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[Borrowers: The Game] You live as tiny mouse-sized humans existing with regular humans who should never know your presence as you occupy the walls and spaces i
by tetris11 4y ago
[Borrowers: The Game]
You live as tiny mouse-sized humans existing with regular humans who should never know your presence as you occupy the walls and spaces in their home. Every day you must hunt for food, which involves collecting gear to traverse spaces (paperclip + string = grappling hook and rope, matchstick = torch, plastic bag = parachute) to reach places where food is stored (i.e. the kitchen - defended by the cruel cat, mousetraps - easy to find but deadly to use, others). There's also more than one of you with time, where you can find and recruit others from outside the house, mate to create a family base of increasing members (prompting you to expand more into the walls which will increase your chance of discovery by normal humans), and most importantly - coordinate scavenger hunts with your crew (think: one Borrower leads a climb and trails a rope down, allowing others to follow, where more people == more food for the base). Due to the high death rate, there are no main characters, just Borrowers.
[Extras]
- Riding or rearing mice? (they can lead you to the cheese and help dodge the cat)
- Stealing and riding a drone? (perhaps not such a rustic experience anymore)
- Turning your tiny wall cave into a thriving Borrower city complete with electricity and beer? (might require killing the humans)
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- danielvaughn 4y agofuuuuuck this would be an amazing game. There are so many directions you could take it. Imagine having to get into the next door backyard, but there's a dog. You have to sneak into the bathroom, find some sleeping pills, then sneak the pills into the dog's food bowl. It would be like a cross between The Last of Us, Hitman, and The Secret World of Arrietty.
- throwaway17_17 4y agoJust a minor thing, but Arrietty is just a movie based on the books in The Borrowers series. Doesn’t matter, your point stands, just like to shout out the original inspiration for the film.
- danielvaughn 4y agoOh interesting, I had no idea there was a connection. I thought "Borrowers" was just a name OP made up for the idea.
- Dyac 4y agoThere are also a couple of old TV series based on the books. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0105957/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0105957/
- samstave 4y agoI would love this. I have played every Hitman - and am currently playing Hitman III... which basically just devolves into me simply killing every single person in the level. I don't like the difficulty levels of Hitman III though -- I wish there were a hell of a lot more victims to go after. But the levels are AMAZING and fun and beautiful. But anything that can capture the Hitman gameplay would be great. The thief series was also amazing, but its so dated it doesnt run well on my super high-end gaming machine... But one thing that was super cool in Thief were the arrow types: Moss, Rope, Water... Moss arrows hit the ground and spawn a soft bed of moss to allow for silent walking. I wish Hitman had some of these elements...
- danielvaughn 4y agoAgreed, the difficulty is way too low. I actually wouldn't mind if they literally made it realistic - get hit by one bullet and you're dead. I'd also like to see them experiment more with social engineering. Something like LA Noir, with branching conversations, where you have to talk your way into a scenario instead of sneaking in. Make the kills feel much more personal.
- ChoGGi 4y ago> The thief series was also amazing, but its so dated it doesnt run well on my super high-end gaming machine... Do you have the NewDark patch? https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146448&highlight=newdark https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146448&highligh... Though I would start with a compilation patch: https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149669 https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149669
- samstave 4y agoI am going to apply this advice and determine how much time I have missed wasting... EDIT: Hitman and Thief are lit the only game-play-styles I prefer.... Whats weird Is that I dont know the difference bewteen I before SEE between Theif and Wierd. --- Anyway.. if you actually evaluate (ovulate - Lets go deep on etymology!) the mental dopamine construct, Gaming is a super interesting thing. SOURCE I WAS THE LEAD OF THE DRG AT INTEL IN THE EARLY 90s... I saw the first 'unreal engine' and worked on the first AGP platforms and blah blah... None of that matters any longer. That said; im not a person who is ignorant.. ---
- res0nat0r 4y agoI've been looking at buying this for a while, you're shrunk and have to survive living outside in your backyard: https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/
- dustymcp 4y agoIt's alot of fun the whole perspective is really cool, can recommend however its still early in dev and content isnt that massive.
- galfarragem 4y agoIt sounds like a complex "Tom and Jerry". Interesting..
- morjom 4y agoSounds like a DLC or sequel for "Grounded" from Obsidian Entertainment.
- m12k 4y agoIt's not exactly what you're asking for, but you might want to check out the game Grounded. It's a crafting-survival game that's heavily inspired by "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"
- anjel 4y agoVery close plot to an all but forgotten 1960s American Sci-Fi TV series produced by Irwin Allen (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Poseidon Adventure) called Land Of The Giants imdb.com/title/tt0062578/
- wizzzzzy 4y agoAlso 'the borrowers', as OP makes referrence to
- kitsune_cw 4y agoThere's also an animated movie with the same premise, The Secret World of Arrietty https://imdb.com/title/tt1568921/ https://imdb.com/title/tt1568921/
- foldor 4y agoIt's the same premise because they're ideas based on the same thing. The OP mentioned The Borrowers as inspiration. Well The Secret World of Arrietty is based on The Borrowers. I think it's even called something like "Borrower Arrietty" in Japan as well.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- joyeuse6701 4y agoThis is almost like a cross between Pikmin and Little Nightmares. Cool idea.
- dzolvd 4y agoI can't seem to find it, but I read a description for a game in development that seemed really similar to this, a farming/crafting simulator where you start in the basement of a house and can expand to the kitchen etc. You have to avoid the house cat etc.
- omgbear 4y agoSim Ant had some mechanics like that
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- tssva 4y agoElusive People. Supposed to be released next year by Chibig.
- tetris11 4y agowow, thank you for recommending this - the graphics are not quite what I'm after, but the concept definitely is - albeit the tiny humans seem a bit too large to live in mouseholes
- nurbl 4y agoTotally different game of course, but this reminded me of Katamari Damacy! In many levels you start tiny in a room somewhere, and have to roll up paper clips and thumb tacks in order to grow and roll up successively larger things, while avoiding gigantic pets, and so on. Apart from being hilarious and sometimes challenging, I also found it an interesting psychological effect to come back to the same place when you're 100 times larger, now able to roll up humans, cars, the entire house... :) Katamari is a casual game (I prefer this genre) but now I wonder if there would be some way to make a more "simulationist" game that uses this scaling effect somehow.
- rileyphone 4y agoThere's a subplot from the show Solar Opposites (the show itself is just okay) where people who have been shrunk by alien children live in a segmented wall and form a society there - there's even mice.
- kushan2020 4y agoI think that story in itself needs a show. In my opinion it’s better than the main storyline. The wall story has everything parent wants, going out to gather food, escaping dogs, riding mouse etc.
- tetris11 4y agoJust to follow up: I watched this entire series and it really captured a lot of the vibe, ingenuity, brutalism, and collaboration that I was hoping for in such a world. Thanks for this recommendation!
- comrh 4y agoMakes me think of the Counter Strike map de_rats where you fought over the fridge, could hide in walls, use sponges as landing pads and iirc blow up the sink.
- syngrog66 4y agooldskool CS de_rats players represent! loved that map. one of fave. and its variants. wish it was party of the current CS:GO distro
- sambalbadjak 4y agoI was just about to mention that, loved that map. And yes, 5/5 would play this game
- anthk 4y agohttps://worldofpadman.net/en/ https://worldofpadman.net/en/
- rnrwashere 4y agoAh memories
- drdebug 4y agosounds like padkitchen.pk3 for Quake 3 Arena
- morelisp 4y agoIt's more action-adventure than sandbox but you should check out Chibi-Robo.
- onlyrealcuzzo 4y agoI can't believe no one mentioned It Takes Two. The world is much different - but it has A LOT of the game play you're asking for. Additionally, I found it to be one of the most enjoyable games I've played in... maybe ever?
- sambalbadjak 4y agoYeah indeed, I'm just playing that now with my girlfriend. She normally doesn't play games, but she even enjoys it. I like how creative the developers are with everyday objects.
- feoren 4y agoIt Takes Two is a masterpiece; I highly recommend it. But, as the title suggests, it indeed requires two players (only one needs to buy the game, at least on Steam).
- mikepurvis 4y agoWe found the writing a little bit cringe at times, but ultimately it's a sweet story, and the gameplay and overall creativity is out of this world. Definitely a GOTY.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- reactorpres 4y agoExcept for the elephant arc.
- mikepurvis 4y agoYeah the elephant thing was super weird and uncomfortable. I can’t understand how no one in the room pulled the plug on that.
- anthk 4y agohttps://worldofpadman.net/en/ https://worldofpadman.net/en/
- samstave 4y agoHave you never watched "The Littles" growing up - this was exactly them.
- luxuryballs 4y agoIf only we could get the people who made “Ni no Kuni” to make a game out of “The Secret World of Arrietty“ (I highly recommend the UK English dubs if anyone hasn’t seen this yet). latest from that game developer: https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/23141182/ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-release-date-android-ios-pc-studio-ghibli https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/23141182/ni-no-kuni-cro... movie trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMe7PavaRQ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMe7PavaRQ
- joshu 4y agoGrounded?
- foldor 4y agoNot that it's what you're looking for exactly. But if you like the idea of being as tiny being in a home with massive humans, check out Mister Mosquito on the PS2, or Chibi Robo on the GameCube.
- owlninja 4y agoWow great callback, I remember I only had this on a demo disc. I wonder if it is worth seeking out and playing the whole thing now!
- sleepydog 4y agoHah, I thought of the mosquito game too, but for some reason I thought it initially was released on the Dreamcast. But I can't find any mention of that.
- res0nat0r 4y agoSomewhat similar: https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/
- nrjames 4y agoI've been playing this with my kids and we're having fun! It's also on Xbox Game Pass, in case you're a subscriber and want to try the game.
- maggs 4y agoOh man, the first time I read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH when I was a kid, I was enthralled. My best friend and I would always play that we were the rats and had to hide from the humans while improvising tools, gathering food, and building a base. This reminds me of that and of how fun/creative a game like that could be.
- parentheses 4y agospecial shout out to rat pack map packs for counter strike back in the day!!
- rkagerer 4y agoNot sure if this idea was inspired by it, but if you haven't read it yet, definitely check out the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett.
- moron4hire 4y agoIt was probably inspired by the children's book series "The Borrowers", which was also made into an animated film.
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoThere's a few live action films and series too. I believe the Terry Pratchett one is currently being made into an animated film or series.
- rkagerer 4y agoMy partner and I enjoyed the Good Omens TV series, even though it was a bit silly.
- edm0nd 4y agoYES PLZ! I loved reading the Borrowers books as a kid and would play tf out of this game haha
- diegof79 4y agoThe idea reminds me to the game Sneaky Sasquatch (on Apple Arcade). In that game you (a Sasquatch) has to steal food from campers, resolve some mysteries, play mini games, build your place, and go to work disguised as human.
- nsxwolf 4y agoReminds me a little of Chibi Robo on the GameCube.
- zapt02 4y agoThis reminds me of the game Prisoner of War. The setting is completely different (you are a POW in a german concentration camp) but the mechanics are pretty much there: - Live in the "walls" (barracks) - Sneak out during curfew to do tasks and build things to open up more areas, and also for food - You nurture a relationship with the other prisoners and new ones arrive often Check it out!
- neoncontrails 4y agoNot only is it a solid premise, but there is an ultrashort story by Franz Kafka that lends itself perfectly to a cinematic promo video: TINY MOUSE-SIZED HUMAN: "Alas! The whole world is growing smaller every day. [Close on the tiny person, panning out ever-so-slowly to reveal, bit by bit, the cavernous enormity of the room.] At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into." [Corner trap now visible, the camera holds steady and dwells for a moment on this sad, bleak fate. Suddenly, there is another voice from behind -- this is not a monologue after all.] CAT, SLINKING INTO VIEW: "You only need to change your direction." [CAT pounces, and promptly gobbles him up.]
- nomand 4y agoYou're describing Arietty by Ghibli, even "Borrower" is the English translation for the little beings :)
- potta_coffee 4y agoThere's a story called "The Borrowers" from the 50's. I'm not sure which pre-dates the other.
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y agoArrietty is based on the book.
- thaumasiotes 4y agoWell, no, obviously not. The Ghibli movie is a takeoff on the Borrowers series by Mary Norton; there is no reason to believe tetris11 had the movie in mind rather than the books he referred to by name.
- bluefirebrand 4y agoMy twitter feed showed me this fanart mockup of an Arietty game today so I thought I'd share it here since Arietty is based on the Borrowers. https://twitter.com/cloudtrumpets/status/1529465790247870464 https://twitter.com/cloudtrumpets/status/1529465790247870464
- totetsu 4y agoThe micro machines racing games or the ps1 era game Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, might scratch some of the exploring houses as a little thing itch. There is a TTRPG exactly matching what you're after. Small folk setting for fate core. http://www.warehouse23.com/products/the-small-folk http://www.warehouse23.com/products/the-small-folk Which has a brilliant play through in this podcast https://tabletoptales.roleplayingpublicradio.com/tag/top-of-the-rock/ https://tabletoptales.roleplayingpublicradio.com/tag/top-of-...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- tiffanyh 4y agoParasite (movie). Sounds similar to the movie Parasite.
- Fnoord 4y agoReminds me of Roald Dahl's 'The Witches', oh and Toy Story.
- SLWW 4y agoSo i'm guessing it would be a mix between isometric view for open space (like if you had a Borrower City or sneaking outside of the walls, for example) but for climbing through the walls it would be top-down (or i guess, out to in). I really like the idea; i'm thinking much in the same art style as something like Arrietty just slightly more western cartoonish vibes, but only subtle changes.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- g4e2t 4y agoAside from the end, this seems kind of similar to Stuart Little 3 'Big photo adventure' for the Ps2. From what I remember, I really enjoyed the game.
- rasz 4y agohttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1487800/Little_Hats/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1487800/Little_Hats/
- tetris11 4y agothis is pretty close, thanks for the recommendation!
- LMMojo 4y agoYou mean like this? Household, via @Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2lm/household https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2lm/household
- unnouinceput 4y agoSomething similar exists, it's called "Ghost of a Tale" - very beautiful game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_a_Tale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_a_Tale
- mrmuagi 4y agoReminds me of a wolfenstein map that was basically small humans in a large room. Honey shrunk the kids vibe.
- amcoastal 4y ago
- lazyeye 4y agoThere was a very old tv show based on this exact premise https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Giants https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Giants