Objective: Play a variety of games. Document positive and negative design principles or mechanics of each title and determine how it can relate to our project.
Brutal Legend
The first game I started with was Brutal Legend. In terms of rock n' roll and metal, this game was easily the most brought up title in relation to our game. While the genres are totally different (2D Platformer vs. 3D Adventure Strategy) the largest thing I took away from the experience were the consistent visual and musical themes. The art style of the game is rock inspired throughout and that aesthetic lends itself so well to the gameplay. Everything from the cutscenes to the soundtrack to even the menus has an air of metalness to them which is something I hope we can capture with our game.
Gunstar Heroes
My first trip into the run and gun 2D platformer. What I quickly took away from this game was just how sporadic and fast the gameplay and AI was. The closer point of view to the player makes the action more frantic and also causes the player to be more wary of jumps and movement in case another enemy enters the screen. With the use of the plastic instruments as controllers, I don't believe the sudden, constant stream of enemies or small point of view would suit well with the gameplay.
Slick - same calculated jump
I wanted to play a 2D platformer on XBLIG so I made a search on the website and this game, Slick, was one of the choices that came up. The first thing that caught my eye was the bland, almost monochromatic art style. Once I took the time to actually play the game, the core mechanic of timing jumps and avoiding enemies took center stage. One specific design I noticed with this game was the decision to include a calculated, level jump with each button press. Unlike other titles, no matter how long you held the A button, the jump was always going to be the same height. This was easy to become familiar with and made the attention to the challenges on the map (different platforms to reach, enemies to avoid or kill) that much more important.
Mister Jump - dynamic jumping
A very basic 2D platformer. The game looked like a port from a mobile device, but handled surprisingly well. Unlike Slick, the game had dynamic jumping that was dependent on how long you held the A (or jump) button. While I felt like this made the gameplay slightly more interesting, the biggest takeaway I had from the game was the poor level design. After 4 uninspired levels, I was disconnected from the action on screen. It usually takes a much longer or repetitive process for me to be simply going through the motions with the game, but with such simple maps and easy platforms, I became bored very quickly
Blocks That Matter - offset 2D visually
The biggest reason I tried this game (in addition to it also being a platformer) was the interesting art style. Instead of a flat 2D perspective, the game world takes place in a 2.5D 2D world.
Blocks That Matter
I've included a link of the gameplay. The game is still a 2D platformer adventure game, but I think the art style really complements the action on screen. Another design aspect that I really connected with was the point of view and distance in the game. One cubic block is the size of the player and he/she is able to also jump 2 blocks high. I think that the size of the screen and player is perfect for showing off action as well as introducing enemy types and objectives. There is space to move around (especially with the potential for 2 player co-op), but the screen is not too tight where you can't seen enemies approaching.
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Dust is an action RPG for XBLA. I wanted to get a feel for a fast-paced hack-and-slash title that was also 2D. What really caught me about Dust was the ability to interesting attacks and combinations that incorporated the player's verticality. The main character, Dust, can double jump as well as dash to the left and right of the screen quickly. While I don't believe we'll have a dash button mapped in our game, the ability to quickly get behind or stun enemies(with the right button press to parry) would add a certain level of complexity or challenge that I think our game needs. While combos are great for differentiating actions, putting the player in a setting where they have to incorporate defensive or strategic positions in order to succeed is ultimately more fun and interesting. The problem therein lies how do we incorporate that challenge using only the musical instrument controller? A question we'll need to address very quickly if we want to keep the player playing.
Rock of the Dead
Rock of the Dead is an on rails music video game that tasks the player with hitting the correct note(s) on their plastic guitar or drum in order to defeat enemies or complete objectives. If you've ever played
The Typing of the Dead or any similar quick reflex rails game, you'll know exactly how this goes. Because our game idea also uses plastic musical instruments, I thought I would document how RotD incorporates the peripheral. For starters, when any challenge/obstacle appears, the screen suddenly becomes filled with note paths containing circles for specific notes that must be strummed.
Rock of the Dead
Unfortunately, unlike
The Typing of the Dead, the sudden appearance of several different enemies is not something that can be as easily managed. The screen can easily become too cluttered when even four enemies are present and getting closer to your position and bigger. I played for over 30 minutes and even as I approached easier tasks, I still felt anxious at the thought that a large group of enemies would appear and I would be forced to start recklessly pounding on my fake guitar in hopes that I could clear even a few of the undead crawlers. The other problem with the on rails system was simply the lack of any reason to want to come back to the game. The game has very little replayability with exception of wanting to play on the hardest difficulty (good luck with that) or any general interest in rehearing the campy, but poorly executed story. In some circumstances, I believe the on-rails note system can work, but giving the player freedom to choose when they fight off enemies more often just seems like a better system.
That's all for tonight, I hope you enjoyed the notes from my 'research study'. Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!
