Mega Man 9 Review & Repair

Mega Man 9 is my favorite Mega Man game along with Mega Man X. This is probably due to the fact that I've recently beat these two Mega Man games since developing my critical-eye. Regardless, there's a lot to be said for Mega Man 9, a game which just barely qualifies for the retro-evolved genre. The game looks old school and plays just like Mega Man did when I was a kid gathered around TV with all the neighborhood kids trying to come up with a strategy to defeat Gemini Man. Because MM9 is practically an NES, so much of the experience should already be quite familiar to us. For this reason, I only want to touch on a few points in bullet point essay style.

ADJUSTABLE DIFFICULTY

Many claim that Mega Man 9 is a very difficult game. I do not think it is for many reasons. Starting with a base made up of the default weapon, the M Buster, and a few lives, the difficulty in beating the game can be adjusted to a very fine degree. Players always have the option of...

1. collecting lives before going into more difficult stages
2. collecting energy tanks to refill one's health instantly
3. using powers to more easily overcome enemies and tricky platforming sections
4. using the powers that each boss is weak to
5. spending bolts to buy additional lives, energy tanks, M tanks, and other power ups including Beat, Spike Shoes, and the 1/2 damage power up.
   
6. farming enemy respawn points to refill health and weapon energy

Also, the more you play, die, and continue, the more bolts you'll accumulate. With more bolts, the player has more buying power to adjust the difficulty of their experience.

LEVEL DESIGN

The levels in Mega Man 9 are masterfully crafted. They have the perfect balance of difficulty, enemies, length, original elements, simplicity, and organic unity.

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• Each level is very linear and constructed like a sentence with a beginning, middle (mini boss), and end (boss). Each level/sentence represents a simple game idea. Look at Splash Woman's stage for example. The simple game idea is going down into the depths and come back out the other side. The traveling path makes a "u" shape.
  
• To keep things moving forward there are few scrolling sections to each level. Also, the player is prevented from backtracking horizontally. Once you enter a section, there's nothing else to do but keep pressing forward
• Enemies are generally fixed in specific locations within a level and have strict spawn design. Move just slightly off the screen, and a enemy you just destroyed will be waiting to take you on again. Many enemies function as a path blocker instead of chasing the player down. Having to shoot down such obstacles keeps the game focused on shooting instead of running/dodging. This design decision keeps the experience controlled, and uniform across play sessions.
• The organic level design and organic art direction harmonize perfectly in MM9. In Splash Woman's stage (see above) everything is designed and arranged to communicate a functioning water treatment plant. The water in the beginning starts to flow downward, and water mines and octopus robots provide primary security protection (1-3). As the water descends, the spikes filter out unwanted content (5-8). The water the runs through pipe filters that generate air bubbles as waste. This air is expelled through holes in the pipe work (9-12). Next players hit a pocket of air in a pressurized zone where pipe runners run maintenance and security (12-16). Traveling up you encounter a computerized system mixing and filtering sections of water via sliding disks (14-16). And then you're practically at the boss, Splash Woman, who will battle in nothing less than the purest, most highly filtered water technology can provide. Sure it's a little imaginative, but the forms are all there.
• By following through with this organic theme, the placements of the platforms and other level elements were guided. Like in Super Mario Brothers, bricks aren't placed willy nilly just so that Mario has things to break and platforms to jump on. The bricks in Mario are arranged to reflect functional structures; towers, bridges, stalagmites, etc. By following such organic guidelines, MM9 levels are as efficient, clean, and functionally focused as can be.
• Aside from unique enemies, like in Super Mario Bros. 3/Super Mario Galaxy, new level elements are added to the MM9 levels as needed to further develop and define the governing game ideas for each stage. In Splash Woman's stage, the platformable water bubbles (9-12) and the disappearing water sliding sections (14-16) are specific to this stage and add unique gameplay to the level.

POWERS THAT POWER UP

Fleshing out a quality game after starting with a limited core design is a skill that Capcom uses very well. By adding a balance of abstract mechanics, extra modes, and unique level/enemy elements, Capcom is able to develop rich game ideas instead of flopping in undynamic, static redundancy.

To understand how the core design of Mega Man 9 is limited, we need to first look at the core mechanics and compare them against Mario and even other versions of Mega Man.

Mega Man's Base Abilities

• No RUN mechanic. Megaman moves at the same instant and constant speed whether he's on the ground or in the air. Because there is no accelerative motion forward, it's not jarring to the player that Mega Man doesn't skid to a stop. It's not unusual that Mega Man can instantly reverse his direction in mid air either. Where Mario uses the RUN mechanic to create momentum (physics wise and game design wise) and increase difficulty by reducing the reaction time window for the player, Mega Man marches on in a relatively simple fashion.
• Mario must get a running start to achieve his maximum jump height and distance. Mega Man doesn't, which makes difficult jumps within a level less dependent on adequate running room. For this reason, Mega Man can create difficult platforming challenges in a very small space.
  

• Mega Man can only shoot straight. To aim, he must JUMP and SHOOT. Because the JUMP mechanic is highly direct in degrees of vertical height, players have the ability to accurately SHOOT at just about anything within jumping range. Fortunately, pullets travel through walls. These properties create interesting aiming situations that mix anticipation, aiming through levels, and platforming in unique ways.
  
• The core mechanics (MOVE, SHOOT, JUMP) aren't very dynamic. You can't jump on enemies. Enemies generally aren't stunned after being shot. Also, the momentum from leading one's shots is diminished somewhat when it relies on memorization or luck.
  
• Unlike other 8-bit and 16-bit Mega Man iterations, MM9 Mega Man can't CHARGE, DASH, WALL KICK, SLIDE, or WALL SLIDE. The acceleration when SLIDING gives players the ability to dodge low flying attacks at the risk of falling off of platforms or running into enemies. As we know, the CHARGE mechanic does all kinds of wonders for gameplay. The WALL SLIDE/KICK mechanics give a lot of vertical definition to Mega Man's movement possibilities. Combining the DASH with the WALL KICK, gives players the ability to leap far off from walls. With these mechanics, enemies, bosses, and platforming sections have more versatility to mix things up. The DASH mechanic when combined with the JUMP mechanic, gives Mega Man the ability to quickly move about any environement. Like Mario's RUN mechanic, moving more quickly also comes with risks. Without these things, MM9 is clearly more limited in the enemy and platforming challenges it can put players through.
  

Ultimately, Mega Man must be able to defeat the vast majority of challenges with MOVE, JUMP, and SHOOT. After all, these mechanics make up the core/base of the game and are inexhaustible. When a game isn't very dynamic (mechanic dynamics, interplay, counterpoint), instead of emerging as a vehicle of expression, such games usually move in the opposite direction toward optimization. While this is true for MM9, the design of Mega Man's (mostly) optional acquired powers give the player a vehicle of expression while dynamically changing the paths and strategies available to the player. It is these powers that give MM9 design layers, dynamics, variation, and depth.

The Powers

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The limitations of Mega Man's moving and shooting abilities are apparent. But with every boss Mega Man defeats, he gains the use of one of their abilities. Each ability enhances some combination of Mega Man's moving, shooting, and defensive abilities filling up a unique design space. Starting at the top middle (12 o'clock) and going clockwise...

• Plug Ball: Travels quickly along the ground, walls, and ceilings. In the air, this attack shoots straight down, which is unlike any other Mega Man attack.
  
• Magma Bazooka: Shoots a triple spread attack. The fastest of two projectile attacks that can travel diagonally up or down. This attack can also be charged.
  
• Hornet Chaser: Up to three can be fired at a time. They will slowly chase down any enemy on screen flying through walls to get to them. These hornets also have the ability to retrieve items from the field and bring them back to Mega Man.
  
• Concrete Shot: A fast projectile that quickly arcs downward making it difficult to aim. This projectile also stops against walls, ceilings, and enemies. Once it hits something, it solidifies into a brick of concrete that players can use as a temporary platform.
  
• Black Hole Bomb: A two stage attack that sends out a slow moving target and then activates forming a black hole that draws in enemy fire and enemies. Setting up this attack requires a little patience, knowledge of the level, and timing.
• Laser Trident: This attack fires and travels very quickly in a straight line, and has the ability to cut through enemy defenses because nothing stops it. There are also special obstacles that can only be destroyed with the Laser Trident.
  
• Jewel Satellite: Activating this power creates a shield of jewels that circle the player that reflect basic enemy attacks. These jewels can also completely eliminate weak enemies upon contact infinitely without any additional energy consumption. A collision with a stronger enemy will cancel the jewels. The ring of jewels can be launched as a projectile.
• Tornado Blow: This handy attack sweeps all enemies and their attacks up and off the screen forever. The wind that sweeps away the enemies also floats Mega Man upward extending the height of his jump.
  
• Rush Coil & Rush Jet (not depicted): These two abilities give Mega Man a super jump and the ability to fly a jet around for a limited time. Rush, the dog, can safely stand on spikes allowing players to access some areas safely. When Rush Jet collides with a platform or wall, he disappears leaving Mega Man behind to deal with situation.

On top of the platforming, offensive, and defensive changes these powers bring to Mega Man's basic abilities, they also have decay. Let's face it. The player is quite over powered with access to all of these abilities, but with every use the powers consume energy. Without energy for a specific power, Mega Man can't use it. Use powers haphazardly and excessively, and soon you won't have anything more than the basic abilities.

The decay goes a bit further. When players die and respawn, the energy/ammo they consumed on the previous life doesn't reset. In this way, dying and poor playing isn't completely remedied by having lots of lives. If you use all of a power trying to defeat a boss and fail to finish him/her off, then when you go back to fight that boss, you'll have to battle without that power. This is most apparent in the final assault on Dr. Willy's fortress. Players have to fight through 4 large levels and 11 bosses before getting a chance to fight against Willy's 3 stages. If you mismanage your power at any point in this gauntlet, you'll have a hard time replenishing your supplies.

The way these powers are designed, it's no wonder that enemies drop refilling power pellets less often than energy pellets or screws. It's also no wonder that the shop only lets you by one M Tank which refills all of Mega Man's power supply and health.


The design in Mega Man 9 is so clean and apparent that we all can learn something about game design from it. The game is simple. The controls are tight. And the player can make it as hard as he/she wants. The first play through is long and filled with learning and the kind of refinement that requires a determined will and self discipline. Then each subsequent play through gets easier and easier. With convenient speed running options Mega Man 9 is more concentrated on its best qualities than the other 8-bit brethren.

"With these powers....I have the power... to do it better....to do it faster." ~me

ROBOT REPAIR

Approaching a repair of Mega Man 9 is tricky. After all, the game was intentionally design to reflect the design of the Mega Man games from the NES era. Most of the suggestions I could make for the game would invariably counter its original aim and goals. As with any repair, upholding the spirit of the game is key. It is not the job of the repair man to make a new game, but make the game that already exists better, cleaner, and communicate its ideas more clearly.

With that said, these are just a few ideas that I have for Mega Man 9. Some are repairs. And though some are changes, I think they're interesting enough to post.

• The ammo bars for Mega Man's powers should be quantified for the powers that consume lots of "pixels"/ pellets with a single use. Tornado Blow and Jewel Satellite are two examples of powers that take a chunk out of their ammo/power bar. Because of the way the power bar is divided into pellets, it's difficult to gauge how many more uses of a power are left. This is a simple fix to help player count their bullets so to speak.
  
• Like Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 9 should contain a puzzle mode or challenges that are short levels focusing on the unique properties, nuances, and intricacies of Mega Man's powers.
  
• Though the random drops from destroyed enemies has been in the Mega Man series since the beginning, considering the possibilities of taking this design element out of the game can lead to some refreshing design alternatives.
• To balance not getting health drops from enemies, it would be interesting if Mega Man could get small health bonuses by destroying enemies with the M Buster at close range. When gunplay is at the core of a game, I always like design elements that define the space between a gun and the target in interesting ways.
  
• To refill the ammo for powers, it would be interesting if Mega Man could interact with specific enemies and/or the environment. How about standing under a rushing waterfall to refill Splash Woman's power? Switch to Magma Man's power and draw in energy from lava pools or flame attacks. Having more unique interaction with the level would give players more reasons to travel back to old levels while preserving the conservation design of the powers that already exists in Mega Man 9.
  

Platformers DS: Doubleganger Siblings

When the DS first launched, Nintendo decided to port Super Mario 64 over to the handheld. This game is mostly the same except for a few mini games, a multiplayer mode, and some new playable characters. Over all, the port was a good one with the biggest downside being the adapted controls. It's difficult to configure analog controls with digital buttons.

In the next few years Nintendo released 3 "doubleganger siblings" or 3 platformers that have strong roots in the design of previous Nintendo Masterpieces. For these games the DS touch screen is mostly used for navigating menus and displaying large buttons. New Super Mario Brothers, Yoshi's Island DS, and Super Princess Peach are the doubleganger siblings that all fall short of their predecessor.

New Super Mario Brothers (NSMB) takes after Super Mario Brothers for the NES. Yoshi's Island DS (YIDS) is analogous to Super Mario World: Yoshi's Island for the SNES. And Super Princess Peach (SPP) is modeled after both of theses games. Understanding exactly how these games work compared to the console counterparts is more compliated than it seems. Handhelds are different devices than consoles and requires different design techniques and approaches. The reducsed screen size and aspect ratio is always an issue. Many were quick to judge some of these games as not having innovated, but there are sublte ways to innovate on a theme. Uncovering the structures for these games requires that we look at their structures starting with the core and moving outward.

NSMB starts off with the core of Super Mario Brothers: JUMP, DUCK, MOVE, RUN. Then additional abilities were added: WALL KICK, TRIPLE JUMP, GROUND POUND giving Mario then ability to platform/climb vertically in all new ways as well as destruct the level beneath him. From these expanded core abilities, the levels in NSMB were free to be designed in any direction. Consequently the developers felt free to take bits and pieces of level design from SMB, SMB3, and SMW. The flat level layouts belong to SMB. Some of the bosses and left & right scrolling levels hearken back to SMB3. The world map, chain fences, bosses, and ghost houses can be traced back to SMW.

After drawing from these 3 excellent games, you would think that NSMB would be the most "Mario" Mario game. When I first played it, I enjoyed the game but wasn't very impressed. Now, after studying SMB, SMB3, and SMW more closely, I can appreciate the blend that is NSMB more.

PROS

• Blue Shell, tiny mushroom, big mushroom are the new powerups. The blue shell is genius taking the form of the turtle shell that we all know and understand by now and putting a Mario inside. All the interplay desinged into the shell is now under the player's control.
  
• Levels can be designed to flow up, down, left, and right. The respawning enemies sort of created folded level movements when Mario travels backwards.
  
• The camera zooms in an out appropriately. When the player needs to see more of what's ahead, the camera pulls back perfectly and smoothly. If Mario can't look before he leaps, then the game just wouldn't quite be Mario.
  
• The camera also scrolls positioning Mario further left/back on the small DS screen than when on a TV screen like in SMB. Because in NSMB mario is 1/12th the size of the screen instead of 1/16, in order to see enough of the level coming, the screen had to pull back to compensate.
• Some levels are truly inspired (7-3 & 7-5). They not quite like SMB, SMB3, or SMW making them distinctly NSMB.
  
• Excellent multiplayer modes. Aside from the 4 player Mario Party type mini games, the 2 player side scrolling "battle mode" takes all of the gameplay from the single player in NSMB and pits two players against each other in a looping stage. Who knew all the interplay, mechanics, and folded design would come together so nicely in a multiplayer mode. It's examples like these that show that strong core design goes a long way for any type of game.

CONS

• Pits and other level hazards are undermined with WALL KICKs. All pits are almost harmless because Mario can simply wall kick out of them. I found my self taunting the pits by intentionally jumping into them and seeing how low I could go while still being able to safely WALL KICK out. Fortunately, many levels have lava, poison water, and large pits so this strategies . On the plus side, being able to WALL KICK like this helps to minimize the reduced viability problem that all handheld platformers face.
  
• Too many power ups/power ups in the bank. Because small pits are less of a problem, dying doesn't really happen. To make things worse, there are too many powerups in every level. Unlike in SMB, Mario can take 3 hits before dying from the fire flower powerup state. This extra cushion makes things easier for the player. But then, the player can to store a power up on the bottom screen and use it at any time. Powerups in previous Mario platformers used to be just rare enough so that players would charrish them. Now they're practically given away at every street corner.
  
• Confused Difficulty Structure: In SMB, players had one clear shot from start to finish to try and beat the game. There were no save options. In SMB3, players had a bit of a cushion. If they lost all of their lives, they would simply start back at the beginng of the world not the game. This design gave the developers the leeway to make the levels trickier and harder. In both of htese games, the player couldn't go back and replay conquered levels. In SMW, players could save after ghost houses, bosses, and big switches dividing the save zones into even smaller sections. NSMB tries to have a linear overward like SMB, tricks to progression like SMB3, and save options similar to SMW. Compounded with the excess of powerups, NSMB difficulty doesn't come from progressing through the levels/game. Instead NSMB positions 3 coins per stage for the player to find and collect to increase the challenge.
  
• Awkward saving. The limited number of saves in NSMB is awkard like Resident Evil. At some point, I found myself traveling to other world just so I could use a save station because I had run out of saves on the world I was previously in. The save system design has been opened up from the designs of Mario's previous games. There's no need to limit saves like this.
  
• Some of the new enemies look terribly uninspired and un-Mario. ie. the hanging spiders, running punching ghost thing, the crows, and the pumpkins.
  

Yoshi's Island DS began with the Yoshi's Island core. MOVE, DUCK, JUMP, FLUTTER, MAKE EGGS, THROW EGGS, GROUND POUND, TONGUE, SPIT, rolling rocks, Piranha flowers, shy guys, flowers, and red coins. For the DS sequel, the developers looked at the character abilities, and decided to add character abilities via the babies riding on Yoshi's back. With the help of these infantile friends the player can now RUN, PARASOL GLIDE, SPIT FIRE BALL, CLIMB ON VINES, and MAGNET objects not to mention collect special character coins. More is better right? With such a solid core how can this game go wrong? It's all in the execution. You can't have a best core design with the worst level design. These two elements of a game depend on each other.

PROS

• Reducing the running speed of Yoshi (except with Mario's special ability) was smart because Yoshi takes up 1/35th of the space on a single DS screen instead of 1/48th like on the SNES. Moving more slowly gives the player more time to react to the upcoming level.
  
• Compensating for the DS screen gap creates a searching/adventure mechanic to the game. Yoshi can adjust the screen up or down by a distance equal to the gap between the DS screens by holding up or down. By hitting X and up/down, the player can shift the main screen of play to the top or bottom screen. This can reveal secrets and parts of the layout to the player.
  
• Flutter is a genius way to make a downward "JUMP" mechanic, and to show how the different babies have different weights.
  

CONS

• The level design can be quite terrible. The green falling blob level comes to mind. It seems like the developers just threw enemies and platforms together without play testing or tuning the elements to create a solid game idea.
  
• Creating secret/specific paths that require a specific baby adds unnecessary back tracking the way the baby switching is set up. The unique baby abilities are fine, but the elements that require a specific baby ultimately results in having to memorize areas of the stage for the next pass through or backtrack to get the right baby.
  
• The levels don't have large governing game ideas. They seem to be in service of the secrets and even those seem forced and artificially placed in the level.
• The new enemies/character look like they were designed/drawn by a child.

Super Princess Peach starts with core mechanics from NSMB and YIDS (MOVE/RUN, JUMP, DUCK, WALK, POUNDBRELLA) with some of the more unique mechanics being functionally analogous (TONGUE = PICK UP, MAKE EGGS = EAT, FLUTTER = FLOATBRELLA). The enemies and level elements are also very similar: Goomba, Paratroopers, Pirahna Flowers, warp pipes, springs, and informative-talking help blocks. SPP even encourages players to collect toads scattered throughout each level like the flowers from Yoshi's Island.

PROS

• Primary Function: Understanding and using one's emotions. Each emotional state (Joy, Gloom, Rage, and Calm) have various effects on Peach and/or the environment. Understanding theses effects and using them to progress is the core gimmick of SPP. What's also interesting is that the image of Peach on the bottom screen displays Peaches emotional states and Peach's "woman's intuition." By paying attention to Peach's expression, the player can tune into Peaches more subtle emotions.
• Emotions is the lens through which the whole game is filtered. Not only must the player understand Peach's emotional states, but the emotions of the enemies as well. Like Peach's 5 emotional states (including neutral state) the enemies can also exhibit emotional states. With each state, the enemy's behavior changes. Mad enemies are more aggressive. Calm enemies sleep giving Peach the chance to sneak up on them. Glad enemies walk around with their eyes closed and a song in their hearts and will occasionally jump for joy to throw off the player's timing.
  
• Nice adjustable difficulty by purchasing upgrades with coins. Just like in Mario Galaxy, there's a balance in how one kills an enemy and the rewards one gains. Jumping on an enemy versus using the homing stomp is harder and rewards the player with life restoring coins. In SPP, killing the enemies with umbrella attacks is riskier and rewards the player with coins. To balance this, player forfeits the opportunity to PICK UP and EAT the enemies to restore their vibe (emotion) meter.
• Due to the similarities with the core Mario design, SPP features the same basic counterpoint that Mario does.
  

CONS

• The broken, piecemeal level design is often very circular and very confusing. By taking too many warp pipes from one section to another the organic, cohesive design of the level is demolished.
  
• The touch screen mini game levels that precede each boss are neat enough the first time, but become annoying when they're repeated.
  
• The emotion states are simply not dynamic enough. There are several obstacles throughout each level that obviously require the use of a specific emotion to overcome, but other than these areas SPP doesn't use or layer the emotion mechanics at all. The water from the Gloom state and the fire from the Rage state should have much more dynamic effects on the environment/enemies.
• The level design didn't focus on the Mario mechanics, and couldn't focus on the emotion mechanics because of their lack of dynamics. SPP sits in a state in between familiar greatness and great potential, and falls short of both.
  
• SPP should have been designed as more of a puzzle/platformer focusing on the emotion mechanics instead of an action/platformer.
  

Everyday Shooter? Yesterday's Shooter

I've been following Everyday Shooter (ES) by Jonathan Mak since I first saw it when the 1up show stumbled across the pair at GDC. Jonathan Mak is a success story. He followed his dreams, made a game by himself, and his efforts landed his game into, potentially, millions of living rooms around the world. Everyday Shooter is a project that's very individual and personal to its creator. This connection instantly becomes clear after playing the game and reading/listening to the way Mak communicates:

"Everyday Shooter is an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry. " ~ Mak

So I downloaded the game, died a few times, yelled some, and eventually beat it. Once you have the skills, the game is a short experience akin to sight seeing through the back alleys of a somewhat unknown and equally indie music album. Everyday Shooter is not a game for zoning out, though. Sit up and fight vector enemies with vector bullets. This isn't a passive experience. React to the game and it will react back. Pay attention to the forms, figure out the unique chaining system per level, and abstract meaning from the somewhat abstract images on your own time.

This is Everyday Shooter.

Jonathan Mak is a one man band, but everyone has their limitations. Even here at B.E.S, we work hard to challenge each other to keep ourselves on our toes. The following Review & Repair on Everyday Shooter is not aimed against Mak, and it's not focused on what he should have done. Rather, the following is a repair that is make after looking back at the accomplishment that is Everyday Shooter and apply our current understanding of game design to imagine a cleaner, more focused, more engaging game radiating from its core design and original vision. Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back is the best way to proceed forward. Thus, I aptly coin the repaired version of Everyday Shooter...

Yesterday's Shooter

CONTROLS

It was obvious from first playing Everyday Shooter that the control scheme had been originally designed for the PC, or at least not with the PS3 controller in mind. Movement is controlled with the left stick with no problems with the correlation between the on screen action and the controller feel. However, the aiming/shooting isn't designed to take advantage of the analog controls of the PS3's right stick at all. Instead, the player can shoot in four directions using the four "shapely" Playstation buttons. After moving between two aiming buttons, the stream of bullets sort of lazily adjusts to the change in direction.

These mechanics automatically shape the gameplay in a number of ways. Aiming, which includes shooting and positioning of the player, becomes some what quantified. It's easiest to hit targets that are exactly up, down, left, and right of the player. It's less easy to hit targets diagonally due to the slow auto-adjusting feature in the aiming mechanic. Accurately hitting targets in between these any of these 8 directions is very difficulty and becomes more so the farther away the target is.

To correct for the aiming disability, I often positioned the player avatar at a cardinal direction to my target. In this way, the aiming system deconstructs the analog player movement abilities and the level design. Everyday Shooter's levels are designed with enemies that come in all shapes and sizes, floating around and maneuvering in fluid curves and trajectories. The player's smooth analog movement and precise hit box adds to this sort of fluid mosaic model. Controlling what is practically a dot on the screen, players are free to move about the liquid level design, switching places and dodging in between tiny cracks in the momentary layouts. Unfortunately, because the aiming system tends to lock the player into shooting in the 4 comfort cardinal zones, the fluid design and how it influences fluid character movement is partially wedged into a ridged, grid like execution. To shoot effectively, I often have to "snap" into a grid like world where my targets were always on some vertical/horizontal orientation to my player avatar.

This issue is easy to solve. Geometry Wars and Super Stardust HD are both twin stick shooters that are good examples of smooth, intuitive aiming controls. Assuming Yesterday's Shooter would release on the PSN, upgrading the aiming controls to take advantage of the PS3 dual analog sticks would be the easiest repair.

CORE DESIGN

The mechanics of Everyday Shooter are as follows...

1. SHOOT (primary)
2. MOVE (secondary)
3. CHAIN (tertiary)

SHOOT

Because the primary mechanic of Everyday Shooter is SHOOT, there are a few potential design pit falls that must be addressed: interplay/gunplay and static space. What's most interesting about these two issues is, they're somewhat correlated. More on that later.

In Everyday Shooter, the vast majority of elements in a given level is can be shot and subsequently destroyed. The player has infinite ammunition, which makes taking down even a large target as simple as aiming and holding the fire button. Geometry Wars has a similar set up. But where Geometry Wars floods the screen with weak enemies that hunt the player, Everyday Shooter's levels have fewer enemies with health bars making them able to sustain multiple hits. In Everyday Shooter, most enemies don't take stun or knock back from being shot, and they carry on in their normal fashion until they're destroyed. Because of these design features, Everyday Shooter generates some static space when destroying a single target. As the player keeps SHOOTing, the enemy keeps doing what it does oblivious of its imminent death. The fact that much of the game state remains unchanged while an enemy's health is being drained creates the static space. Because the player can die from a single hit, the enemy at 100% health is just as deadly as when it's at 1% health. In this way, a lot of the flow of the game is stagnated by these small periods of static space. Until the enemy is completely destroyed, the work the player puts into the game doesn't change the game.

Gunplay, interplay with projectiles, is difficult to create due to the nature of projectiles. It doesn't help that Everyday Shooter only has two independent (primary and secondary combined) mechanics to work with. Because the player dies in one hit, you're either alive or dead. Enemy attacks are either hit or miss. And it's a similar design situation with the SHOOT mechanic; ie. player shots will either hit or miss. Because the enemies generally don't take stun or get knocked around by the player's attacks, on the basic level Everyday Shooter doesn't feature a lot of gunplay. The majority of the basic interaction of the gameplay consists of simple move and shoot maneuvers: ie, move out of the way of danger/into position and shoot until target is destroyed.

MOVE

The MOVE mechanic is straight forward. The only issue I have with this mechanic is that the player's movement speed slows down when firing. I can see how Mak wanted to give the core mechanics a bit of variety and strategy when players balance maneuverability (defense) and firepower (offense). But, I think the reason this feature falls short of its goal is because neither the SHOOT or MOVE mechanic are interesting/engaging enough individually before. In other words, the only thing to do when moving is move out of the way of danger and position oneself for attack. Likewise, the only thing to do shooting wise is to shoot in the direction of the target. When shooting reduces the player's movement speed, the strategies remain the same yet they're, at times, slower to execute, which can bore or frustrate the player.

CHAIN

Here is where things get interesting. Each level in Everyday Shooter features a different chaining system. Using the system, players can destroy enemies significantly more effectively than by simply using the basic approach of "destroy the enemies one at a time." What's most interesting about Everyday Shooter's chaining system is that it exists in tertiary mechanics. In other words, instead of chaining being the result of mechanics/elements the player directly controls (not getting hit [Ninja Gaiden/DMC] , killing all enemies, destroying multiple targets with one shot [Star Fox 64/Rez], destroying X numbers of a single kind of enemy in a row [Space Invader Extreme, Ikaruga], hitting multiple enemies without touching the ground [2D Mario platformers, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]) the elements that activate chains in Everyday Shooter are enemy/level elements. Because enemies are randomly arranged/spawned into each level, players have to look sharp and work improvisationally.

Unfortunately, all the chaining systems except the first few levels, are shrouded in abstract mysteries. It's nice to have to figure things out for yourself especially in a game this short, but the only way that's possible while being efficient is if the game's forms and mechanics instruct the player. If I can't tell what the chaining system is for a level by how it looks and plays, then it's practically a secret requiring a lot of trial and error to figure out. Ultimately, Everyday Shooter is not a puzzle game where figuring out the level is the main focus of the gameplay. I find playing Everyday Shooter far more interesting than guessing and checking my theories on the chaining systems. At least the game lets players select individual unlocked levels so they can experiment without worrying about losing everything.

MECHANICS REPAIR

SHOOTing should not slow down MOVEing. There are better ways to create an interesting interrelationship between player mechanics. Besides fixing the reduced moving speed when shooting, there is one mechanic that, when added to the existing set of mechanics, would create a well-rounded core deisgn. That mechanic is CHARGE.

As I've explained in this article, the CHARGE mechanic can reduce the spam and static space in a shooter especially one with infinite ammo. Just like in MegaManX, the charge attack in Yesterday's Shooter should be larger than the standard shots, travel faster, do more damage, and give enemies more stun and/or knock back.

Additionally, charging an attack should gradually slow down the player as the charge builds in strength. In this way, there is a strategic balance within the trade off of maneuverability and power that comes from a well-rounded set of core mechanics. With the fixed aiming controls, moving quickly and accurately shooting rapid shots strategically contrasts the reduced movement speed and added strength/ability that come with the CHARGE shot.

However, these changes aren't enough to individualize each core mechanic. To individualize the MOVE mechanic, there should be some level elements or parts of enemy elements that don't hurt the player when touched. By moving against these elements, the player would be able to add an additional functional layer to the MOVE mechanic: PUSH. By PUSHing enemies/level elements, the player can interact with the game world in a new, engaging, and non lethal way, which will accentuate the specific function of the SHOOT and CHARGE mechanics. In other words, when everything in the game isn't trying to kill the player and won't kill the player when touched, the world becomes more fully defined through the contrasting functions of its elements.

To put a cap on these core mechanics, a few limiting factors should be added. To MOVE/PUSH level elements, players simply move the character against a moveable element. However, this works best when not SHOOTing and especially when not CHARGEing. Think of this feature as if the player has a limited amount of energy to invest in any one mechanic. Also, when a charged shot is released, the player should recoil back in the opposite direction of the blast. This recoil feature should also function like a powerful short ranged PUSH. With these nuances to the core mechanics, the mechanics effectively feed into one another, individualizing and supporting each others' functions.

VISUALS

Using vector graphics naturally creates a very stylized, clean look. However, shortly after the start of each level, Everyday Shooter becomes very cluttered. One of the challenges Mak faced when converting ES to run on the PS3 was adjusting each level from a standard aspect ratio to widescreen. I don't know if Mak adjusted the number of enemies on the screen to help fill up the additional space, but there is certainly too much going on in the game.

The player is functionally a dot in the middle of a widescreen ocean. There is only so much the player can interact with at one time even with an unlimited long range SHOOT mechanic at his/her disposal. There is definitely a sense of hopelessness that comes from watching the game float away and pass you by. At times there's more "game" listlessly floating past the player than what's being played. This feeling only increases as the player struggles to interact/fight using the primary mechanic because player movement slows down when shooting.

Another layer of clutter comes from points that drop from destroyed enemies. The IGN review of Everyday Shooter by Ryan Clements puts it well.

More problematic, instead, is the aforementioned point gathering, which is extremely flawed. The little pixel points (which look very much like your ship), disappear after a very short time. Since you don't move very quickly, you'll oftentimes create a huge chain explosion, only to find that the field of beautiful and delicious pixilated goodness cannot be consumed quickly enough, fading away into oblivion. Poor pixels. This wouldn't have been too concerning had the points been easy to collect, but they're unfortunately not. Actually flying over all the points is far less effective than it should be, since zipping through a huge clump of them will often yield only a few actual pick-ups (despite the fact that your ship can pull at the points as you go). Again, this problem certainly doesn't ruin the gameplay - not at all - but it can be a noticeable frustration.

It's clear that the points in Everyday Shooter don't follow the Super Mario Brothers Coin design. It can be very frustrating after chaining the destruction of many enemies revealing a Milky Way of points as a reward to have those points quickly disappear as if they were only placed in the game to taunt you. Somewhere in the balance between displaying lots of points, the small field of attraction they have to the player, the player's slow movement speed that reduces when firing, yields results with more visual noise than positive reinforcement.

The last example of visual clutter comes from the death animations, explosion effects, and the lively background. Some enemies when destroyed burst in a large flashy explosion. The game is crowded enough without these visual outbursts, which can easily distract the eye. When the player is just a small colored square in this ocean of vector visuals, it can be far too easy to lose track of where you are on the screen. Because the screen stays fixed and zoomed out, the player can't simply trust that the camera will always position them in the center of the screen. Normally in games like Everyday Shooter, players use their infinite bullets as a beacon to locate their position. Unfortunately, when situations get tight in ES, shooting such a beacon will slow down player movement, which can lead into a quick death.

VISUAL REPAIR

If the enemies are redesigned and tweaked so that they are designed to fully interact with the player's new set of mechanics, then an individual enemy will carry far more weight and attention than before. The new mechanics open up Everyday Shooter to design enemies with a lot of interplay and dynamic interactions including interruptions, stun, and knock back. In essence, this design move is like turning a Geometry Wars enemy (a straight forward, dispensable, one trick pony), into a Goomba or even a ParaTroopa. When each enemy is more interactive and significant, there won't be the need to put so many of them on the screen at once. This move would instantly reduce the level of visual clutter in the game.

The simple solutions for fixing points are obvious. Make them last on the field longer and/or make them attract to the player better. However, there are more interesting ways to modify the point design that can at the same time encourage the player to play more in the spirit of the game and even take some risks using organic difficulty methods. After all, the point system in ES is functionally similar to coins in Super Mario Brothers. In both games, collecting enough coins affords an 1up/extra life for the player.

The entire screen is available for the player to shoot bullets into. Such is the nature of projectiles/guns. Clever games create situations and strategies that encourage varying styles of combat at long, mid, and close range. In Halo, each weapon has a range of effectiveness creating dynamic layered strategies. Along with the ranged gun weapons, thrown grenades increase in hang time the farther the target is from the player, and melee attacks (including the 1-hit KO assassinations) can only be done at close range. So, to solve the point problem in Everyday Shooter, new features can be added to encourage and reward the player for close range combat for example. The points can have a really strong attraction to the player if the enemy is destroyed at close range.This design will encourage players to strategize the timing of their attacks while playing at different ranges. Also, holding the charge could increase the range that points attract to the player. Such a feature would be balanced by the reduced movement of a charging player.

Finally, the look of the enemies, death animations, and backgrounds can be designed to achieve an exact functional purpose in addition to being visually entertaining. If form fits function is the door to better design, even when the visuals are vector shapes, then color coding is the key. With the repaired Everyday Shooter core design, there is more specific information to be communicated to the player. By color coding the various game elements "safe to touch" elements, PUSH-able, and elements that react uniquely to CHARGE shots can all become clear. Mak already started the idea by color coding the points to be the same color as the player avatar. Such a little touch goes a long way when the player is on the run and has to make a split second decision on how to maneuver. By further developing this idea, the clarity can only go up while the frustration and reckless experimentation goes down. Even the background can help communicate information like the player's position.


As we know, form fits function is a Classic game design tenet that structures the game while empowering the player. But it doesn't stop there. There's a personal element to Everyday Shooter that is important to Jonathan Mak, and Yesterday's Shooter, wouldn't quite be a repair of Everyday Shooter without addressing this area. The "video games as a storytelling medium" topic is weather and much worn by now. However, to take a simpler look at the situation, it's impossible to have action and real world forms without creating some sort of message. If I litter a game world with rubber swords that can't even injure a mouse, yet players can kill their enemies by typing in mean spirited words, the message is obvious: words are the real weapons that we all wield. Playing this game of "deadly words" would create a story out of function.

Jonathan Mak drew his inspiration for the themes, forms, and chaining systems in Everyday Shooter from many different sources. Porco in the Sky is a level inspired by the Studio Ghibli film Porco Rosso. By adding interesting interactions, interplay, and cleaning up the forms and functions in Everyday Shooter some of the ideas that sit at the core of Mak's inspiration can be communicated more clearly. The level with the centipedes already has me thinking about the intricate ecosystems in nature and how man can disrupt it all, even when man is as small as a dot. In other words, there's huge untapped potential for visual and functional/mechanical story telling.

MUSIC

The sound design is a big part of Everyday Shooter. The sound scape is designed in part to be reactive instead of directly activated by the player's actions. The best example of this design is with the SHOOT mechanic. Unlike other games, in Everyday Shooter no sound effects are played for SHOOTing. Instead, a variety musical notes/sounds/riffs are played when shots hit enemy targets and when they are destroyed. In a way, this design feature, by taking away the direct results of the player's action, positions the focus of the game's interaction externally (outside the player). It's not about what the player can do to the world, but how the world responds. In this case, it's musically.This basic inversion of the traditional sound design sets the stage for the direction that Yesterday's Shooter continues to develop.

When there isn't too much activity on screen in Everyday Shooter and the player isn't creating a cacophony of chained sound effects, the blend of layered sounds is quite nice. Many have described ES as a game where players can relax and gel with the music. Some have even gone as far as to say that playing through a level is like improving a private jam session in the style of each stage. As musically pleasing the sound scape in Everyday Shooter is, it doesn't do anything to affect the gameplay. It only colors the player's experience.

In Yesterday's Shooter, the sound and music would be designed with an additional layer that feeds back into the gameplay. Two good examples are spatial tuning and riff releases. I'll explain.

Spatial tuning is a mechanic that exists within the interaction with a single, specific enemy. When a shot hits this enemy, a specific musical note is played. By adjusting the player proximity relative to this enemy, the note value will go up or down in a scale. To destroy the enemy, players would have to find the distance that creates a tone of note that matches the background music or harmonizes with a musical riff that's currently being played. In this way, the player sets off the music, and the music in turn influences the player's actions. Also, such a mechanic dynamically redefines the space around the enemy while expanding the possibilities for interplay and unique interactions.

Riff releases are attack bonuses for CHARGE attacks when the player releases a CHARGE shot to the timing of specific riffs or musical cues. Reacting to the music in this way allows the player to chain attacks in a way that isn't tied to the spatial, mechanic rules of the game world. Mechanics like these are reminiscent of Electroplankton and other music-rhythm games.

MULTIPLAYER

Another way to address the cluttered enemy issue is to add more players. With more players, the enemies can be divided and conquered. Additionally, with the new interplay and musical chaining systems players will have more ways to support and back each other up.



In closing, Everyday Shooter is one of my favorite games on the PS3. I'd play it any day, or should I say everyday, over games like GTA4 and MGS4. It has charm, style, personality, and a lot of room to grow. The changes suggested in this repair are exactly the kinds of things I expect from a good sequel. Moving forward with our thinking and the way we design our games is key. The only way this is possible is by looking back on our past with a critical-eye.

In the end, tomorrow is just as dependent on yesterday as everyday.

Next-gen Fighters and the Flow of Combat pt. 4

Just a few points to wrap things up.

Simultaneous multiplayer. The core Smash design has the flexibility to support up to four players simultaneously. All of the mechanics, dynamics, and interplay possibilities are increased with each additional player. Some of the possible combinations for matches are team play (2v2), 3 for all (1v1v1), 4 for all (1v1v1v1), and even lopsided combinations like (2v1v1) and (3v1). By turning on team attack (friendly fire) in a 2v2 teams match, teammates must carefully coordinate their attacks as to avoid hitting each other. Because teammates can hit each other, players can also save each other from situations with attacks. If a Jigglypuff teammate is sleeping after using a rest attack, a teammate can step in and wake her with with a light, nonlethal "love tap." The highest levels of team play in Smash are the best the core design has to offer.

I had to 2v1 pretty hard at the end.

Stock. Another feature that is fairly unique to Smash is stock; the number of lives a player has in a single match. This feature seemds to be directly inspirited from Super Mario Brothers. Unlike the standard rounds in traditional fighting games, after a player loses a stock, the match carries on. This means the level state, the other player's damage, and any other elements on the stage continues to influence the match. By carrying over, these elements create momentum and flow for the match that gives Smash battles an expanded design compared to the start-stop-reset flow of traditional fighters.

The Spirit of the Game

Over the past week, I've been following the Olympic games closely. In preparation for watching the Taekwondo events, I looked up some Olympic qualifying matches. What I saw shocked and disappointed me. My perception of many games and sports often changes upon witnessing tournament level play or world class competition. For these players, winning is the absolute goal and their strategies and attitudes have been refined to help them reach that goal. In other words, they're playing to win. Operating under this banner can create "boring" matches where the same efficient strategy is used throughout a match. Excessively fouling at the end of a basketball game is playing to win. And what I saw in the Taekwondo matches is hardly what I consider an interesting fight.

Perhaps I simply don't understand the sport of Taekwondo well enough. But my dissappointement in the tournament level matches makes me think about the limitations of physical, real world sports and conversely the liberating power of game design. Video games can be designed so that "playing to win," "playing for fun," and even "playing most entertainingly" are one. Preserving and upholding the spirit of a game in high level competitive play is all about the details in the design.

Super Smash Brothers Melee and Brawl are far from perfect. Each have their problems, and each have advancements in the core Smash design that the other could really benefit from. Super Smash Brothers is my favorite game of all time not just becaues of it's next-gen design and Nintendo spirit, but also because of the people I've met through the game and the journey it took me on. Much of the designer that I am today I owe to this game, and this is why I've decided to fix it.

The ultimate repair project that B.E.S is currently working on is a revision of Brawl entitled Super Smash Brothers Tournament Perfect. As the name implies, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Though a perfectly balanced fighter is an unreachable dream for most designers, getting as close as possible is always the goal. I'll have more details on this project in the near future.

The Next Level

All of this effort, for a game that was next-gen a generation ago. This article series is slightly misleading. Every time I described Smash as having "next-gen" design elements, I was actually referring to last-gen design or the design trends from the GameCube era. The trends, breakthroughs, and technologies that make up the generation of design for the Wii-Xbox360-PS3 generation go beyond the elements detailed in this series.

If you want a glimpse into the future of fighting game design, then you might as well play it for yourself. The design of Wii Sports Boxing is the future.


And I'll close with a quote from a Critical-Correspondence I conducted a few months ago.

"Wii Boxing is a surprisingly deep fighter. And on top of that fact, it's perfectly balanced. Just like other fighting games, the negotiation of space and attacks between (at least) two players is key. In Wii Boxing, players have 3D analog control over their avatar's bodies. In other words, you can lean all the way to the left, all the way to the right, and every degree in between. You can also lean forward and backwards with analog controls. Positioning ones gloves to line up attacks is also analog on the vertical and horizontal axises. Players have at least 2 different speeds for executing jabs and special hook attacks. The game is fast paced, and it has a clean design by sticking strictly to the design principle "form fits function." It's balanced, it has a high degree of intuitive variability, and it does it all without using a single button.

This in itself is quite notable. The Wii Sports games are not only very deep, but they stay true to solid design principles. If you can find a fighter that's as balanced, as analog (variable inputs), has a character creator, as intuitive, and as clean as Wii Sports Boxing, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, you must admit that, when you compare the mechanics and the design, Wii Sports Boxing is quite deep.

Flywrench Review

Flywrench is a distilled platformer that provides a rush of mechanically precise gaming from beginning to end. The music matches the minimalistic graphical style which in turn fits perfectly with the vague yet whimsically amusing story, if you can call it that. From the little information the text provided as it zipped along the screen and past my attention, I understand that something has gone terribly wrong with my computer system and now I have to take the helm and manually guide things back on track.

You play as that little white line.

The Missing Parts and Shortcomings

Trust me, I thoroughly enjoyed Flywrench both times I beat it. The experience as a whole reminds me of Portal for a number of reasons, but more on that later. So far, I've given you my positive opinion of Flywrench. But, to understand exactly what this game is, I have to explain Flywrench's limitations first. To do so, I'll juxtapose Flywrench to Super Mario Brothers. While this may seem utterly unfair to some, let me assure you, indie/gamemaker/free game or not, if it's a game then it can be critiqued and measured against the greats.

I called Flywrench a platformer because the player is focused entirely on moving through the environments with gravity as a constant factor. Where Mario uses the JUMP mechanic to leap off from the ground or other platforms, Flywrench uses the FLAP mechanic to gain altitude. However, because in Flywrench players can continually FLAP to stay afloat or ascend against gravity, the levels are designed around open space rather than solid ground.

Where Super Mario Bros. employs a variety of different level elements, enemies, and secrets to develop its various JUMP platforming game ideas, Flywrench core design is composed almost entirely of enemy elements. An enemy element is any game element that can harm the player. In Flywrench, just about everything can potentially kill you (and by kill you I mean snap you in half like a pencil...literally). With practically nothing to comfortably rest against to gather one's composure virtually or in reality, the tension in Flywrench is automatically set to a high level. In other words, unless you fight and fight constantly, you will perish.

"Do a barrel roll!" ~ Peppy Hare

The 2 level elements and numerous enemy elements in Flywrench cannot be transformed by the player using the primary functions or via any other mechanic. Aside from the blue circular "switches" that allow the player to pass through blue barriers, the levels churns on without player change. Likewise, there is hardly any interplay from the enemy elements. You're either alive, or dead. Able to move on, or broken into pieces. With such polarized player states, there's not much room for interplay. The two best examples of interplay in Flywrench are bouncing off of yellow surfaces while ROLLing and deflecting the green pea-like projectiles using the ROLL mechanic. Even in these examples, the interplay stops at step 1.

In Flywrench, the player's control and movement speed are razor sharp. Because these controls naturally ramp the speed of the game so high, the game is highly stressed. Between the level visibility, scroll speed, and the player's speed of movement, playing Flywrench is like driving at high speeds at night with limited vision. In other words, very dangerous. Being able to see upcoming hazards and react accordingly is extremely difficult in Flywrench. To get through many levels, memorizing the sequences of hazards is an effective strategy.

The Mechanics

So what's left of Flyrench happens to be the best part of the game; the mechanics and the design decisions that were made to support them. As I've said, the controls in Flywrench are ultra responsive offering speedy razor like precision. Beyond input precision, the trio of primary mechanics are well balanced against each other to create a well rounded set of player abilities.

The white lines represents the height gained from flapping in rapid succession the number of times displayed underneath each.

FLAP, as the name suggests, folds the player avatar into a stubby red stick that can pass through red barriers. The animation/form looks like flapping wings, and the function matches. Along with the strong sense of gravity, Flywrench is designed with a strong sense of momentum. One FLAP won't get you very far. But two or three FLAPs in succession yields a rapid change in speed. Players FLAP to gain altitude and FLAP to break from falling all according to the same additive momentum system. The amount of control the player has when flapping quantifies Flywrench's vertical platforming. In other words, the levels are successfully designed to limit the player where 1, 2, or 3+ successive FLAPs are the obvious levels of variation.

MOVE. By hitting left or right, the player can travel horizontally at a brisk speed. The tilted form the white line takes on while moving helps communicate the function of horizontal movement. When holding the FLAP or ROLL functions, it is obvious that the red and green forms don't tilt. This effectively communicates that quick horizontal movement is only possible using the MOVE mechanic.

ROLL. By holding the down direction, the player avatar turns green and rotates into a spin that can pass through green barriers and bounce off of yellow barriers. The form of a rotating stick matches the function of bouncing. The circular area that the rotating stick sweeps out is the other quantifying factor in Flywrench's level design. For example, passages that are blocked by green barriers can't be too narrow for the rotating animation to fit through.

The Design Decisions

With the 3 primary mechanics, players can pass through 3 different colors of barriers and move in three unique ways (ie. FLAP for quantified vertical control, MOVE for smooth horizontal control, and ROLL/bounce for dynamic level dependent control). To focus the game on these tight mechanics, Messhof and his co-developers made several apt design decisions. Because the game moves so quickly and the player can die in the blink of an eye, Flywrench is designed to restart the level in the blink of an eye. This quick restart keeps the player synced into the fast pace of the game with zero time to mull over mistakes. Because of the simple straight forward design of the game, the player always knows it's their fault they died. Knowing this gives them more incentive to try again. In this way, the quick restart makes sure that Flywrench doesn't get in the players way.

Though playing through a level successfully involve a bit of memorization, it is kept to a minimum due to the short bite sized levels. By the time the player memorizes the hazard for one section and moves past it, chances are the level is almost over. This keeps the player from being bogged down when they're unable to keep everything straight in their head.




Each of Flywrench's 9 planets contains only a few levels. Some planets have upwards of 8 levels while others have around 3. The part that I appreciate most about the planets is that each one is designed with a particular focus or theme based around a different mechanic or group of mechanics. Each theme is fleshed out through levels that are designed to teach the player the intricacies of the primary mechanics. Pluto, the first planet, is all about understanding gravity, horizontal movement, and vertical movement when in either the MOVE or FLAP state. Neptune is all about the ROLL mechanic. The next planets focus on pink moving barriers, then blue switch barriers, then heavy brown gravity and beyond.

Let's look at Pluto's level design and idea development using translation. Translation is simply the rewording or paraphrasing of a game idea into another medium (typically words).

Click on image to enlarge.

1. Gravity makes you fall whether you like it or not. White passes through white!
2. The MOVE mechanic moves you. Good thing you're already white.
3. Gravity makes you fall, remember? Even if you FLAP and hold, you'll eventually fall.
   
4. You can't just MOVE through this one. Gather some momentum and FLAP-hold to slip through.
   
5. You can gather momentum vertically too.
   
6. Let's see if you can put together the concepts from 2. 3. and 5. Oh, and there's less room now.
   
7. Can't you do it reversed? This level uses concepts from 1. 4. and 5.
   
8. Same concepts, but a little tricker. Timing is key.
   

Clearly the concepts or game ideas behind levels 1-5 are the core mechanical concepts for the FLAP and MOVE mechanics. Developing these concepts by designing a focused level for each is a highly effective way to guide the player into learning the intricacies of the core mechanics of Flywrench. Pluto contains the most levels of any planet in the entire game. Taking the time to slowly build this foundation is what helps make Flywrench a tight and entertaining experience from beginning to end.

With the addition of new each new mechanic, Messhof only designed as many levels featuring the mechanic as needed to communicate how the new mechanic changes the existing strategies. Once this was accomplished, the levels end and the player moves on to the next planet. By not simply filling up the game with levels that reuse previously experienced concepts, Flywrench feels fresh and concentrated. In all, it took me 23 minutes to beat the game on my first try. Like Portal, the quirky story elements and player mechanics really come together succinctly by the end with a final level that puts the strawberry on the cake so to speak.

Though the core design is extremely limited, Flywrench intelligently focused on what it does best and made the most of the rest. The levels are unique, creative, and most importantly appropriately difficult. Because all the levels are pretty short, even the most difficult sections are manageable. Infinite lives takes the edge off of survival and keeps things focused on playing and getting through this short but memorable game.

At its best, Flywrench has an exhilaration and flow that is very reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3. This is one of the highest compliments possible for a 2d platformer. If you don't believe me, then you should play the game for yourself. While you're at it, be sure to pay attention to this level. It's my favorite in the whole game.

The non-stop flow follows the numbered path I outlined transferring falling to bouncing to rising preserving momentum all the way through.

To the Repair Shop

Due to Flywrench's tight concentrated nature, there simply isn't much to repair. Fixing the camera issues would involve changing the game at the core level, which would result in a cascading effect on the rest of the game design. In the end, going down that path wouldn't be so much of a repair as creating a sister game/sequel.

• There are some story/text glitches that should be addressed.
  
• The hitbox for the blue circular switches could be a lot bigger. I don't know how many times I thought I hit the switch only to fly to my death.
• After beating the game (or maybe even at any time) I would like to be able to select levels to play again.
  
• When I beat the game, I experienced an error that froze everything up.
  
• Toward the end of the game, the music was dark and nearly drove me crazy as I tackled the more difficult levels. I turned off the sound at that point. The music should never drive the player to play without sound.

Pixel Junk Eden Demo Review & Repair

Eden. The unknown garden where players can guide their Grimp through space and along what can only be describe as some kind of plant like structure. Monocot, dicot, or any other known classification is completely lost to the plant like elements of this world. And yet, as I swing from stem to stem, suspended by my own silken string and dream like sense of momentum and gravity, I make my way to the glowing goal. The Spectra. I'll excuse the Pollen Prowlers I destroyed along the way some other time. I think I'm drawn like the pollen to a destination out of view. Like an innocent child's eye I follow. For in this world, sometimes plants grow down and away from the sun.

PixelJunk Eden (PJE) has the kind of look that instantly attracts my attention. Everything is composed of flat colors and simple shapes that layer together nicely to sit somewhere between LocoRoco, Victorian patterns, and the tail ends of a couple of illegible signatures. It's quite apparent that this game has a strong sense of style and a sound scape to match. If Pixel Junk Eden was just about the visuals, I'd probably have to paint my walls to match the various looks and levels in the game. Existing on the verge of a free internet flash game or indie games, Pixel Junk Eden has broken into the world of the Playstation Network, a place where smaller budgets, fresh ideas, and perhaps more concentrated efforts can be pushed into our consciousness.

Many have played this game and in their sleepy stupor tried to describe it as being sucked into a trance or dream like state. I can't say that I had any such experience with the game, but in my now wakened state I can say that Pixel Junk Eden is a platformer. Now that the genre has been identified, it only follows to identify the game's mechanics, game elements, and design choices that attempt to bring everything together to create the gameplay. If you have a PS3, download the demo and play the game for yourself. If you don't, watch this video before moving on.

If you're still confused, click here.

Eden: unknown garden = setting of game
Grimp = player species/character
Pollen Prowlers = pollen filled balloons (level element)
Plant Seeds = plants that bloom when filled with pollen and activated (level element)
Spectra - collect to complete level goals.
Crystals - to keep Oscillator tuned = time extenders
Oscillator - level timer

Mechanics, Elements, and Clutter

The primary functions of Pixel Junk Eden are STRING JUMP, SWING, and RELEASE. The secondary functions are MOVE (while traveling through the air), REWIND SILK, and ATTACK. The basic idea in PJE is to move around the environement by creating silken lines and releasing them from either a SWINGing or JUMPing state. The Grimp, player character, can stick to surfaces allowing players to platform to increasingly higher areas in the level.

The plant like level elements are the platforms the player needs to utilize to progress through a level. When a plant is not available, players can grow new ones by filling plant seeds with pollen and touching the seeds directly. In this way, the plant seed design encourages the use of the primary function to transform the level by creating new platforms. Another type of level transformation comes from gripping to the tip of a flexible stem or leaf. The Grimp's body weight weighs down the leaf drooping the leaf and other leaves that may be attached to it.

For a game that's so simple, there is a high amount of clutter in the core design. The clarity in the relationship between the player and the level elements is weakened by the player's ability to grip to or pass through the level elements. AT any given time, the player can interact with the level in one of these two ways. For a platforming game, this means the function/interaction with the platforms can be turned on or off at any time. By oscillating between these two states of interaction, PJE fails to create a strong sense of stability from the platform arrangements. Instead of being a distinct, solid, even brick like element for the player to maneuver around, the platforms in PixelJunk Eden are more like clouds; unstable, whimsical, and muddled. Because the plant platforms doesn't effectively limit how the player can platform but where they can in a general sense, the difference between platforming one way or the other is severely diminished. In other words, without a sufficient level of restriction, variability and difference become diminished and therefore expression is practically non existent.

The Search for the Minimum Degree of Difference

The function of plant like platforms, or the lack thereof, makes it difficult to pin down the minimum degree of difference for PixelJunk Eden. Where Mario is quantified by the brick unit, PJE is much more analog. The Grimp SWINGs in a fluid circle, STRING JUMPs through space in smooth arcs, and grips to curved plants that sway listlessly back and forth. If it's difficult to draw distinct lines to quantify the primary mechanic because of how organically curved the design is, then trying measure anything accurately when platforming from the vague clouds of distinction that are the plant elements is nearly impossible.

Perhaps what makes finding the minimum degree of difference in PJE the most difficult is the lack of variation in the primary mechanics. Remember how Mario's jump is at least 2 brick units high and at most 5 brick units high? The range of 4 units between the players options and variety to the mechanic that allows them to efficiently make jumps, over shoot, undershoot jumps to adjust their platforming and timing. The levels in Super Mario Bros. are designed around Mario's range making the gameplay experience smooth like clockwork. In PixelJunk Eden, the speed and height gained from a STRING JUMP is equal to the height from a SWING and RELEASE. Without a range of variation, the minimum degree of difference for PJE becomes the full STRING JUMP itself. And with only one type of move to build a level around, the range of possibilities is reduced to one especially considering that the plant platforms don't limit space. In essence, designing a level/game around a primary function without any significant variation is like writing a song with only one note. No matter how many ways you mix up the rhythms, the song can't go anywhere.

The environments in each level are vast. As the player moves around, the camera follows along zoomed in enough so that the player character is about the size of a fly on the TV screen. When SWINGing on a silk line, the camera will zoom out. Unfortunately, even at the zoomed out level, it is difficult to get a clear picture of the surroundings. Because the distance traveled from a single STRING JUMP is quite large compared to the screen size, the developers arranged many of the plant platforms far away from each other. I'm quite aware that the art style and level design were closely woven together to create a garden where plants can grow and hang about in mid air. But, because the function of the plant platforms are partially divorced from their forms, the new form that is established for the plants leans close to the side of "anything goes." In a "normal" game, when plans function as platforms they also often indicate where the ground level is.

As we know the plants in PJE are far from normal. The plants in PJE don't have to connect to the ground or grow upward to indicate which way gravity is pushing. With these plants anything goes. And if at any time, the essential level elements in a platformer (the platforms) can be up, down, sideways, floating, non interactive, or solid, then how can a sense of foundation of normalcy be established? Clearly, the function of the platforms was created as a direct result of the artistic style. In the world of art where anything goes and artists are free to do what they please. But, in a game world form, function, rules, and mechanics are more important than aesthetics. For all these reasons, the level design in Pixel Junk Eden feels very inorganic. Perhaps the inorganic design is supposed to hearken to the dream like quality of the game. Still, even dreams make their own kind of sense.

If this is how big an area is....
Then this is how limiting the camera view can be.

The camera brings enough problems to the core design on its own, and the multiplayer camera puts an even greater stress on the core design. Like PJE, other games like Super Smash Brothers Brawl are design so that the camera follows the main player and teleports the secondary player to the main player's side if they move off the screen view for too long. When PJE brings the players back together, it costs players a deduction of collected pollen.

If a player SWINGs around too long on a silk line, the string will break jettisoning the little Grimp off into space. Before the line breaks, players can either RELEASE the silk line or REWIND it to where they can grip safely back onto the plant. Once back on the plant, the player is free to SWING again with the only penalty being that the combo count is reset. Because the penalty only involves the the abstract combo system, and the player isn't able to effective chain their combo from one SWING to another, the silk string breaking function creates negative space. It's just one more routine that players will naturally gravitate to because there isn't an alternative.

Interaction, Momentum, and Flow

The open level design in actuality limits the gameplay in PixelJunk Eden. The pollen prowlers seemingly float around randomly throughout the garden. Because of their random nature, collecting pollen involves a little luck with being in the right place at the right time. The pollen, as well as the rest of the level elements, don't interact with each other. Pollen prowlers float through plants and many other level elements.

The interactions are limited between the player and the basic type of pollen prowlers. SWINGing into these pollen filled targets doesn't affect the player at all. The impact doesn't slow down the SWINGing momentum, speed up the SWING, elongate the silk string, or anything else that would feed back into the primary functions of the game. So when pollen prowlers inevitably float by, players will SWING, catch, and repeat without fear of running into anything. The possibility for PJE to reach high levels of emergent gameplay or counterpoint is continually squashed due to the lack of interaction between nearly every game element. Functionally, the basic pollen prowlers are more like coins than Goomba. If a game element isn't a threat to the players health or their ability to reach the goal, then that game element is not an enemy.

Momentum is created when player mechanics layer and/or link into resulting states that create opportunities with a higher amount of risk/reward. Flow is how a game accelerates or creates forward momentum. This factor of gameplay isn't necessarily about speed. More specifically, it looks at how a game's interactions feed back into the player's options/experience like a snowball rolling down hill.

Jumping for the filled plant seeds is the most structured "platformy" part of PJE. By taking careful aim, players test their platforming skills with this all or nothing challenge. Successfully activating a plant seed kicks the player off into a sort of auto-jump similar to how landing on a Goomba JUMPs Mario rebounding him back into the air. It is this kind of interaction/interplay in PJE that I find the most interesting.

But where Mario's rebounding jump is tied to his momentum and direction, players can choose any direction for the rebounding jump in PJE eliminating the link between the STRING JUMP mechanic and the resulting rebound. Without this link, the momentum is reset back to zero. With the limited string SWINGing time and the grip and re-SWING being the primary movement system, Pixel Junk Eden suffers from start-stop flow. Because players have to grip to interact with a plant platform, all of the player's speed and momentum is stopped. Without a way to continually move through the game world, PJE's flow is arrested in this very small, very shallow repeated mechanic cycle.

On top of the shallow mechanics and inorganic level design, PixelJunk Eden features an abstract combo system that rewards players that snag 3 or more pollen prowlers in one SWING. Unfortunately, because of the start-stop nature of the core design, one SWING and the optional RELEASE is the only opportunity the player has to act in the first place. In the same way that the minimum degree of difference of the primary functions limits PJE's platforming possibilities, the string breaking mechanic puts a fairly inflexible limited on the combo system. Additionally, because the pollen prowlers arrangements are random, the combo limit has an element of chance.

The Primary Mechanic Can't Do It Alone

Back when I first discussed mechanics on this blog, I defined the primary mechanics as the mechanic(s) that the core gamplay is designed around. The primary mechanic holds the most unique and/or most essential functions in a game. All the other mechanics (secondary/tertiary) are typically designed to support the primary mechanic. In Mario's case, RUN and DUCK layer together with JUMP resulting in greater jump range vertically and horizontally, a more compact jumping size for Big Mario, greater control of one's momentum, and a way to organically adjust the game's difficulty by increasing the pace. This isn't even mentioning how RUN and DUCK layer with each other to create SLIDE, the only way for Big Mario to move forward in a compact size. Because Mario can't slide very far or achieve his maximum ranges without running, these abilities are directly connect to the level design. Without enough running room, Mario can't gain reach running speed. So, keeping Mario moving at top speed, not only increases the speed of the game but creates a flow from linking the possible paths from runways, clearly over obstacles, and onto platforms.

The problem with PixelJunk Eden is that the secondary mechanics don't support the primary mechanics by increasing the range of effects for the primary function or expanding its definition. Let's take a closer look at the mechanics.

STRING JUMP: The set jumping speed takes away from this mechanic's direct quality. Because the same button is used to STRING JUMP, RELEASE, and spin the Grimp to avoid gripping to objects, this mechanic is not individual either. The lack of clarity between SWING JUMPING/SWINGing through level elements and gripping to them eliminates the intuitive quality. The added momentum from STRING JUMPing off of swaying plants is nullified by the level design somewhat diminishing this mechanic's dynamic quality.
SWING: Direct. Because the string isn't affected by the level, and the Pollen Prowlers don't affect the string or trajectory of the SWINGing, this mechanic is not dynamic. Also, gravity isn't a factor when influencing the swing using the analog stick. This makes the mechanic counter intuitive.
RELEASE: Direct. Not individual. This mechanic is as dynamic as it can be.

Out of the three secondary mechanics (MOVE, REWIND, ATTACK) only REWIND layers with any of the primary mechanics. By pulling in the silk, players can reduce the radius of the circle thus increasing their rate of rotation. But even this secondary support is weakened by the overall lack of interaction with the silk string and lack of significant physics based platforming. PixelJunk Eden is like taking away Mario's WALK, RUN, and DUCK mechanics so that the only way to move is by JUMPing and moving forward in the air. If JUMPing was the only way for Mario to get around, then Super Mario Bros. would get very old very fast. This trend shows that adequate support from secondary mechanics is more important to the overall gameplay than the quality of the primary mechanic alone.

From what I've played, the core design of PixelJunk Eden doesn't contain enough solid design for me to spend any more time with the game. PJE's mechanics are shallow and cluttered, level design and style is counter intuitive, and the lack of meaningful interactions keeps the flow and counterpoint potential down. With so many design choices holding the game back, I seriously doubt that any additional game elements featured in later levels will somehow mask, address, or fix any of the issues raised.

To the Repair Shop: PixelJunk rEden

Vision/Attitude

• The first change involves the project attitude. Gameplay needs to be prioritized over graphics and sound. Form fits function and by extension function creates form are the two design tenets that must guide a game like PixelJunk Eden.

Mechanics/Functions

• Primary mechanic can use physics to increase the mechanic's dynamic quality. Check out this video from an earlier version of the game. The platforming/primary mechanics look much tighter. And the floatyness of the jumps is gone, which would help the flow. The changes that were made form this video were for the worse.
• There needs to be a way to conserve at least some of the momentum from a SWING JUMP.
  
• The STRING JUMP mechanic needs to be significantly smaller than the SWING and RELEASE style jump. Doing this will give the platforming jump more range which will give each jump a distinct and clear function.
  
• Add the CRAWL mechanic. This mechanic will accentuate and work very well with the organically curved style of the game. Being able to crawl along the plants will allow players to carefully and accurately move into position instead of having to awkwardly adjust their position in quick jumpy spurts. In the same way that Mario's WALK mechanic enhances the JUMP mechanic, the CRAWL mechanic will give the player a greater sense of control over the environement.
  
• Make all level elements solid. Without the ability to swing through the plant platforms, the arrangement of the plants will have to be much cleaner ie. less wild branches (see grey picture above). Fortunately, the new CRAWL mechanic will allow the player to crawl around to reach positions with more SWINGing room.
• Make the silk string interact with the level/enemies/player elements in dynamic and intuitive ways. The Grimp and silk should achieve a playful function like performing yo-yo tricks.
  
• Take out the string break mechanic.
  
• Add a way for the player to make their string longer. Not only would this increase the difficulty by allowing the Grimp to swing in wider circles and thus increases the potential for interactions with the string, but it would allow for more complex yo-yo style string tricks and bigger, bolder platforming. Perhaps use the Drill Dozer system where the length of the string increases with every Spectra collected. In this way, the levels can have a greater level of forward momentum and flow.
  

Flow/Combo System

• The combo system doesn't create layered gameplay /counterpoint. Also, it's not a very good system because of the limitations of the SWING time. Instead of employing an abstract system, it would do the game a world of different if the combo system was based on concrete elements. In the same way that Mario can keep his momentum and combo jumps off the backs of his enemies, PJE's combo system needs to be organic even at the sacrifice of points and online leaderboards. With a new organic combo system, the string break mechanic is no longer need to limit the player.
  

Level Design

• Make much more concrete, and design some solid levels to accentuate the mechanics. For example, the bending plants and swaying branches should significantly affect the momentum and swing trajectories of the primary mechanics. In this way, the level elements provide ways to dynamically shape the platforming while creating momentum and flow at the same time. Focus on Bros.3 style bite sized chunks instead of huge confusion open worlds of nonsense. Then, find ways for the bite sized chunks to link together dynamically to create some truly innovative and original levels.
  

Enemies

• The enemies need to be simple like Super Mario Bros. enemies. Also, they need to interact with the level and the player mechanics in interesting ways. The more interplay the better. Perhaps an aphid like creature could crawl along the plant platforms. Players could use their silk to trap and eliminate these creates like spiders.
  

Multiplayer

• To create true multiplayer co-op gameplay, there must be interplay with the player's mechanics (preferably the primary mechanics). Co-op isn't very cooperative if both players can simply "do their own thing" and completely ignore each other. Being able to interact with one's partners is essential. In Super Smash Brothers tournament level team play, everyone plays with friendly fire on. For us, watching out for our partners, accidentally hitting them, and the ability to save them is far more interesting than not being able to.
  
• In PJE, players should be able to CRAWL on friend's silk lines in addition to creating a silk line off off their friends swinging body. The physics involved in such a scenario is beyond exciting. See image below.

Yellow is swinging to the left, while pink is swinging upward.

• With the new momentum based platforming, stringing, SWINGing and JUMPing off of partners will be easier and more effective than ever.
  

I believe the write up for PixelJunk Eden is so long because it's a strange game that is so close and yet so far from greatness. Fully explaining why PJE exists in this awkward space, required lots of word space. And to think, all of this from only playing the demo.