I asked OpenAI’s GPT-3 to generate 31 different videogame ideas, one for each day of Blaugust, each dealing in some way with that particular day of the month. Here’s its idea for August 6th: “The Six Cats of Madame Miracle”.
In this visual novel, you play as a young woman who, upon moving into a new apartment, discovers that her six cats have each been granted a unique magical power by the mysterious Madame Miracle. Can you use their powers to solve the puzzles of your new home and uncover the secrets of Madame Miracle?
Madame Miracle functions as the narrator and offscreen guide to the action, and she will often appear in the background of scenes to offer cryptic hints or observations. The player must use the six cats’ abilities to progress through the game’s puzzles, which range from finding hidden objects to using their powers to manipulate the environment. Along the way, they will also uncover secrets about Madame Miracle and her true identity.
The leader cat is an orange cat named Puffin, and she has the power of invisibility. The player will need to use this power to find hidden objects and solve puzzles.
The second cat is a black cat named Midnight, and she has the power of night vision. The player will need to use this power to see in the dark and find hidden objects.
The third cat is a white cat named Ghost, and she has the power of astral projection. The player will need to use this power to explore the world outside of the apartment and find hidden objects.
The fourth cat is a tabby cat named Tiger, and she has the power of super strength. The player will need to use this power to move heavy objects and solve puzzles.
The fifth cat is a Siamese cat named Lotus, and she has the power of mind control. The player will need to use this power to influence people and solve puzzles.
Finally, the sixth cat is a calico cat named Lucky, and she has the power of good luck. The player will need to use this power to win games of chance and solve puzzles.
The Gameplay
The gameplay in The Six Cats of Madame Miracle is based around solving puzzles using the cats’ abilities. Many of the puzzles are based on finding hidden objects, and the player will need to use the abilities of each cat in order to find them all. There are also some environmental puzzles that will require the player to use the cats’ powers to manipulate the environment in order to progress. Throughout the game, the player will also uncover secrets about Madame Miracle and her true identity. These secrets are revealed through conversations with other characters, as well as by finding hidden objects.
The game is divided into six chapters, each named after one of the cats. At the beginning of each chapter, Madame Miracle will give the player a hint about what they need to do in order to progress. The player must then use the cats’ abilities to solve the puzzles and progress through the chapter.
At the end of each chapter, there is a boss battle against one of Madame Miracle’s former assistants. These battles are fought using a card game, and the player must use their knowledge of the cats’ abilities to defeat their opponent.
Once all six chapters have been completed, the player will face off against Madame Miracle herself in a final battle.
The Graphics.
The graphics in The Six Cats of Madame Miracle are colorful and cute, and they fit the game’s light-hearted tone. The character sprites are well-designed, and the backgrounds are detailed and pleasant to look at.
The Music.
The music in The Six Cats of Madame Miracle is cheerful and upbeat, and it fits the game’s light-hearted tone. There are also some more somber tracks that play during the game’s more emotional moments.
The Controls.
The controls in The Six Cats of Madame Miracle are simple and easy to learn. The player moves their character around with the arrow keys, and they use the spacebar to interact with their environment. The cats’ abilities are activated using the number keys, and the player can cycle through them with the left and right arrow keys.
The Replayability.
Once the player has completed The Six Cats of Madame Miracle, they can replay it on a higher difficulty setting or try to find all of the secrets hidden throughout the game. There is also a New Game+ mode that allows the player to start a new game with all of their cats’ abilities unlocked from the beginning.
These games are ridiculously good. I mean, I’d play The Six Cats of Madame Miracle, wouldn’t you? There’s basically nothing in that set-up that wouldn’t work.
What we need now is an AI coder that can turn these into actual games. How far away from that are we?
I am absolutely blown away by some of these. Cat names and powers were all generated automatically, as was most of the rest. I was really thinking of a “Carmen Sandiego” thing for Madame Miracle, but it had different ideas.
I plan to try to use GPT-3 to give me an idea for a game jam 🙂