Puget (game)

Genre
The primary gameplay of PUGET focuses on a third-person view, although with one button press the player can switch to first-person view or back to third-person on the fly. The rest of the game is a 3D platformer, which switches between numerous logic puzzles and action-adventure battles, usually multiple times each level and sometimes with both puzzle and action genres occurring at the same time.

Intended Audience
The game is intended to be played by teenagers and adults, and is rated "T" for teen in North America / PEGI 16 in Europe for moderate violence and animated blood, suggestive themes, partial nudity, and mild language in the form of made up swear words.

Naming Conventions
The game takes a somewhat unique naming convention for everything appearing in the game. All non-ARK machine robot characters are named after areas around the world (examples: Danzig after Danzig, Poland; and Glengarry after Glengarry, Tasmania), while ARK machines are named after various animals based on whatever DNA they contain, in a similar manner to their appearance in Lunatic Entertainment's Megaman Tempo series. Human characters are given actual human names, although are only referred to by their surnames. Machine areas are named after bodies of water (examples: Puget after Puget Sound; Bristol after Bristol Bay), while human areas are named after abstract concepts: bastions of humanity's resistance are named after positive concepts (examples: the bastion towns of Hope and Freedom), while ruins of the old civilization are instead referred to by negative concepts (examples: Solitude and Anguish).

Hunger & Thirst
Any time that the two robots have Carlyle in their possession, they will need to provide him sustenance to keep him alive. During these times, hunting becomes a real option, although they are always able to lay traps in levels to catch smaller prey such as rats, squirrels, or birds that Carlyle can cook to stay healthy. Unlike many games of this type, the hunger and thirst bars drop much more slowly, intended to be a bit more realistic. Hunting for larger game focuses primarily on raccoon, falcons, and deer, with the occasional bear; dogs and cats are mentioned as having mostly failing to thrive on their own after the fall of man, having become a rarity. At some point during each mission involving keeping or escorting Carlyle however, the Gestalts will need to hunt and collect potable water to keep him alive.

Thirst and Hunger bars decrease dynamically as well; the more physical exertion he performs drops the bar faster while remaining more passive causes it to barely drop at all. Thirst instead decreases more or less depending on the area's ambient temperature as well as physical exertion; normal temperatures drop it the least amount, colder temperatures drop it moderately, and the hotter the temperature gets the faster it drops.

Piggyback Mode
During certain more fast-paced points in the game, both Danzig and Glengarry can combine into a single gestalt form, where one of the two characters is active and the other remains mostly inactive on the back of the other. When Glengarry is in control the robot is referred to as Glenzig, while when Danzig is in control they are referred to as Dangarry. The two can rotate on the fly to switch the controlling character and also alternate between puzzle-solving equipment and enemy-destroying weaponry. The secondary robot is not entirely inactive however, with Danzig in Glenzig mode automatically firing supression cover fire at any opponent sneaking up on Glenzig; and with Glengarry in Dangarry mode activating a hard-light force field to block shots being fired from behind them - this shield can be temporarily short circuited by taking too much damage and will need to recover over time.

Roll Mode
"Let's get into roll mode!"

- Glengarry "Oh dear hexadecimal code in cyberspace, please shut up."

- Danzig

Roll Mode is a gameplay mode activated by using Glengarry with Danzig nearby or Glenzig in later levels that automatically seals the two gestalts together inside a hard-light sphere that they can then use to roll around at high speeds, crushing enemies underfoot and traversing smooth areas such as half-pipes and funnels. This mode covers the most ground in the most effective manner possible, and is the method usually used to traverse between the various locations spread about the world map.

Turret Mode
"It's time to click bass and chew rebel scum! And I'm about to be aaaaaall out of rebel scum!" "War never changes..."

- Glengarry

Turret Mode is a gameplay mode activated by using Danzig with Glengarry nearby or Dangarry in later levels that locks Danzig into place and yanks Glengarry into itself, using him to form a hard-light "turret shield" in the front to block incoming fire. Although unable to move from this spot without deactivating the turret mode, Danzig can swiftly swivel in place, using his converted arms as a heavy machine gun placement to mow down waves of incoming foes. It can also be used to solve some puzzles by using the force of the shots to knock certain pieces of rubble away to reveal new paths.

Dialogue
The game features three different languages to give the game a unique and more realistic feel.

Robots found in the real world speak English (or whatever language the game is being played in; this can also be changed in the options menu to be any other recorded languages). However while in the virtual world, all AIs speak in speedy binary, with whatever their saying displayed in subtitles on the bottom of the screen.

Humans are portrayed in a unique way. Although they also speak English (or the selected language), theirs sounds mumbled, distant, distorted and "blurry", almost having a dream-like quality to it so that while it's possible to get the gist of what they are actually saying, it can be more difficult to actually decipher. This is because neither Danzig nor Glengarry actually speak Human tongue, as in the centuries since the collapse of Human civilization the language has evolved to a point where they don't quite comprehend it.

ARK machines reveal themselves to be excellent intermediaries between both the Cog Empire and the Human rebellion, as they can fluently speak both languages. However they prove to be disinterested in actually doing so.

Danzig
Danzig is ½ of the Gestalt Project prototype, built to handle necessary military applications. He possesses a fantastic arsenal of weaponry to handle any and all situations as the need arises. His AI is more serious and "bad ass" in comparison to his companion. His voice is gruff and his accent is American by nature.

He acts like he doesn't care about Carlyle, although the fact that he is willing to go on hunts for food indicate otherwise.

Glengarry
Glengarry is ½ of the Gestalt Project prototype, built to handle necessary science applications. He possesses numerous experimental tools to allow him and his partner Danzig to traverse across any terrain and through the derelict ruins of the world. His AI is more easy-going and "laid back" in comparison to his companion. His voice is gentle and his accent is British by nature.

He seems fascinated by Carlyle, but even so it is Glengarry who the human infects with the Pariah Virus. After his infection, he sneezes every so often, as a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference to his having caught a "computer bug".

Carlyle
Carlyle is a young human child who serves with the rebellion against the robot overlords with training in computer hacking. At the tender age of 8, he is captured by Danzig and Glengarry, who contain him in a cage. He spends years under their lock and key but at the age of 13 finally escapes, leaving the two robots to find and re-capture him.

Locations

 * Anguish: The ruins of one of the nearby Human settlements, now infested with machines and in numerous skirmishes with determined rebel forces.
 * Bristol: A local ARK machine factory, currently churning out hundreds of ARK machine robots, considered in neutral standing to both the Cog Empire as well as the Human rebellion. The Gestalts are forced to travel through here to try and reach
 * Freedom: The primary fortress of the Human survivors. It is from here that Carlyle originally hailed from, and where he intends to return, first on his own after escaping from his cage and then with Danzig and Glengarry's help after he infects the latter with the Pariah Virus and only agrees to wipe it from him if they lead him safely home.  Like other human settlements, they are extremely xenophobic over robots, and the city is considered impenetrable by their kind.
 * Hope: Hope is a small Human settlement, operating as a forward command post. Although talented rebels live here, they are nestled between the Cog Empire's lands and the territory of Bristol.
 * Puget: Puget is the codename for the Cog Empire's mainframe, where the AIs of the various machines spend their time when not in corporeal bodies. This is the utopia that both Danzig and Glengarry look highly upon as a sort of machine-themed Shangri-La.  However, when Carlyle infects Glengarry with the Pariah Virus, his virtual code-form suddenly appears humanoid within the mainframe, causing all robots to seek him out in an attempt to delete his file.  Unable to return home, the Gestalts seek to cure Glengarry of the virus so they may go home.
 * Solitude: The ruins of one of the nearby Human settlements, where the machines have successfully wiped out all human life. It has been abandoned by most machines and humans alike.  It is here that the game first starts up and where both Gestalts' corporeal forms are located, as well as where the group of rebels Carlyle was formerly a part of go on reconnaissance.

Concept
The initial concept for Puget began the night of December 12th, 2015, in the form of two robots named Glengarry and Danzig. The concept improved greatly the following night.

Soundtrack
The game features a retro-sounding but gorgeous sounding synth pop soundtrack, giving it a distinctly 1980s sci-fi feel.