[bza]

Dystopian Souls

You're an ancient ageless cyborg subsisting on the energy cells/nanomachines/future-life-things of other cyborgs and synthetic life in a cordoned-off lawless zone on the outskirts of the immense capital city. The government has decreed that citizens of a certain age/make/model are no longer allowed to live within the city and must be dumped there, supposedly due to overpopulation. Seven powerful cyborg enforcers each control a single district of the zone and make sure all attempts at escape end in painful failure. You awaken on top of a fossilized skyscraper with naught but basic clothing and a few hours of energy remaining as a dropship disappears into the horizon. This skyscraper serves as the tutorial level and collapses as you emerge from it.

Rather than collecting souls to become stronger, you must feed off of the energy of others just to keep yourself operational. This energy is also used as currency when trading with neutral cyborgs. Leveling up comes from the parts you find or tear from the various types of enemies you'll encounter, allowing you to gain new abilities or upgrade your stats. You gain partial memories of the previous owners of whatever new gear/bodyparts you find, and these small memories serve as a sort of lore. Weapons and armor exist and are just as important as stats, and almost every item you come across has been customized by the previous owner. Since you still have some biological parts you must be cautious around diseased or poisonous hazards...

The game culminates with the player defeating an enforcer and escaping the zone with massive amounts of energy, enough to live forever if they wish.