I’m making a 16-bit style dungeon crawler similar to Gauntlet or Legend of Zelda. It features summable allies to give it kind of a tower defense twist. Basically, you have to traverse a dungeon and destroy hordes of monsters, but their numbers are too great to take on alone.
All the summons stay in the same position once placed, and can be killed by enemies just like you can. They do things like fire arrows, throw firebombs, and tank damage. Strategic placement of the summons is key to getting through the game.
There will be an upgrade mechanic to boost your allies’ powers, such as attack rate, damage, and special effects like piercing and AOE. I’m also planning a spell system where each summon has an ultimate attack that consumes a potion but devastates the enemy.
Basically, this is the type of game I dreamed of making when I was a kid.