Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
(Ryan Clark, 2013)
Verbs, Resistance
Like several other games discussed in this appendix and throughout this topic,
Crypt of the
Necrodancer
is a rogue-like game—the player explores a dungeon that's randomly generated
each time she enters it, and moves around on a grid of tiles while battling or avoiding enemies,
finding treasures and stores to shop at, and discovering secrets.
Crypt of the Necrodancer
's chief
innovation lies in adding music and rhythm on top of these actions: any song can be played while
you explore the dungeon, and your character has to move and fight to the beats of the music.
The key to success in
Necrodancer
is to continue acting on each beat of the game—as long as you
keep making moves, a “groove chain” bonus will build up, allowing you to earn extra resources.
The need to think and react quickly transforms the rogue-like genre into a game that's difficult in
a different way, but the player can drop the resistance of this challenge at any time by giving up
on the groove chain and pausing to consider her next move.
Platform:
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price:
US $10. Free trial also available.
h t t p : / / n e c r o d a n c e r . c o m /
Resistance, Story
One of the most complex and open-ended simulation games ever created,
Dwarf Fortress
puts
the player in charge of building and maintaining an underground community of dwarves.
Dwarves must be directed to build, gather resources, and perform dozens of other jobs, from
tending the wounded to crafting weapons; the player's main concern is to keep dwarves from
dying or becoming so unhappy that they go insane. Each dwarf is a detailed simulation of its own,
with moods and abilities affected by the game world's weather, his environment, his tiredness,
and so forth. Dwarves can get married, have children, and even hold political office or act as law
enforcement for other dwarves. The huge world around the player's fortress is equally compli-
cated and generated randomly for each new playthrough in the manner of a roguelike game,
with specific geological and weather patterns, nations of other species to war or trade with, and
unexplored areas to discover.
Dwarf Fortress
is extremely challenging to learn due to the sheer
complexity and number of interlocking systems, but this complexity also produces an incredible
range of emergent stories as the lives of your dwarves proceed differently every time.
Platform:
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price:
F r e e
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/
