>>536037140
>>536037236
You know what, you two make a good point; I can share this solely to contribute with the general. This will also miss the mark a little and be kinda fanfic-ey, though: As a creative exercise I was thinking of a Peach RPG game. Here's some notes:
>Main plot starts by Kamek making a breakthrough on how to manipulate the Dream World, which is immediately put to use on Bowser's next kidnapping scheme.
>Peach is put on a deep sleep with her consciousness trapped inside a "Dream Cage", as Kamek expected. What Kamek didn't account for was Peach's mysterious powers (citation needed) and her daydreaming nature (headcanon) shaping the Dream Cage into a full-on world.
>On her journey, Peach finds Pauline, Daisy and Rosalina, trying to solve problems on each area of the world. She also encounters Mario, which serves as an occasional guide for Peach's journey.
>Through party banters and heartfelt moments, Peach gains confidence in herself; but during intermissions, she gets constantly assaulted by a shadowy creature called Amarita (temp) attempting to make her give up.
>First half of the story revolves around Peach exploring the world and looking for a way back to her kingdom, unaware she's stuck inside a dream. Kamek serves at the main antagonist, attempting to put Peach on a deeper slumber by taking her down and/or causing the world to collapse. Second Half consists Peach & Co. chasing down Amarita and bring Peach's newfound strength to the real world.
>Amarita is later revealed to be a manifestation of Peach's insecurities, manipulating the Dream Cage from within.

The main theme of this idea is "Believe in yourself and those that believe in you." It's more character drama than anything. And as far as gameplay would go... I dunno, I was thinking of something as basic as standard RPG with some Paper Mario mechanics sprinkled, as well RPG Maker-flavored environmental puzzles and a nice quirk of Dragon Quest's Party Chat with lots of flavor text.