Triggered by taking damage quickly or losing an ally.

Fear: Increases dodge speed and invincibility window, decreases damage output. Triggered by low HP or overwhelming odds.

Sorrow: Slower attacks, but passive regeneration and extended parry window. Triggered by death of a companion or witnessing a tragic event.

Hope: Increases crit chance and perfect parry reward. Triggered by victory streaks or sparing enemies.

B. Emotion Shift Mechanic

Emotions shift mid-combat based on player performance and story triggers.

Visual changes: screen filters, HUD icon glow, voice line changes, screen shakes

Music reacts dynamically to emotion states

C. Impact on Combat

Weapon effects change per emotion (e.g., heavy slash under Anger, sweeping arcs under Sorrow)

Enemy behaviour may change: some enemies exploit specific emotions

Some boss mechanics require being in the correct emotional state to counter or resist

4. Triggers and Conditions

Multiple triggers can overlap, causing a hybrid state if balanced, e.g., Grieving Fury (Sorrow + Anger).

5. Visual and Audio Feedback

Screen Tint: Red for Anger, Blue for Sorrow, Gold for Hope, Purple for Fear

SFX Alterations: Echo effect in Sorrow, reverb in Fear, loud percussion in Anger

Music Layers: Instruments fade in or out per emotional state

Voice Lines: Player character mutters different lines or breathes heavily based on emotional intensity

6. Integration with Other Systems

Narrative: Dialogue choices may shift or be locked depending on emotional state

Exploration: Some areas react to current emotion (e.g., paths visible only under Sorrow)

Boss Fights: Unique counters require emotion manipulation, e.g., only parryable under Fear

7. Replayability and Depth

Players can approach encounters differently based on preferred emotions

“Emotion Builds” become a valid character customisation layer

Unlockable Emotion Core Relics change how emotions behave (e.g., Anger heals you instead of hurting defence)

8. Design Goals

Reinforce narrative with mechanics

Encourage adaptation and experimentation

Build immersion through reactive gameplay

Introduce a new gameplay loop that supports emotion-based storytelling in a systemic way

9. References and Inspiration

Celeste (emotional struggle integrated with mechanics)

Hades (boon systems and visual feedback)

Persona 5 (emotion-embedded storytelling and UI design)

Sekiro (parry/dodge intensity and reactive AI)

10. Future Expansion Ideas

Multiplayer PvE: Emotions affect team synergy and buffs/debuffs

Emotion crafting: Merge emotional cores to create custom states

Roguelike integration: Emotion alters loot pool or dungeon design