==FAILURE==

Urgh. This has been an exercise in futility, hasn't it. Regrettable.

Keeping that in mind, might as well expand on a weird idea I had for a survival horror game. The premise would more or less be that a scientist and a bodyguard get trapped underground.

Hopefully, it sounds a lot better when elaborated upon. A group of explorers and geologists come across an unexplored cave system in the Ural mountain range. Where exactly, I cannot say, as I really don't know a lot about precise geography in Russia. Anyway, they help open up enough of an entrance and begin exploring the caves and chasms, trying to circumvent an underground river. In the process, a minor earthquake accidentally separates Robert and May from the rest of the group.

Robert, the scientist, carries a specialized geology kit around with him and is able to take samples of stones, move through small spaces without worry of getting stuck or cut up and also carries a first-aid kit, not exactly skilled with medicine but capable with instruction.

May, the bodyguard, carries rope, hand-crank flashlights, blankets and other survival gear. In addition, she wears flexible body armor and is capable of feats of strength, like breaking stalagmites, stalactites and moving heavy rocks. In combat, she'd have to help protect Robert from harm but would be restricted to using bludgeoning weapons like large stones and stalagmites as projectiles.

For the most part, you can switch back and forth between them relatively effortlessly. Most of the weapons in the game do consist of hand-held, improvised weapons, plus Robert is capable of harvesting minerals and ores to make rare, specialized weapons. For example, with enough magnesium and a fragile container with a fuse, he could make a magnesium grenade that could be used for blasting, emergency lighting or to be thrown at enemies.

Most of the enemies in the cave would, of course, be bizarre, inhuman creatures that have grown up without light. A flashlight is a viable tool to paralyze and stun the enemy before attacking, but of course they're capable of coming out of the walls or tracking the duo relentlessly. And some form of salvation comes to the duo when the cave system intersects with an abandoned coal mineshaft, closed many years ago during the Cold War. From there they'll have to traverse ruined tunnels, decaying mine-cart tracks and finally the decrepit, rotting remains of a coal sorting and packaging factory before finally escaping the underground.

Of course, it's not likely that I'll be able to actually make it all a game. But I have ways of possibly making this come to life...