Overview for the game and Game Design Document

There had been some confusion and disagreement when it came to certain aspects of the game so I took it upon myself to create an overview for everything in the game, it may be missing certain things so far as this is just a first draft but I'll show it to my group and see if there is anything I left ambiguous.

Premise 

Monster Hunter in a sandbox Island setting

Setting

Polynesian Island, Marquesan tribe, Some time in the 19th century

World

Colonisation of an unknown island inhabited by spirits who have infected the local fauna. The player must bring the infection under control in order to continue colonisation of the island by his tribe.

Aim

Sandbox island where the player must kill six Spirit Gods in order to destroy the infection in their domain of the island, surrounding each Spirit Gods is almost a horde of infected animals the the player must fight through in order to kill the respective Spirit God. After killing all of the Spirit Gods the player must then take out the final 'Overlord' spirit, putting an end to the infection once and for all.

Gameplay

Hack n Slash with RPG elements. The player can collect and modify weapons based on the original marquesan club. The player will level up by collecting tattoos that will eventually cover their bare body to unlock abilities in a number of fields. Approaching each Spirit God the player will be required to play though a light puzzle in order to access the Spirit.

Art style

[Artwork depicting the art style and perhaps a mood board]

Character

The player takes on the role of a Marquesan Warrior, at the beginning of the game the player will be allowed to modify the basic appearance of the head/face/hair but the character will only wear loin clothing was typical of marquesan warriors.

Upgrades/Customisation

A number of temples are scattered across the island which allude to the history of the island and also house powerful weapons to be collected by the player. The player may further strengthen these weapons using spirit stones acquired after defeating each Spirit God. The spirit stones are freely interchangeable and moderately affect the appearance of each weapon. The player will wear tattoos starting with one small tattoo on the back tht will branch and spread over the whole body as the player levels up, the appearance of the tattoos is affected by the skills the player chooses as they level up. Tattoos on the arm also keep track of progress such as collectables, completed challenges and defeated Spirit Gods.

Spirit Gods

The Spirit gods are tangible entities that have always inhabited the island. The main Spirit Gods take the form of normal animals but with ethereal and godly elements to their appearance, sometimes taking the form of multiple animals. The 'Overlord' Spirit takes the grotesque form of the infection it has spread on the island.

Animals/infection

[Illustration of infected animals and the stages at which they are infected, along side illustrations of natural uninfected animals.]

Side Quests
The game will feature side quests that can be avoided altogether if the player so wishes, the side quests will be mostly themed around the aid of colonising the island, it could vary from anything simple like a fetch quest with complications involving hostile animals, to something that involves some specially design mutated animal you must take out specifically for this mission that can't be encountered naturally in the game. Some side quests would also uncover some of the lore surrounding the island.