Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Because the game is dynamic, all decisions and actions have direct and instantan-
eous impact on a situation. To motivate players to act carefully and to add some
suspense, special-level design, inspired by scaffolding and other forms of high con-
structions that exploit a head of heights, is used.
Thus, platformers are about the
right balance
. The schematic image of the gameplay
is a color square that always checks if there is reliable footing underneath, otherwise
it falls down. It is interesting that such a minimalistic concept with the symbolic rep-
resentation of game elements can be used for a real product. A good example of this
is the award-winning game
Edge
by
Mobigame
(
http://www.mobigame.net/
).
It lets the player control a cube in a world constructed from three-dimensional blocks.
There are no graphic illustrations, textures, or any other form of ornamentation in the
game, only basic shades to create an image of a shape and few signal colors. And
that perfectly works and the game is very addictive!
But of course, once there is a strong role model, the pictorial look of platform
games is more habitual for audience. The legendary
Super Mario Bros.
by
Nintendo
,
presented in 1985, was a game that apparently was developed for ages. It was not
the very first platformer game; moreover, it was not the first game about the adven-
tures of Mario and his brother, but its principles and conception soon became canon-
ical: an attractive character, cozy scenery, vivid enemies, and fast gameplay. Since
then, platformers have been trying to match those standards.
