This is not a joke suggestion, but more of a proof of concept. I'm not expecting this to be added. So details will be loose and not too detailed.
Know what would be an intriguing inverse to the Hallow? Well, the Hallow is a fairy tale like, fantasy place of magic and wonder that is "too pure", as we all know.
So what is the opposite of that? The Wallow. What's that? Well, I think the opposite of fantasy is reality. And I think the opposite of wonder and whimsy is melancholy and acceptance. And the opposite of all colors in the spectrum is monochrome.
The Wallow (hence the name referencing someone wallowing in their misery) is a greyscale, cityscape like place that references real life towns, but more depressing and sorrowful in its nature. There are virtually no trees here, and most places are just apartments and skyscrapers.
When you are in the Wallow, everything is in greyscale, including the background and you. This references the sad theme of this place being the opposite of magic and wonder that the Hallow has. Adding to that, the music is a slow piano song.
Thematically, the Wallow is a collective woe that carries the spirit of plight. Not kidding. It would be the counterpart to the Hallow, and in normal worlds, it would spawn after the Wall of Flesh is killed.
Gear made and found in the Wallow happens to be slightly weaker than the gear gathered from the Hallow. Think of how Corruption materials and enemies are known for being slightly weaker than their various Crimson counterparts.
Most of the enemies in this specific region are actually human beings. Some work as office drones, others work as cops, and whatever else positions in the real world. Some other monsters include dogs, bulldozers, cars, and whatever else as well. They take on a theme of reality being harsh, rather than the Hallow being crazy wackiness. The boss of this region is a manager in a weird airship that looks a bit like Morris from Stardew Valley lol
A status effect to this region is Sorrowful, where the player cries, and becomes weaker in all areas for a short bit. It is caused by strong enemies and bosses.
Basic enemies:
Pedestrian: Walking person in a business suit. Male or female. Similar stats. Looks sad and covers their head. Walks into you to deal damage and the possible Sorrowful effect. Kinda weak.
Worker: Type at their desk. Either tosses balls of paper at you, or claps a stapler at you.
Boss: Yells at you, dealing good knockback.
Security Guard: Swings a baton at you.
Police Officer: Shoots rubber bullets at you, or throws tear gas.
Bulldozer: Tanky enemies. Digs you up and throws you.
Cars: Rams into you at fast speeds. Cannot jump, though.
Some weapon ideas:
Demoralizing Nightstick: A "sword" in this region. Knocks enemies out with a Concussion status effect that makes them fall asleep and unable to attack or move. Opposite of the Excalibur; has a smaller area of effect and weaker overall damage, but it has a strong ability to knock the lights out of foes. Of course, since mechanical bosses still exist in this world, I imagine you wouldn't need to make this a True Demoralizing Nightstick.
Wallowed Repeater: A scoped repeater that is grey. Only repeater in the game with a scope. Generally slower than other repeaters. Considered a counterpart to the Hallowed Repeater.
Layover: Computer-like magic weapon. Shoots out emails that hurt; they are shot medium rate, and in a wavy pattern. References getting laid off from your job.
Pepper Spray: Magic weapon. Shoots pepper gas at a short range, but endlessly. Deals a lot of damage, but very short range.
Riot Rifle: Shoots rubber bullets when fired with any bullet. These giant bullets travel very fast and bounce off walls and enemies; they travel even faster than high velocity bullets. Weaker than most rifles, but very accurate, fast firing and great at ricochet. It loses its ability to deal special effects, though.
I was bored. Heh
Few more facts:
- Underground Wallow is a sewer system and even transit system.
- Grey Solution spreads Wallow.
- Souls of Plight are a counterpart of Souls of Light.
- A possible mount is a Dumwaiter; an elevator that allows limited flight. It can only move up, not up and left/right at the same time.
- Ceo of Plight Corp is a flying manager in a airship. He will shoot dastardly things at you, like bombs, or missiles. He even scans the ground below him with a frying beam. He also spawns his servants, Interns of Plight Corp, which swarm you like spiders.
- The equivalent of the Empress of Light is the Ideal Self. It is your future self but all glowy so it shares the same sprite. They use spectral versions of endgame gear, like the Zenith, S.D.M.G, Last Prism, and Terraprisma. The music changes to a rock theme that still sounds crazy. Very powerful opponent that should be fought with Post Golem gear like the Empress of Light.
