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.
  

The (possible) Source of Classical & Western Game Design

As I was thinking about Classical game design the other day, I came upon a realization. After I had watched the new Hulk movie with all of the B.E.S. members, as is our custom, we conducted a rousing and thorough discussion of the movie. Without getting into the details, the new Hulk movie was disappointing for us. Like so many super hero movies that seem to have caught the attention of main stream America, the screenplays writers have no idea how to write "action".

All in all, action in a film is very similar to mechanics in a video game. And when writing a super hero film (or any action film) connecting the action to the core themes/characters/and ideas of a story is essential for creating a cohesive product. The first Hulk movie (which is to this day my favorite super hero movie) is an outstanding example of linking action/super abilities with the characters. In this case, Banner had a problem with his anger and himself (as a character). Using the Hulk as the symbol for power and anger, as well as employing a set of poignant visual metaphors, the Hulk/Banner grows (literally/metaphorically) as a character. At the climax, Hulk/Banner embraces himself and gives up his power/anger to overcome the deep seeded oppressive force of his father, who was the source of Banner's trauma from childhood.

Respecting the action/form/function of the characters that are in a story means taking the care to harness and bring together the action with the characters and their purpose. So, in the climax of a film we can understand that the main character isn't simply fighting in a boxing match. He's fighting for his family. Speed Racer isn't racing for the corrupted businesses within the racing circuit but for the thrill of the race. And Neo isn't sacrificing his life against an unbeatable enemy, but he's fighting because of how others believe in him and for the freedom of mankind.

Thinking about the mechanics of action in film reminded me of anime and Asian film. In the free wheeling fun spirit of most animes, the character's unique abilities are fused with their purpose, back story, and themes of the show. And what may be even more clever is, anime finds ways to shape characters/plot through interactions contained completely within their unique actions. Obstacles characters must overcome are represented by concrete forms that take on actions, functions, and even personas that interact with the main character in a very specific and personalized way.

Though I'm no expert on Japanese culture and history by any means, I do wonder if the pattern of a deep, respectful connection between people and actions that pervades the Japanese from their zeal in hobbies, their anime and film, to their game design stems from the way of the samurai.

Think about it this way, being a samurai was more than a hobby, job, or even career. The way of the samurai was a way of life that demanded a warrior to discipline their mind, body, and spirit. To live in such a way was much deeper than swinging a sword at one's enemies.

To see through the eyes of a samurai, to know what life is like for them is only possible (I can imagine) from following the way of the samurai and becoming one. For how can anyone know what it is truly like to train every day, to sharpen one's resolve, and to use a sword as a weapon to kill people. Perhaps the only way to know the relationship between person and action and how they can be one in the same is to take part in that action. This idea is reflective of the core of Classical game design and how video games can become art forms.

On the other hand and the other side of the world, we have America. We all know (or should be familiar) with the basic history. We were once oppressed and controlled by the motherland, so we fought for our freedom and independence. Once we got it, our culture glorified and grasped on to a few themes and ideas: Romanticizing nature, the American Dream, and freedom of all kinds are just a few of them.

Perhaps these ideas that are embedded in our culture are the source of Western game design. The lure of nature might have translated into the trend of making open world games. Perhaps Western game designers want to create a world that's open for the player to explore and conquer like the Americans did way back when. Perhaps the American Dream developed into how players can go from rags to riches by accumulating in game wealth, properties, and items. Even if the value is nothing more than points that can't be used for anything (achievement points), the attraction to get as many as possible no matter how difficult the challenges are or how bad the game may be (Avatar) is very real. Perhaps both of these ideas are about creating a sense of freedom for the player: freedom to change the controls, freedom to move the camera around, freedom to choose who to interact with and how a story unfolds. The more options, the more freedom even if the options don't have a substantial effect on the gameplay.

These were just a few ideas I had the other day. I haven't done any real research, nor do I plan on doing so. But do keep an eye out for where the games we play come from.

How To Write A Critical Video Game Review

Writing a video game review can become very difficult for a number of reasons. A limited amount of time for a reviewer to beat a game can put a lot of pressure on that particular reviewer's gameplay experience. Word limits can be constraining. Games can be massive and/or segmented so that simply describing the game can take pages. And the lack of developed competitive communities can put a freeze on any accurate assessment of game balance. Throw in issues with embargoes, review codes, and lock boxes and you a royal mess that is the current state of video game "journalism" (sometimes more aptly referred to as the video game enthusiast press).

To the people who write game reviews, I want to express up front that many reviews contain real nuggets of insight even if such treasured content is buried in a sea of feature lists and a plethora of other redundant content.

For the most part, however, game reviews and the scores/ratings that accompany them are bunk. Many have already gotten away with reviews filled with bold, brash, and unsupported statements with a scores to match, and many have cried out for a change. And it was this reason, among others, that I started the Critical-Gaming blog. I felt that there was a need to develop a language and establish some theory to elevate the discourse of video games. Though other critics from other media don't respect video games, it is up to us to set the standards first. How can we expect them to take us serious, when we don't take ourselves seriously? For months, this blog has been devoted to developing that critical-eye. Now, finally, enough of the groundwork has been laid out.

To tell the difference between a good/insightful review from one that will so quickly be drowned with the forgotten, I've created a list of topics reviews often cover. Because this list also features the kind of analysis that should support each topic, the list also functions as a sort of checklist.

• pacing: To discuss a game's pacing, which includes everything from the incorporation of new game ideas/mechanics to game difficulty, variation must be used. For narrative pacing refer to "story."
  
• game depth: The opposite of game complexity, to discuss game depth interplay (the mechanical counters that yield push-pull gameplay) and counterpoint (the coming together of game elements and game ideas to create an emergent whole) should be used.
  
• controls: One must consider the mechanics and how they are connected to the inputs/controller . Considering the mechanics also factors in the game's forms.
  
• story: Visual metaphors, mechanical metaphors, plot lines, interactive plot lines, themes, characters, scene construction, overall structure, etc. Discussing a game's story can become very complicated requiring a strong background in narrative/storytelling/and game design. Avoid plot spoilers and paraphrasing. Use any of the critical theory from this blog to help structure one's approach discussing a game's story.
  
• gameplay: It's important to only use the word "gameplay" to refer to the interactive game experience as a whole. Use of the word in any more specifically requires clarification.
  
• experience: One shouldn't use their experience as an end in itself, but use it to describe how one experienced the game and how that experience can be tied back to all the other parts of the game/the review.
  
• intuitive: One must take into account the controls -> the mechanics -> the forms.
  
• balance: If discussing how the various game elements/ideas work together in harmony, then use interplay, counterpoint, and/or variation. If discussing a competitive multiplayer type of balance, one should be careful to only speak about what seems to be unbalanced or balanced. Without having access to a developed competitive community who have spent countless man hours to iron out the game, it is very difficult to come to any kind of accurate definitive statement about a game's balance.
  
• emergence: One should consider if the nature of the emergence stays true to the forms of the game and/or how it affects the game positively or negatively. Support using counterpoint.
  

Of course, it would be unreasonable to expect reviewers to use the same terms and language that I've established here on the blog. However, the mentalities and the methods behind these terms are sound and quite reasonable. The language isn't meant to confine, restrict, and alienate others, but to hold them accountable for themselves and their writing. Plus, agreeing to the same definitions helps keep us on the same page.

A review should have something significant to say about a game so that it doesn't end up being a list of "what's in the box." By zooming in and being specific, the reviewer should reveal something otherwise hidden about the game. Avoid spoilers if you must. And even if one doesn't have enough time or space to really go into detail, the least a reviewer can do is point the reader in an interesting direction.

The tide of the hardcore gamer may be swayed by the full 10/10 review score that has been rolling onto the scene far to frequently in past months, but the number can't tell me what a game is. We need writers to step up their game. And for the ones who refuse, we need to be able to express/explain why they'll soon be forgotten.

Interplay....Gunplay

Ever since I first started writing about interplay, I've been obsessed with it. As far as I'm concerned, the more interplay the better (as long as the game stays true to the established forms and functions). So I've been thinking about the shooting function in games. Whether the ammunition is infinite energy balls or wall piercing bullets suitable for modern warfare, the interplay of guns (or gunplay) is under investigation.

For the purposes of this investigation, I'm considering all projectile based attacks as guns. Naturally, this includes anything from a bow and arrow to Megaman/Samus' charge shot. As a critical-gamer I'm far more concerned with how a projectile/gun functions in a game than how it looks.

Because guns are such a destructive, accurate, and indirect weapon, games with projectiles have a hard time creating interplay. Without much interplay, it's even harder for such games to create deep gameplay experiences especially without resorting to using abstract mechanics. A few common unfortunate side effects of games with guns are...

• head shot-head shot-reload
• spaaaaam (hold the fire button and move around)
• The FPS Shuffle: two players using any combination of crouching, jumping, and circle strafing while shooting each other until one dies.
  
• Frequent check points because the enemies can easily kill the player quickly and from a distance because of the nature of guns.
  
• Quick deaths and quick starts. In the multiplayer mode of games like Call of Duty 4, players can die and spawn back up in a few seconds creating fast action start-stop gameplay.
  
• Automatic healing: when the player's health can be discretely chipped away from gun wielding enemies, many games have developed systems where the player can regain their health automatically.
  

There are several notable exceptions, which I will get to later. First, we must address the different types of projectiles. Generally, the projectiles in a game can either be weakened (less realistic) or deadly (more realistic) with rapid fire ability or a much slower, conservative fire rate.

BOLD entries feature deadly bullets.
Italasized entries feature weakened bullets.

Conservative Fire

• Worms
• Tank v. Tank
• Neo*RPG
• Smash Bros.
• Super Mario Bros.
• Viewtiful Joe
• Mario Kart
  

Rapid Fire

• Geometry Wars
• Contra
• Gunstar Heros
• Call of Duty series
  
• Halo series
  
• R-type
• Ikaruga
• Gears of War
• Perfect Dark
• Viewtiful Joe
• Firepower 2000
• Metal Gear Solid series
  

Both (Conservative/Rapid Fire)

• Metroid
  
• Mega Man
• Team Fortress 2

In general, projectiles in games are not designed with a lot of interplay, especially if there are guns at work. A well aimed attack in many games will either eliminate the target or force it into a retreat. Unlike melee or hand to hand combat that can only exist in close quarters and from physical, forceful extensions, projectiles can be launched from great distances away from the target with the time from barrel to target ending in the blink of an eye. I wonder if it is even impossible to design a gun with a significant amount of interplay while stuck in a rigid real time play experience.

The Familiar Guns

Looking at first-person (or 3rd person) shooters, one can expect any such game to feature these weapons or weapons with the same functions. Pistol. SMG. Rifle (snipe). Rocket launcher. The pistol has a limited clip and each shot must be fired separately. Opponents can take advantage of the holes between shots and the frequent reloads to launch a counter attack. Keep in mind, that taking advantage of such holes in a pistol wielder's offense is not the same as interplay. Reload times are a natural drawback to using most firearms. However, attacking someone while they're reloading isn't a counter to being shot. If you're in the cross hairs of a pistol and the trigger is pulled, there is almost nothing you can do to avoid getting hit.

The SMG is like the pistol except that the bullets fire more rapidly and the fire button can simply be held down. These differences not only make it impossible for an opponent to move through any gaps in shots, but with such a gun, players don't have to coordinate aiming and firing as much compared to the pistol.

The snipe's long range abilities allow the attacker to position him/herself far away from the target. Virtually firing from safety, the targets has a harder time figuring out where the shots are coming from. The Halo developers put a white tracer line that briefly marks the path of a sniper shot so that players can figure out where the sniper is and hopefully react accordingly. In a game without tracers, even if the players do pin point the direction of the sniper attack, unless they have a sniper rifle as well, they can only take cover or die. The function of a snipe reduces the possible interaction between players even more than the SMG.

The rocket launcher's large explosion reduces the amount of aiming a player needs to destroy a target. Because the rockets usually fires rockets that travel far more slowly than bullets, opponents can move in close to the rocket launcher wielding players hoping that the explosion will take them both out. In some games, the rockets can be shot out of mid air. Even in these rare examples, the interplay is only 2 step.

Examples of Gunplay

It's a difficult design problem. If the guns aren't deadly enough in a game, they won't feel like guns. Yet, when they are deadly, there's less interplay and therefore, less to play around with for that particular function. As I said before there are some notable exceptions.


Mario's Fireballs

• Remember that Mario's fireballs have interplay because they can only be aimed downward, only 2 shots can be fired at a time, and they bounce over the 1 brick size enemies.
  
• Because the aiming is directly tied to Mario's vertical position and the direction he's facing, achieving a greater range of aim requires Mario to jump-shoot. However, the arc for jumping on an enemy is different from the arc of a jump-shoot attack. This difference creates opportunities for dynamically moving targets to counter Mario.
  
• The fireballs have no effect on brick, metal, and fire objects including Buzzy Beetles, Bullet Bills, Bowser's fire blasts, and the fire balls that spring up from the ground.
  

Yoshi's Egg Toss (Super Mario World: Yoshi's Island)

• Some surfaces reflect Yoshi's eggs, which levels the eggs up and gives Yoshi the ability to reclaim them.
  
• Some enemies catch Yoshi's eggs and toss them back.
  

Neo*RPG

• Remember the chart of Neo*RPG's interplay?
  
• By using a rock as a projectile and creating functions for the attack that match the form, a dynamic range of interplay resulted.
  
• The rocks when thrown stay on the field. After this happens, they can be picked up by players or enemies for ammunition.
  
• The rocks can bounce off of cave walls and hurt the player.
• The rocks also slow down the path of the sliding white blocks.
  
• When an enemy launches a rock at the player, the player can deflect it with their own rock, or reflect it with the shield.
  

Viewtiful Joe

• The few enemies that do wield guns fire upon Joe with bullets that travel at incredible speeds. Fortunately, Joe has the power to slow down time. When he does, the bullet that was too fast for the naked eye becomes visible and punch-able. With a punch or a kick, Joe can send the bullet flying back at the enemy.
  

Ikaruga

• Unlike in nearly every other top down shooter, the enemy bullets in Ikaruga are polarized into two colors of bullets that can be absorbed by the player. When the player absorbs these bullets, they build energy that's used to launch homing missiles that cut through solid level elements.
  
• In the normal and hard difficult settings, when the enemies are destroyed they release an array of bullets at the player. Because these bullets can turn an already difficult situation into an extremely difficult one, player quickly learn to regulate their attacks. Fortunately, these bullets can still be absorbed (the primary function of Ikaruga).

Call of Duty 4

• The martyrdom and last stand perks are interesting counters to being shot and "killed." With martyrdom, when you die, you automatically drop a live grenade. With last stand, you are given a few more seconds to live with a pistol in hand to try and make a difference. To counter martyrdom, opponents can grab the grenade and throw it away. To counter people with last stand, the opponents can simply shoot you again to finish you off or wait for your time to run out.
  

Gears of War

• In some multiplayer modes, it's impossible to kill a player by only using bullets/projectiles. To get the kill, players must run over to the downed target and activate a finishing move. Meanwhile, the downed player can mash a button to try and get back on their feet faster.
  
• Because Gears of War is a team based game, coordinating targets and taking advantage of players trying to finish off downed allies creates an unique and interesting push-and-pull style gameplay.
  

Team Fortress 2

• Remember what I said earlier about how snipers reduce the amount of possible interaction and interplay between two players because of their removed presence and powerful ammunition? Team Fortress addressed this very issue with a sniper class design that is nothing short of genius.
• Typically, snipers in shooters have extremely powerful ammo to try and empower the player. In games where head shots deliver high amounts of damage, head shots with a sniper rifle are usually 1 hit kills. In Halo, two shots to any part of a target's body with the snipe is deadly. And in COD4, the players don't have a lot of health to begin with making sniper fire very effective. Unfortunately, because the sniper ammo is more powerful than normal ammo snipers can be extremely dangerous in close range combat. Somehow, this doesn't quite fit the MO of a sniper.
  
• In Team Fortress, the sniper bullets are weak until they are fully charged. To charge a shot, players must stay zoomed into the scope. This design choice allows the player to trade visibility for power. And if the player pops out of the zoomed scope mode for even a half second, the charge is lost.
• To give the opponents a fighting chance, when a sniper is in scope mode a laser dot is projected out onto the surface/player where the sniper is aiming. Players can use the dot to determine that there's a sniper scoping a position and avoid the area. To go further, players can keep track of the laser sight and send their team mates to attack the sniper's position.
  
• A sniper can conceal their laser sight by moving their aim out of way. However, because the sniper wants to stay zoomed in to retain power and their visibility is limited when zoomed in, if the sniper pulls their aim away from an area, opponents have a chance to slip through undetected.
  

Super Smash Brothers Melee

• Projectiles in this game come in all shapes and sizes. From sausages, to lasers, to arrows, to bombs, to missiles, to swords, to hammers... Smash has it all.
  
• If the projectile is a physical item, then it can be countered in a variety of ways. Players can stop it with any attack (assuming the projectile isn't an explosive), catch the item on the ground or in the air, or reflect it with their shields.
  
• If the projectile is not a physical item, then it can be attacked, or reflected with the shield.
• Projectile attacks can also be used to block projectile attacks.
  
• Fox's reflector and Mario's cape can also reflect projectiles.
• Moves like Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost has a few frames that allow Falcon to dodge through an oncoming projectile.
  

Without interplay, many first-person shooters become, in essence, repetitive exercise of "shoot the enemy in the head." Fortunately, many games have taken strides in the right direction. Perhaps async is needed to develop true gunplay in a videogame. I've got my sights on it.... the future that is.

A Mario Trio of Bullet Point Essays

While combing through Super Mario Bros. to write the Mario Melodies series, three topics/ideas/details in particular jumped out at me. I don't have enough material/time to expand these ideas into essays. So, it's that time again for a few "bullet point essays."

Mario Out of His Element

• The water levels in Super Mario Bros. are intricately designed to provide a different gameplay experience from the land levels while at the same time being familiar and complementary.
  
• While the land levels are about forward momentum/flow that is punctuated with spry vertical jumps, the water levels expand the verticality by giving the player access to the whole screen to swim through. Because the water is always pulling Mario downward, maintaining one's level or moving up is a constant struggle.
  
• In the water Mario sinks rather quickly, yet with a few pumps of his arms, Mario can float gracefully forward at a nice pace. Because the run button is disabled underwater and Mario's forward momentum is preserved (unless he runs into an object), players can get through the majority of the level with just the jump button.
  
• Just like how Mario can't jump downward on land, Mario depends on gravity to pull him downward underwater. This similarity links the gameplay of the land to the water so players can quickly become familiarize with the "jump" function even underwater. In essence, the "jump" mechanic can be further defined as "a push against gravity."
  
• To further contrast the land environment to the water, the aquatic enemies behave a little differently than the land enemies. The Cheep-cheep and Blooper can swim through the solid level elements.
  
• The Blooper is also one of the few enemies that actively approaches Mario. Though falling Buzzy Beetles, Paratroopa, and Lakitu do aim at mario's position by moving in the left or right direction, the Blooper is the only enemy that seeks Mario in 2 dimensions with the ability to turn around at any time.
  
• Moving through the water is slower than running on land. So, water levels inherently slow down the pace of the game. However, though Mario moves forward more slowly, there are this just as many factors to consider to keep the player engaged. Because the enemies can exist anywhere moving through the level elements, they intersect the available space for Mario to travel in interesting ways not commonly found on the land. Plus, the invisible underwater currents help make pits a threat to Mario.
  

For all of these reasons, the water levels in Super Mario Bros. put Mario out of his element. Though the controls are familiar to land levels, it's clear that Mario simply doesn't belong underwater. Perhaps this is why there is roughly 1 water "level" for every 5 land levels. After all, the enemy and level elements underwater aren't designed with a lot of interplay.

Mario Looks Before He Leaps

6 bricks is the largest size pit in the game

• The screen scrolls in a way that positions Mario just left of the center. While moving forward the game maintains a space of 10 bricks in front of Mario and 5 bricks back. This allows the player to see more of what's coming up while still keeping an eye on what's being left behind.
  
• To give the game a positive forward moving flow, the developers never designed any dangerous enemy or level elements that the player must react to when the element is still out of view. In other words, everything the player needs to know in order to make informed decisions is always visible well before the player must make that decision.
  
• Somewhat hidden dangers like Piranha Flowers or fire balls reveal themselves to the player just as they come into view and before Mario has a chance to be hurt by them.

The largest jump-able pit

The same pit when the screen scrolls up to it

• The developers didn't create a jump that's too big for Mario to make. The distance of Mario's maximum run-jump is 9 bricks. If such a pit were to exist in a level, the player wouldn't even be able to see the end of it even when standing at the edge. See images above.
  
• For the gaps that Mario can't surmount, there is always an alternate path provided that's obvious and encouraged with careful coin placement.
• Mario's run ability increases his jump height and distance. At the same time, it makes it harder for Mario to reverse directions in the air and on the ground because of the extra momentum. For this reason, as the player increases the pace of their gameplay experience, the game difficulty ramps up.
• At higher speeds, the player has less time to react to oncoming dangers because of the increased scrolling speed and Mario's momentum. This is why jumping is an ideal strategy for avoiding oncoming threats when running. Jumping not only preserves the running speed, but it's what the game is all about.
  

Because design choices were made to aid and inform the player before challenging them, Super Mario Bros. is a game where the player is free to set their own pace and play style to their liking to make the experience the most fun for them. Such a fine level of design that keeps the player in mind is crucial for creating games that are fun even when losing. In Super Mario Bros. a bomb can't randomly explode and kill you. And a creature can't spawn/pop out of some secret location and attack you. When someone dies in Super Mario Bros. they know it was their fault instead of the game's fault. Being able to quickly identify the human error makes players want to give it another try.

Coins: Gotta Catch Them All

coin heaven

• The coins in Super Mario Bros have a variety of functions.
• Gathering 100 gives the player a 1up.
• Their placement can encourage jumping without needing to create threatening situations.
  
• Coins placed in difficult and tricky spots allow the player to adjust the challenge of their gameplay experience on the fly. Those who want a bigger challenge go after the more dangerous coins.
  
• Miyamoto scolded the level designers for Super Mario Galaxy upon viewing an early build of a level that was littered with coins. With so many coins, the focus of the level became cluttered and the coins lost their ability to encourage players. This issue was fixed immediately.
  
• In Super Mario Bros. coins are pure. They will never hurt Mario, and they are always put in places where Mario can safely obtain them.
  
• Coins are used to encourage players to explore, and jump in ways that are not necessary to complete the level. It's important to understand that all the previous functions are only possible because of two reasons. 1) There is never a coin positioned in a place that Mario must travel. If that were to happen, the function of the coin would be diminished. If the player must move to a specific location to progress, when putting a coin there would be similar to charity. 2) There is never a coin that Mario can't grab safely. If either of these rules were to be broken, then coins would turn into wild cards/taunts that force the player to doubt each coin.
  
• There's a third parameter that the developers followed to ensure the purity of the coin's function. If a player sees coins (assuming the player is at least Big Mario), then they should be able to obtain all of the visible coins. This parameter when followed, reinforces all of the coins functions. Every coin must communicate to the player, "You can get me," so that their collective presence says "Gotta catch us all."
  

With these sound ideas behind the placement of every coin the player is empowered by their own adventurous spirit, ambition, or greed.

Mario Melodies: Counterpoint part.3

If mechanics give the player control, and interplay gives a game richness and depth by creating a dialog of action, then counterpoint and how it organizes layers of game ideas is a way of drawing attention to and from intricacies like interplay, which, as a result, further develops and defines the mechanics/functions/actions of a game. Being able to guide/focus a player in this way is a powerful tool because it doesn't compromise the player's freedom.

Knowing what the player is most likely going through by what the counterpoint focuses on can be used to highlight specific examples of interplay, teach the player a new technique, reveal a less than obvious facet of the game, even trick the player into falling for tricks that seem "simple" and avoidable. Even so, when a game is built up of layered parts that restrict freedom (as opposed to building options from nothing), the player usually retains the ability to isolate elements form the multi-element whole and tackle the challenge piecemeal.

Sometimes, a group of Goomba can become your worst enemy. Remember all the interesting Goomba interplay I diagrammed? If it wasn't for counterpoint, I probably wouldn't have realized how deep the interaction with this simple enemy is.

These enemies are plentiful at the beginning of the game, yet they are almost completely replaced with Buzzy Beetles by World 8.

This image displays areas featuring the Goomba in Super Mario Brothers. Notice how each occurrence is slightly different. From the mechanic, to interplay, to variation and counterpoint, the Goomba is defined over the course of a game. Because the Goomba's function as an enemy to Mario can only be realized when multiple game elements and game ideas are layered together and when the player is trying to successfully play the game, the Goomba's definition becomes greater than just a small squash-able brown lump that slowly walks in one direction. Whether they're dropping down from higher platforms, making block steps come "alive," or blocking off narrow passages from a hasty player, the Goomba's function in Super Mario Bros. is greater than the sum of its parameters/rules/parts.

Such is counterpoint. And with that, the theoretical investigations in the Mario Melodies series is finished. But we're not done quite yet. Stay tuned for the parts that will blow your mind.

Mario Melodies: Counterpoint part.2

In music, counterpoint was used as a pedagogical tool. Students were put through a strict and rigorous regiment of exercises where they had to create lines of music according to the rules. The rules are incredibly detailed, governing everything from the space between notes, their direction (moving up a scale or down) and how the melody must end. This teaching method is divided into 5 species or levels of difficulty with the last being a culmination of the first four.

For our purposes, we don't have to create our own levels of a given game. However, organizing the arrangement of level elements by a criteria that is similar to the one that music students used with counterpoint will be very beneficial. Though these rules are still being formulated, keeping these ideas in mind is a step in the right direction.

1. The beginning and the end of a level must be easily identifiable to define the level.
   
2. Only use unison (a single game idea) at the beginning and/or end of a level.
   
3. Unison scenarios don't count as multiple game ideas. ie a Goomba at the bottom of a pit doesn't count. The pit would be jumped anyway. Therefore the Goomba's presence is then moot.
   
4. Have as much contrary motion as possible. ie if the Goombas are going down, then Mario should be going up. If Mario needs to move to the right, then enemies should be moving to the left. If gravity pulls Mario down, then his jump should send him up.
   
5. Game ideas should involve the primary function as much as possible.
   
6. If the player must combine secondary functions with primary functions to progress, then the game idea is considered to be expanded.

Lets look at world 1-1 as an example.

As you can see, each section of level contains level elements and sometimes enemies. The level elements themselves impose a direction or game idea on the player (assuming the player is trying to beat the level/game). Mario is trying to live and reach the end of the level. The enemies are trying to stop Mario. And the level can help or hurt them both. This is what is meant by having game ideas that are at odds or by contrary motion.

The pits, pipes, and blocks force Mario to jump. The Goombas and Koopas have a will and direction of their own as they move through a level without being tied to a stationary position within it. And Finally Mario (Small, Big, or Fire) has an independent direction as well. How these 3 types of game ideas layer and interact is the essence of videogame counterpoint.

For now let's say there are four species or levels to counterpoint.

1. two independent elements/game ideas at odds
2. three or more independent elements/game ideas at odds
3. elements/game ideas that are offset from each other with the ability to carry across sections: suspension.
   
4. A combination of all previous levels.
   

According to provided image, the first section (number1) doesn't have any counterpoint because there are no enemies and the level doesn't force Mario to Jump.

Sections 5, 10, and 12 are good examples of the first species counterpoint. The elements in these sections are at odds are Mario and the level.

The remaining sections are of the species 2 or 3 depending on the power-ups. A mushroom powerup (something that Mario wants) always runs off to the right. Because it's not affected by enemies, the Mushrooms pass right through them. A Mario in hot pursuit must maintain the chase while taking new paths by jumping in order to avoid getting hurt. So, Mario, enemies, the level, and the Mushroom (or Starman) make up the 3-4 game ideas that are at odds with each other. However, what's interesting about the mushroom is, it'll keep traveling as long as there's a stage to support it. So this one element can carry over into other parts of a level. Carrying over to other parts of a level is suspension.

World 1-1 is a classic example of a beginning level of a videogame. As the player gets used to Mario's mechanics, the counterpoint remains relatively simple as none of the parts are expanded, requiring players to combine the jump mechanic with running or ducking.

Next time, I'll discuss some of the types of combinations of elements/game ideas and why counterpoint is so important.

Neo*RPG Interplay

When I first started working on Neo*RPG, I was trying to create an action RPG engine. Little did I know, by addressing all poor game design issues I had with existing action RPGs, Neo*RPG turned out to be more of an action game.

I started simple with a player, an environment, and an enemy. As I play tested, I looked at the forms and mechanics in the game and tried to make everything as realistic, logical, and as clean as possible. In this case, realistic and logical developed into a governing principle that I now refer to as form fits fuction. My understanding of game mechanics, clutter, and form fits function wasn't nearly as developed then as it is now. However, by simply paying attention to honest feedback, and always believing that there was a better design possible, I intuitively developed a solid game according to tenets of Classical game design.

Just like how Super Mario Brothers proves to be better designed than the vast majority of games next-gen or otherwise, the depth of Neo*RPG's gameplay has become a pillar of my gameplay defense. If I can make a game in 3 weeks that is cleaner, follows form fits function more closely, and is deeper than professionals can after years of development, then there is definitely something wrong with the current state of videogame developers.

But don't just take my word for it. Neo*RPG is always available for download in the side bar under the "Downloads" section. Play it for yourself, and then check out this interplay chart. Much of the interplay in Neo*RPG goes to level 5 easily. As the branches grow and intersect, they also loop back upon themselves. In other words, the interaction from the interplay is tight in a way that keeps every possibility connected to each other in one way or another.

click to enlarge

If you want a challenge, try mapping out the interplay of a game of your choice. If you do, feel free to send it to me.

Mario Melodies: Interplay part.2

We've already outlined interplay thoroughly in part 1. Now it's time to look at the interplay in Super Mario Brothers in detail. Keep in mind that interplay works best when it encourages the use of a game's primary mechanic in a variety of ways. In Super Mario Brothers, the order of mechanics are as follows:

• 0. Idle position (doing nothing)
• 1. Jump
• 2. Run, Duck, Slide, Swim, Throw fireball
• 3. Starman powerup, Koopa shell attacks

Click for larger image

• Bricks: can be bumped continuously, harden, or break. In call cases, Mario rebounds back downward quickly and at a sharp angle restricting upward and horizontal control.
  
• Fire Bar: can be ducked if there is a small gap between the fire ball and the floor.
  
• Spring: can launch Mario very high or very short with a well timed jump.
• Pulley Platforms: move under Mario's weight according to a simple pulley system.
  
• Water Current: can pull Mario downward or across. It's an invisible force that Mario must struggle against by repeatedly swimming.
• Falling Platform: This platform only falls when Mario is standing on it.
  
• Bullet Bill: At a certain distance away from the cannon, Bullet Bills will fire. Once Mario is close enough, nothing will be fired. The Bullet Bill can also travel through solid parts of a stage keeping up with Mario throughout a level.
  
• Pipes: Mario can enter some pipes. Some pipes contain Piranha Flowers that emerge when Mario is a certain distance away like the Bullet Bill. When Mario is close, nothing comes out.
  

The majority of level elements only feature one level of interplay. Properly designed enemies, like the ones I detail below, work with the level elements to develop higher levels of interplay. Even in my previous examples, I couldn't help but mention a few enemies because they're so closely intertwined with the level design.

The numbers refer to the level of mechanic

The Goomba is a classic Mario enemy. Though the Goomba isn't the simplest enemy in Super Mario Brothers due to its level 2 interplay (which I will explain shortly), it is the most basic enemy that makes up the foundation of the enemy design. After all, that lone Goomba is the first enemy encounter in 1-1.

As a simple minded fungus, the Goomba travels slowly in one direction. When a Goomba comes across a wall or other non hostile solid object, it simply reverses direction. Overcoming a Gooma is as simple as waiting for them to walk themselves to their doom, jumping over them, jumping on them, hitting a brick they're standing on from underneath, throwing a fireball, or kicking a koopa shell at them. But don't be fooled.

Depending on a variety of factors, Goombas can become a deceptively effective enemy. Fireballs can bounce over their heads. If you're big Mario attacking Goombas from underneath, the bricks can break creating an opportunity for the next Goomba to land right on top of you. And if you think you can squish the first Goomba and relax, the next Goomba in line can reverse direction off of the squished remains. These level 2 interplay designs make the Goomba a formidable enemy depending on their numbers and level position.


And if you think the Koopas are another simple enemy, consider that the Para-Koopa can reach up to the 7th level of interplay.

1. De-wing the Para-Koopa by jumping on it
2. The Koopa will fall to one side and walk in Mario's direction upon landing.
   
3. Green Koopas generally walk themselves to their doom unlike Red Koopas who turn around on the edges of platforms. In order to attack the Koopa, it must be jumped on or bumped from underneath. Unlike the Goomba, there is no way to kill a Koopa by just jumping on it or bumping it.
4. Once the Koopa has been attacked, it'll rest in its shell. But after approximately 5.5 seconds, it'll wake back up. What's even trickier is, depending on the Koopa, upon waking, it'll head in Mario's direction even if it wasn't moving in Mario direction before.
5. To prevent the Koopa from getting back up, it can be kicked away while still inside its shell. This is also useful as an attack against other enemies.
6. If the shell hits a solid level element, it'll bounce back toward Mario. This sliding shell poses a threat.
7. To avoid getting hurt, there are only a few courses of action. One can always simply jump over the shell. However, to counter it directly, Mario can stop the shell from moving by jumping on top of it, or kick another shell into it for a double KO. If Mario stops the shell, then the cycle resets back to level 5. If it ever wakes up again, the cycle resets back to level 3.
   

Though there are many more enemies to cover, for now we'll stop with these two classics. Hopefully, I demonstrated how to break down and diagram interplay based on gameplay mechanics. The next topic of discussion is variation, or how small changes can affect gameplay in a big way. Stay tuned.

Mario Melodies: Interplay part.1

In order to describe how a game is played over time, one must take into account the range of effects the players actions have on the characters, enemies, and the environment. Previously on Critical-Gaming, we've described game mechanics as being concrete versus abstract, and existing in one of three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary mechanics are a limited set of mechanics that make up the core of the player's interactivity and the core feeling/action of a game. Secondary mechanics are typically designed to support the primary mechanic by giving it more variation and rounding out the feel of a game. Tertiary mechanics are actions that can only be executed in limited contextual situations that depend on an outside source (ex. an enemy).

In real life, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I translate this as every action is a part of a push-pull system. Because actions are so intricately and intimately interconnected, the effects of a single action can cause a domino effect of cascading dynamic reactions. Such is the richness of life. Like in life, game mechanics that exist within a game world that are part of a push-pull system yield richer, more versatile, deeper gameplay experiences. This is the essence of interplay.

Interplay is the back and forth encouragement of player mechanics between any two elements in a game. Put simply, interplay is where actions and elements in a game aren't means to an end, but fluid opportunities that invite the player to play around with the changing situation.

The easiest way to think of interplay is offensively/defensively or in counters. Consider two elements of a hypothetical action/fighting game. The first element is the player's character, and the second is an enemy. If an enemy can attack you, does this attack/enemy have a way to be countered? What happens when you counter the enemie's move? Does the enemy die, does it reset itself, or does the situation change? If the situation changes, is the enemy still a threat? If so, can you counter the new threat? And the cycle repeats.

Once you have run out of counters between the two elements you're examining, it's easy to map out which mechanics were used at each level, what kind of mechanics were used, and what additional elements were involved in the situation. Only with all of this information can the interplay of two elements be accurately described. The greater the level of interplay involving higher (more primary) mechanics and level elements, the deeper and more dynamic a game is.

Now for some examples.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

All the bosses in this game are designed with a well balanced amount of interplay that allows the player to constantly flow with the action instead of waiting around for weak spots to reveal themselves.



Even in this relatively simple boss Torch Tusk, players can utilize throwing explosive pineapples offensively to counter the boss attacks of fireball projectiles and lasers. When Torch Tusk is taking in air to shoot the fireballs, players can throw a pineapple so that it gets jammed inside of its tusk. Players can also stop the laser by hitting Torch Tusk with a pineapple while its discharging the beam. At the same time, the boss can counter the player's only offensive option by intercepting an incoming pineapple, letting the small flame walls detonate the planted pineapples, or blasting them with the laser beam.

This kind of offensive interplay keeps the momentum high because the player always has something they can do to gain an advantage. Because the player's only offensive option is using the pineapples that are located at the exposed top and bottom platforms, the player is more likely to move around the field platforming in a variety of ways.


Super Mario Galaxy

In this battle with the boss Bouldergeist, Mario can't attack the boss directly. In order to do damage, Mario must blast away the rocky exterior using Bomb Boos. Once the weak spot is revealed, more Bomb Boo will finish Bouldergeist off.



Bouldergeist attacks Mario with punches, shockwave rock walls, hand slams, and projectiles rocks (some of which contain Bomb Boos). Mario can avoid all of these attacks by maneuvering, but he can only directly counter the projectile rocks with his spin attack or by shooting star bits at them. From this point, the rocks that contain Bomb Boo's are the Bouldergeist's second level counter. Even if Mario avoids the rocks, the Bomb Boos will then seek out Mario and explode on contact. These Boos, like most Boos, cannot be hurt with normal jumps. With these guys, Mario must counter them with a spin attack. This is the 3rd level of interplay.

By spin attacking a Bomb Boo, Mario can swing the ghosts around by their tongue for an explosive attack. Attacking in this way is the only way for Mario to damage Bouldergeist's main body to expose his weak spot. To counter Mario closing in for the attack, Bouldergeist's attacks take on a secondary function. The hands and rock walls in this case also function as shields protecting the main body. Now, when jumping may not have been necessary to dodge the incoming attacks, it may indeed be necessary to avoid hitting Bouldergeist's defensive moves. This is the fourth level of interplay.

The final level comes from an ability built into the Bomb Boos themselves. As Mario swings them around by their tongues, the Bomb Boos will slowly retract their tongues bringing their explosive bodies closer and closer to Mario. This final defensive counter dynamically shortens the swinging radius around Mario. The Boss knows this, and when he has nothing else to defend himself, his final move is simply backing up to increase the distance and the swinging time between him and Mario. This fifth level of interplay creates an exciting battle of spacing and timing. Also, the length of the Boo's tongues make a perfect timer that fits snugly within the tenet "form fits function."


Interplay doesn't have to reach any particular level in order to be interesting, useful, and well designed/integrated with the rest of the game. Just having multiple one step interplay elements can build exciting and rich gameplay experiences.

Viewtiful Joe's enemies and bosses are action packed because of the high amount of interplay in their design. Though the level of interplay doesn't typically go past 2, the mechanics involved in the interplay are all highly interconnected. A single attack from a boss or enemy has at least one obvious counter. At any time, players can use their special fx powers to speed up time, slow it down, or zoom in the camera to adjust the difficulty of executing the counter in real time. In other words, if an attack is too fast for a player, they can simply slow down time to make things easier. But as the enemies and attacks begin to layer together, things get more complicated. All the while, the energy that Joe needs to stay powered up drains away. When Joe is all out of energy, he not only losses his super powers like his fx powers and his double jump, but he takes more damage as an "ordinary joe." During the most exciting battles, players are fully engaged in the push-pull inter-gameplay.


Some examples of interplay can branch from a single point. Take Squirtle's withdraw attack from Super Smash Brothers Brawl. With this move, Squirtle tucks himself into his shell and slides forward. While inside his shell, Squirtle cannot take damage. Also, the moving shell can hit objects and opponents for a weak attack. With these two properties, this move could have been unbalanced because of its offensive and defensive abilities. Fortunately, counters were built into this move that comply with form fits function. Opponents can strike the shell to counter its trajectory. Though Squirtle won't take damage, he will slide in the direction of the attack according to the strength of the attack used. So it's possible to smash the shell off the stage so that Squirtle has to extend himself just to recover back to the stage. Opponents can also counter the move by jumping on top of the shell Super Mario style. When this happens, Squirtle is flipped on his back helpless as he struggles to turn himself back over. If all the moves, especially the stronger ones, had this much interplay, Brawl would be a much better game.

If an individual game action or element is analogous to a musical note, then interplay is how the range and variety of notes are created in a videogame. Long held notes, short notes, syncopation, grace notes, and runs up and down a scale are analogous to game mechanics like charging a bast in Megaman, small jumps in Mario Bros., countering in Ninja Gaiden, angling an up-B recovery move in Smash Brothers, or riding down an icy mount in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Interplay is how the music of a game can move beyond simply recognizing the situations to use a mechanic, executing the mechanic, and moving on.

Tomorrow, I'll go into detail about the interplay in Super Mario Bros. Bricks. Goomba. Koopa... the genius of these seemingly simple elements will be revealed. Stay tuned.

Mario Melodies: Introduction

When I first started the Critical-Gaming blog, I used literary critical theory as a bridge to create methods, structures, and a language needed to critique videogames in a variety of different styles. In the end, some elements of literary theory were copied, some were translated, and others were dropped altogether. The whole process was a highly effective learning experience.


It's that time again. This time around, I'll be investigating level design and game progression on a level that goes beyond detailing gameplay mechanics and how they can compliment each in potential scenarios. Hopefully, I'll pioneering a way to critique the flow or movement of gameplay through a game. For analyzing an abstract series of elements to uncover larger, more complex even governing ideas, what existing method is better than music theory? I couldn't think of a better one either.

As you may have guessed, I'll be using Super Mario Bros. as a model throughout this series. Ever since I started writing critically about videogames, some games have lost their luster. But Super Mario Bros. for the N.E.S. still proves to be an example of the highest levels of videogame design. All the elements in the game come together into harmony like music. So, without further ado, here's the analogy.

• music note = individual game action/element
• music lines = categories of significant gameplay elements
  
• musical motif = small, often repeated sections of gameplay
• melody = sections of gameplay that have distinct endings or that are perceived as a single unit.
• music piece/song = the collection of levels, events, or sections in an ordered fashion.
  

So with Super Mario Brothers, the primary mechanic "jump" is analogous to a music note. The stage, enemies, and Mario are three independent musical lines. Motifs include anything from traveling down pipes, to the jump for the flag pole at the end most levels. Melodies are capped by the intro to a level and then cadence or falling action of a falling Koopa or sliding down a flag pole. Finally, all of levels from 1-1 to 8-4 make up the "musical piece" that is Super Mario Bros.

It takes more than simply understanding the analogy to truly understand the design contained in Super Mario Bros. Before we can describe how a game's elements layer together into a greater play experience, we must understand how the mechanics and elements interact on smaller more easily identifiable levels.

Continuing in the Mario Melodies series are essays on... interplay 1 2, variation 1 2 3, and counterpoint 1 2 3. Study carefully, and test your understanding of the material with the final exam. Stay "tuned."

Mechanics and Abstractions part.4

When I first started playing The World Ends With You (TWEWY), I couldn't believe Square Enix made such a convoluted game for the Nintendo DS. It is as if they went out of their way to ignore the progress that games like Kirby: Canvas Curse, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and even Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword have made. But then I thought about the kinds of games Square Enix makes, and everything became clear. Square Enix has always had a very difficult time incorporating action elements into their games. They've been trying for years, but, like with so many of their games, the few concrete mechanics they get right are drowned in a deluge of abstract RPG mechanics. TWEWY is no exception.

The World Ends With You is an action RPG. Action RPGs are typically designed with fourth tier mechanics in their base level, concrete combat mechanics before abstract mechanics are added on top. TWEWY is no different. Playing TWEWY makes me realize how shallow and laborious abstract mechanics really are. Once again, Square Enix has thrown a ton of presentation and slick style onto a few decent concrete mechanics and the world eats it up. But before I get into the mechanics, if you haven't played TWEWY or seen it, check it out here. Keep in mind, the battles take place with both screens at the same time like in the beginning of the video.


To keep things simple, I'll break the battle system down into it's component mechanics and describe them using bullet points.

The Battle System

Touch Screen gameplay:

• Touch screen attacks are fairly individual (each attack has a relatively unique motion) and intuitive (bullets = taps, icebergs = down to up slash etc.) However, they lack in dynamics. The hit stun and knockback from attacks are fairly uniform throughout the range different attacks.
  
• Like most action RPGs, the hitboxes for the characters and attacks are very loosely defined. And in TWEWY the battle space is draw in awkward quasi 3d space. The objects on the screen appear to float on top of and around each other. The bottom screen easily becomes cluttered in a mess of flashy attacks, street side objects, enemies, and the main character sprites.
  
• When the screen isn't cluttered, moving is as simple as touching the character and dragging him around the field. Because of the poor representation of objects and characters, in the heat of battle, moving around can become quite difficult. Sometimes I could swear I cleanly moved my character out of the way, but the game registered it as an attack instead. Otherwise, moving in this way is fairly direct and intuitive.
• Players can dodge by dragging the character quickly in any direction. This input motion overlaps with several attack inputs, and the basic moving inputs as well. Though the dodge motion is intuitive (a fast stroke triggers a fast dodge) the mechanic lacks individuality. Also, the dodge distance is fixed taking away from the mechanic's directness as well. In other words, a short, fast stroke doesn't result in a short quick dodge.
  

Top Screen Gamplay:

• Top screen attack combos are a string of canned attacks that are not individual. The d-pad buttons represent different stages of the current combos that the player simply navigates between limited options. The form of the attack combos are disconnected from the inputs. The d-pad directions are related to the attack directions (left or right) however because of the nature of the hitboxes, a stress is put on this mechanic. The attacks aren't dynamic and offer very little variation. A significant amount of cluttered exists because the top screen attacks are essentially a substitution standard, base level attack. This design choice adds more inputs into the game without adding any more action, dynamics, or interplay.
• Special tag team Fusion attacks can be activated after the player successfully matches the order of cards on the top screen. Guessing wrong gives players a hint at the correct order. This mechanic is just another abstract system tossed on top of the cluttered battle system design. Also, noticing the hints, and playing to this mechanic forces players to read the HUD display at the top of the top screen. Relying on abstract displays for an abstract system puts this mechanic at a high level of abstraction.
  

Combined Battle Mechanics:

• Enemies exist on both screens at once making paying attention to the battles on both screens at the same time very difficult. Instead of unifying the enemies and subsequently the two separate battles together through the enemies, the developers have decided to decouple the parallel enemies in two detrimental ways. The parallel enemies don't experience the same stun or knockback from attacks, and their movements aren't synchronized. Only by defeating an enemy on one screen is the parallel enemy effected. Essentially, the only thing the enemies share are hit points which keep the interplay between the two screens at a high level of abstraction.
  
• While fighting battles on both screens, the player can time their attacks between the two characters back and forth to build up attack combo multipliers. Because TWEWY doesn't have a wide enough range of dynamic interactions in its battle system, and the gameplay on both screens are so disconnected, this tag team mechanic is designed to unify the gameplay. Unfortunately, this abstract mechanic puts a great amount of stress on the rest of the battle mechanics. The clutter that already exists in the battle system worsens when playing to this additional mechanic.

Pre-battle Mechanics:

• Before battle players can decide if they want to manually control the character on the top screen or let the computer AI take over. A feature like this suggests that the battle system is so complex, unintuitive, and has such a high learning curve that players may need such a substantial handicap. Being able set the top screen on "autopilot" is an abstract mechanic. Forfeiting control of the game forfeits interaction and gameplay.
  
• At any time outside of battle, players can also adjust their character's level. By lowering the character's stats through their level, players earn a higher chance that enemies will drop good items after each battle. This mechanic gives the player the power to challenge themselves and spend less time grinding in battle to earn more items. TWEWY also lets players adjust the difficultly mode for the whole game on top of being able to adjust the character's levels. These mechanics may be effective, but they are completely removed from the form of the game let alone its few concrete mechanics. Being able to power up or down one's level isn't even compatible with the fiction of the game.
  

In the end, the battle system in TWEWY features one decent concrete mechanic (touch screen attacks and movement) buried under a mess of cluttered and abstract mechanics. Though getting the hang of the battle system can feel very rewarding at times, mastering any system concrete or abstract is rewarding. Being in control of chaos or a multitude of elements is a wonderful feeling. But for TWEWY, getting the hang of the battle system comes at a high learning curve mostly because of how unintuitive battling on both screens at once is and the shear volume of cluttered and abstract mechanics the player has to learn from scratch. The worst part is, the abstractions don't add depth to the gameplay. They only add complexities. Each abstract element from the card guessing mini game, passing the light puck combo system, to the top screen battling is either being executed successfully or it's not. There is no interplay between these systems, dynamic interactions/consequences from mistakes, or enough variation to each system and the basic battle mechanics to create emergent gameplay, the corner stone of action games.

Though I've only talked about the battle system of The World Ends With You, the rest of the game is equally unnecessarily complex. The game is overwrought with stats and abstract systems for just about everything you can think of. For example, characters can buy food and eat it to gain stat upgrades. But at the same time the food must be digested. When the character is eating food, they digest a little bit of food as they fight every battle. But wait there's more. Each character can only eat so much in each day of real time. So if you want to eat as much as possible, wake up early and start stuffing your face. Hold on, I'm not done yet. Each character's stomach size shrinks as they eat more and more, but then resets with each new day. But if you thought it was over, there's one more bit to it. ach character has likes and dislikes for different types of food. And this is just one abstract system out of many in the game.


Such a complex system for eating food is egregious because mastering the abstract system only gives the player higher stats in the end, which are abstractions in themselves. Mastering any of the game's abstract mechanics and systems only rewards the player with more points. More abstractions. Because the battle system has so few dynamics and interactions, all the work you put into learning and mastering the abstractions outside of battle won't show up as anything more than a higher number here and there. Also, because the dynamics are so low, understanding how to maximize one's attack power is obvious: Attack-attack-attack. In other words, use the attacks that have multiple hits so that you can effortless combo the enemies. Knockback, object positioning, and hit stun aren't factors to consider when you can optimize the game so easily.

Games like The World Ends With You prove that even some of the biggest developers have lost touch with what makes games so great. Though TWEWY has its charm, even the game's innovations aren't that significant, and it was supposed to be the fresh take on action RPGs. When you break it down, you're not really doing much throughout the entire game. The world ends with me? Too bad it didn't begin with concrete mechanics.