By April Scott
Indie games are where some of the wildest ideas in gaming come alive. From farming sims that heal your soul (Stardew Valley) to bug-knight metroidvanias (Hollow Knight), small teams keep pushing boundaries. But what happens when you ask an AI to design the next great indie game? Could it come up with something fresh — or would it just remix old ideas?
We sat down with ChatGPT to find out.
ChatGPT: “I’d call it Echoes of the Loom.
It’s a hand-drawn, side-scrolling puzzle-adventure set in a world woven entirely from thread and fabric. The player controls a Weaver, a character who can unravel parts of the environment and re-stitch them to solve puzzles.
For example, you could pull a thread to unravel a mountain into a staircase — or stitch two stars together to create a bridge of constellations.
The core mechanic is ‘unravel + reweave.’ Every environment is interactive fabric, from patchwork villages to embroidered forests. The art style would look like a living tapestry, and the music would be played on looms and stringed instruments, giving it an organic, meditative feel.”
“Echoes of the Loom is more than a game idea — it’s a vision of worlds you can unravel and re-stitch, where memory, story, and creativity become the threads that hold everything together.”
ChatGPT: “The narrative is about memory and identity. The world is slowly fraying — literally unraveling at the seams — because of forgotten stories. The Weaver’s mission is to travel through realms (Dream, Shadow, Memory, Song) to repair the great Loom that binds them all. Along the way, you encounter NPCs whose memories are half-erased, and you restore them by weaving fragments of story back together.”
ChatGPT: “It’s a mix of exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving. Each level introduces new weaving mechanics:
Re-stitch shadows → reveal hidden platforms.
Weave threads of sound → unlock music-based puzzles.
Tie knots → act as switches or locks.
The game balances quiet, cozy vibes with moments of tension — like fabric tearing beneath your feet during timed escapes. Think Ori and the Blind Forest meets Unravel, but with deeper puzzle systems and a narrative about creativity and repair.”
ChatGPT: “Because it’s both visually unique and thematically relevant. Indie audiences love games that feel handcrafted — literally, in this case. It also taps into cozy/wholesome trends without being shallow, since the puzzles and story offer depth. It’s small enough for an indie team to make, but novel enough to capture attention.”
Is Echoes of the Loom the next Stardew Valley or Hollow Knight? Hard to say. But what’s striking is how AI instinctively reached for metaphor, mechanics, and mood — the same ingredients that fuel real indie successes.
Of course, an AI can’t prototype or balance a game loop, and it can’t know what will truly resonate with players. But as a brainstorming partner, it’s surprisingly imaginative.
“The best future indies might not be designed by AI, but almost certainly with it.”
And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be weaving constellations across a sky made of fabric.
