Piranesi

My (soon to be) brother-in-law lent me a book he loved called Piranesi.

Labyrinths

It’s about a man “trapped” in a labyrinth. The man refers to it as the House, which itself contains halls upon halls of statues where no two are the same except in a mysterious room.

Forbidden Knowledge

The the main character (Piranesi) believes himself to be a scientist discovering its wonders for another captive named the Other.

The Tide

There are no monsters, there are no other people (except the Other), there is just Piranesi, their journal, and the House. But there is danger: a rising and falling tide that floods the halls with water and fish to eat.

A video game

I want to build this as a video game during the break. I love mystery in video games: Metroid Prime was a big part of my childhood. I would make arm-blasters out of knex and run around.

What I love about Metroid Prime is how it puts you in a strange, ancient world and makes you feel like an explorer solving puzzles.

Games like Halo, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, Lethal Company, Hollow Knight, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond aren’t just fun because of their mechanics or action - they’re fun because their worlds are mysterious, immersive, and make you feel like you’re discovering something unknown.

A screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, showing a huge tree and bridge. Metroid is a classic and simple game at its core, with straightforward exploration and action. But it is the worldbuilding—the atmosphere, the details, the sense of a vast mysterious place—that transforms it into something unforgettable. The environment makes the game great and turns simple mechanics into a truly memorable adventure. — I just finished Prime 4 and loved it. I could tell it was great because I would play it with other people in the room and their eyes were glued to the screen, even though their hands weren't on the controller.

Gameplay

The labyrinth

Imagine a game you can play with your friends: Exploring a vast never-ending labyrinth of statues.

Hand-drawn black-and-white diagram explaining the architecture of the House. On the left, a horizontal plan view shows an oval staircase at the center with West Wing, East Wing, and North Wing extending outward indefinitely, labeled “Horizontal = Infinite.” A small box beneath the staircase is labeled “the Other.” On the right, a vertical cross-section shows the staircase as a stacked cylindrical structure with winding stairs. The upper level is capped with clouds and sunlight, the middle level aligns with a fluctuating blue tide line annotated “the tide is unpredictable, but it brings food and water,” and the lower level is submerged in water marked “Danger.” The bottom caption reads “Vertical = Finite,” emphasizing infinite horizontal expansion and limited vertical range. — Plan and vertical cross-section of the House from Piranesi. Infinite horizontal halls, finite vertical layers with staircases, a tide line, and the region of danger below.

The Other

The Other seen behind the door, develops your photos and gives you more disposable cameras. You do not know his motivation and you assume him to be a captive in this world just the same as you are.

The Halls

The House has effectively infinite halls: you don’t need to search every crevice but the more photos you take of statues the more cameras and gear the Other will give you.

Journals

Throughout the halls you’ll find journals scattered at random. These give you backstory on the main character and help you map out areas you haven’t explored before.

The Round Tower

Carceri d’invenzione , often translated as Imaginary Prisons, is a series of 16 etchings by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

I want to take a lot of inspiration from 18th century etchings like this because I think they ooze mystery. Something about the scale and the never ending walls make for a hypnotizing setting.

Engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, titled 'The Round Tower', third plate in the second edition of Le Carceri d'Invenzione. The image shows a vast architectural fantasy: monumental arches, winding staircases, bridges, and a round central tower, all rendered with dramatic light and shadow. — ‘The Round Tower’ — 3rd plate from Piranesi’s second edition of Le Carceri d'Invenzione. Labyrinthine staircases and monumental arches evoke the atmosphere of the House.

Multiplayer

I have never programmed a multiplayer game through Steamworks before but it’s proving to be fairly challenging. I have programmed some simple multiplayer before in my own engine but never anything this complex. It’s intimidating and frankly I’m scared shitless. I might drop the multiplayer aspect and keep it simple.