updated December 11, 2024
This is the place where I put all my ideas for the game design and lore of Immunoblast. Think of it as a lite Wikia page before I put it on the actual thing. This is less of a GDD, but more of an ideas collection for future implementation. -Samuel
In the near future, humanity faces an unprecedented biological crisis. Years of unchecked antibiotic overuse, environmental degradation, and the evolution of hyper-resistant pathogens have pushed medical science to its breaking point. Traditional treatments falter as pandemics sweep across the globe, diseases become more adaptable, and the immune systems of millions collapse under the weight of chronic infections and autoimmune disorders.
The Adaptive Cell (AC) Project was born out of desperation, spearheaded by a coalition of corporate biotech giants, military interests, and desperate governments. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian effort to bolster the immune systems of the chronically ill, the AC Project sought to create synthetic, bio-robotic immune cells powered by artificial intelligence capable of adapting to any biological threat. These "adaptive cells" were designed to operate alongside natural immune systems, learning, evolving, and even outpacing the pathogens they were meant to destroy.
The first prototypes were rudimentary, little more than programmable nanomachines with basic immunological functions. Over decades, the technology advanced, merging synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. The result was the Adaptive Cell Line, a new generation of bio-robotic AI constructs designed to mimic and enhance immune responses. These Adaptive Cells (ACs) had the ability to modify their genetic code and think, adopting immunological function of various different immune cells, making them the “ultimate immune cell.”
The production of the first successful AC cell line, AC-001, nicknamed the “Mercury” line, was a breakthrough for the Adaptive Cell Project. Although it was able to perform immune functions, use inflammation as a weapon, and take up genetic material to bolster itself, AC-001 “Mercury” simply lacked power. Because of this, Mercury was simply called a “partial success” and was never deployed for experimentation in a human host. Mercury’s design was clunky, its processes inefficient, and its ability to adapt in real-time was limited, rendering it more of a proof-of-concept than a viable immune defender. However, the 001 line was resilient—it could endure prolonged trials and demonstrate basic immune functions, but it often fell short in scenarios requiring precision or overwhelming force. Despite its shortcomings, Mercury served as the foundation for future adaptive cells. If a successor in the AC line could overpower and outperform AC-001 while maintaining all its immune functions, then it would prove to be a viable AC for usage in the body.
AC iterations 002-017 were all failures, and were not able to outperform AC-001. Either they were too weak and could not defeat AC-001 in combat, or they were too uncontrollably powerful, proving to cause chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. The eighteenth iteration, AC-018, is you.
Our first sprite for AC-018. Scrapped.
AC-018 appears in a testing dish. Being a robot, it is able to understand commands from researchers and process them. The tutorial begins with simple directives transmitted from the lab, guiding AC-018 through basic functions such as movement, evasion, and targeting pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Researchers test its core combat capabilities by introducing threats, allowing AC-018 to utilize its primary weapons and abilities. As the trial progresses, the challenges grow increasingly complex, with the addition of environmental hazards and larger, more resilient enemies designed to simulate real biological threats.
The testing culminates in a confrontation with AC-001 “Mercury,” a bulky, outdated prototype that represents the project's first functional success. Although AC-001 demonstrates its resilience and rudimentary combat skills, its clunky design and lack of precision make it a formidable yet imperfect opponent.
Sprites for AC-001 “Mercury” to be added!