Games Research

I have been looking at games which are related to our own game type. As our game is based on flOw I researched games based on similar game mechanics such as snake and the first level of Spore.  Another important aspect of our game is art and paintings. For this I looked at some existing art gallery games, including a restoration game on the Tate website.

flOw

In flOw the player controls a simple segmented organism situated within an aquatic based world, seemingly based on predictions on how life started. The game starts within the O of the name, with no instructions of how to play, the player must instinctively use their mouse to direct where the microbe travels. Clicking and holding the mouse increases speed, and has an unlimited duration. The game is a top down perspective, on a 2D plane, with other 'levels' visible in the background however out of focus.

Lower levels are visible to the player before they reach them.

The aim is to guide the mouth part into tiny cells to grow and gain more lives. To progress to the next 'level' the player must consume a floating microbe with a red circle within it. Every level remains accessible throughout the game and previous sections are visited by eating a a microbe with a white circle in it. These location of these are shown with a pulse, similar to a ripple at the edge of the screen, which guides the player to them. If the players microbe runs out of lives it instantly floats back to the previous level and the player must collect other organisms in order to continue.

The pulse guides the player to the level microbes.

Eating the white microbe moves the player up a level, the red moves them down.

As the player progresses through the levels different types of enemies will pose a threat to the player. There are three types of these aggressive creatures, each requiring different techniques to overcome them. Larger microbes are more difficult to defeat, but yield greater rewards when defeated, including a temporary power-up which increases the size of the mouth part of the player's creature. While there is no overall goal in the game apart from to survive and defeat the other microbes, there is a optional target for the player to complete all of their creature's body if they wish to. With minimal prompting the player will create their own motivation to complete the levels and explore the game world by themselves.

As the player consumes more microbes their body grows.

The player encounters different types of organisms.

The enemies become more powerful on lower levels.

Spore (Cell stage)

The first stage of the game is similar to flOw, the player controls a microbe which has to feed and avoid being eaten. Also both are contained within a 2D environment with layered planes in which the player can explore, with the next area being visible in the background for the player to see in advance. This gives them knowledge of what is to come and what challenges they will have to face after progressing. The main visual difference to flOw is the cartoon art style, which is more likely to appeal to a younger audience.

Before the level starts the player must choose which type of mouth part they wish to use, which influences the behaviour they must follow to complete the stage. If the player chooses to use a carnivorous mouth part they must consume smaller microbes while avoiding larger predators. If the player uses the herbivore mouth part they must eat a type of plankton whilst avoiding all carnivores. An interesting mechanic which is different to flOw is the ability to change the game dynamics mid game, by acquiring a omnivore mouth part which enables the player to eat both plankton and smaller carnivores. The amount of each type of food consumed affects what the players creatures will eat later in the game.

The player can hunt other microbes if they are a carnivore.

The stage consists of five phases, unlike flOw once the player has progressed they cannot go back to a previous level. To get to the next phase the player must mate with another organism which is similar to their own. This opens a level editor in which any parts acquired within previous phases can be used to enhance or change the microbes appearance and abilities. The ability to change the colour, and eye types of the microbe helps the player to become more attached to their own creature, it is important that there is a personal connection for the rest of the game to be more enjoyable. Upgrades can be found after consuming other large organisms or inside meteor fragments. These help by upgrading speed, defence or changing the diet of the players organism. There is a limit to the amount of upgrades the player can use at one time, this is shown via DNA points, once these are used up the player must remove other parts in order to change the microbe.

DNA points limit what can be used on the creature.

Once the player is happy to continue their creature glows and the background becomes the foreground, where previous giant organisms become smaller and potentially less of a threat. However some are still much larger than the player and will chase them if they get too close. Herbivores can also be a threat if the players creature is also a herbivore by stealing plant matter which the player could have otherwise consumed. Likewise other carnivores can compete for food if the player chose to be a carnivorous organism. This means, like flOw, most of the game's aspects can be interacted with, both direct and indirectly. There is very little within this stage that is purely aesthetic, everything is there to enhance game play. Shells and bubbles get in the way of the player and other microbes, limiting movement.

A shell stops a large organism from reaching the player.