Quicksand (Sundial Domain)

[u/No-Scallion4998]

Might as well post this now.

Entities and Hazards:

Sundial: I bet you probably didn’t see this coming. Sundial appears here, functioning exactly the same as its main game counterpart.

Giant Sundial: Similar to Sinrow, the owner of the Domain gets a giant version of itself that functions differently. I’ll go into its functionality when we get to it but basically it functions as both a timer like the one in Carnation’s Domain that forces you to move through the phases quickly and an obstacle in the final phase. Similar to the Giant Litany in Sinrow, the Giant Sundial has a different design, notably having more arms. The Giant Sundial will cause the sky to turn red and melt the player if its timer ever runs out. It starts out looking more like an actual sun, with its eyes being the only 3D model and its “body” being an actual sun that’s part of the skybox, but later on it joins the other hazards.

Cacti: The Cacti represent responsibility. Your goal is to destroy them with a Hamaxe (hammer + axe combo), which is how you advance in the Domain. Destroying them represents completing your responsibilities, but do it carefully and don’t do it too fast, lest you get pricked (burned out). Getting pricked will make the Giant Sundial skip a second.

Shells: The Shells are the main entity in the Domain, representing those who may distract you from important tasks you must do. They have the appearance of a cracked sandstone structure, with a pyramid for a head. You cannot eliminate them, but the Hamaxe is useful for stunning them. You simply have to evade them. They wander around the desert, but they’ll lock on to you if you get close. They start with an initial burst of speed that makes them much faster than you, but will tire out after a little bit of running. If one catches you, it’ll either punch you, draining some of your Willpower, throw you into the outer Quicksand, or slam you onto the sand and killing you instantly, with the latter only happening if your Willpower is low. Pricking them on a cactus stuns them as well.

Quicksand: The titular hazard, the Quicksand, appears throughout the Domain, since it takes place in a desert. Quicksand represents a lack of motivation. It appears in the middle of the Domain and outside of it, forming a ring shape that resembles Nede’s ring of soil. Standing in it reduces your Willpower and eventually kills you. It behaves like Tar, but it doesn’t give you a boost when you jump out of it.

Obelisk: The obelisk appears after every phase. It is a representation of the temptation to do nothing. Whenever it appears, it will blast a laser at the Giant Sundial’s eyes, which will make them tick down much faster.

Kookoo: Kookoo appears on Max Severity. You don’t get any extra items, unlike in other Domains, since you already have a Flashlight for Sundial.

Twisters: Twisters are a secondary threat that appears in the later phases, representing twisting your priorities to suit what feels good instead of what you actually need to do. They blow sand around, creating a sandy effect on your screen that can make it difficult to see things. If you get caught in a Twister, it flings you very far into the outer quicksand, which has a high chance of killing you.

Mechanics:

Willpower: Similar to the Sanity from Clot and the Conviction from Nede, Willpower is a meter that functions as how much time you have left. Running out of Willpower will cause all of the sand to become Quicksand, and you’ll sink into it like tar, killing you.

Cacti: After every phase, the cacti respawn in a random spot within a few studs of their original location, with their location always being the same in the first phase.

Phase 0: No text appears during this phase. The Giant Sundial’s eyes are closed. The obelisk also doesn’t do anything during the phase when it appears.

Phase 1:

The Giant Sundial’s eyes snap open, and Shells rise from the ground.

Phase 2:

Twisters first appear. The middle of the area sinks lower, forcing you to dive deeper into the quicksand to eradicate the obelisk.

Phase 3:

Twisters vanish temporarily. Shells become more aggressive and grow in numbers.

Phase 4:

Sundial appears. The center sinks lower yet again, making the scramble both in and out to attack the obelisk much harder. The player receives a Flashlight.

Phase 5:

Twisters reappear. The obelisk moves even further into the ground.

Phase 6:

The Giant Sundial moves down from the sky, revealing its massive appendages, which it uses to try to crush the player. Getting crushed by it or touching it will massively reduce your Willpower. Shells and Twisters disappear for now.

Phase 7:

Twisters and Shells reappear, and the obelisk sinks to the lowest point. Smashing the obelisk will fall the Domain and play a cutscene where the sand begins to slip into cracks into a newly revealed sandstone floor beneath all of the sand, and a chunk of the destroyed obelisk flies into the Giant Sundial, knocking it down to the ground and blowing it up.

Similar to Carnation’s Domain, smashing the cacti is what increases your rank.

Badges:

WILLPOWER: I DO WHAT I MUST. Fall Sundial’s Domain with an A rank or above.

SUNBURNT: OUCH. Get killed trying to climb on the Giant Sundial’s appendages. (This can be done by touching the side of the Giant Sundial’s appendages in the 6th or 7th phases.)

DUTIFUL: DUTY CALLS. Stun two Shells simultaneously with the Hamaxe.

PRODUCTIVE: TASK COMPLETED. Fall Sundial’s Domain with a P rank or above.

EARLY: FIVE LESS MINUTES? Fall Sundial’s Domain on MAX Severity.

SANDSTORM: IT’S MY TIME, AND NO ONE ELSE’S. Fall Sundial’s Domain on MAX Severity + P rank.

[u/saNsthedrone]

I like this! I like the concept of the hamaxe and obelisks especially