11/20/2023 0 Comments Downwell palette list![]() ![]() ![]() After the optimal way to play most arcade games is mastered, it’s gameplay is static and predictable. It results in a game that is as approachable and fun to play as Asteroids and Pac Man, but has a layer of mechanical mastery that keeps it continuously engaging. The skill involved in Downwell comes from how the player survives by making deliberate and intuitive decisions and using the strengths and drawbacks of power ups the player has to decide on at the end of a stage. The player can also decide to take the risk of building a large combo so they restore their health when landing on the ground or build up their gem count to spend on health and ammo items. The native abilities from player styles can give more health at the start or make the jump have more float. Downwell’s challenge is changeable for the player’s skill. But this meant challenge could only increase by making enemies more aggressive, faster and in greater waves. It made them easily approachable and players would try everything to reach a new high score. This meant gameplay had to be about moving around a space and getting a high score. Arcade games such as Asteroids and Pac Man had to find the most easily understandable way for people to interact in a virtual space. But for a player who wants a substantial amount of content and can’t meet that need from replaying and mastering a game’s gameplay, Downwell isn’t going to convince them.īut Downwell has an understanding of how systems and mechanics influence player behaviour that is more sophisticated than most iconic arcade games. This is both Downwell’s strength and weakness, because it makes it an excellent game to pick up and easily get into without a substantial time commitment. While hard mode and palette swaps offer a bit more for the player to achieve, the main game can be finished in fifteen to twenty minutes. Downwell is evidence of what happens when just one or two mechanics are developed to their full potential, with gameplay that offers an enjoyable learning curve and depth. While these trappings do not ruin Downwell, it eventually makes repeated long term playthroughs tedious because the player can’t have an optimal loadout from the start.ĭesigning a game around one or two game mechanics is an effective way of making one. The game could have capitalised on allowing the player to start with a select number of power ups and offer challenges that are unique to the specific power ups the player chooses at the start. This means the player can’t really customise what playstyle they want and have to replay the game again and again until the right combination is generated. Some palette swaps such as Dirtsnow make reading what’s happening on screen more difficult because of the background colour being different from black.Ī problem with power ups is that power ups at the end of a stage are randomly generated. ![]() Palette swaps change the primary colours of the game’s art style. ![]() Player styles give unique player native abilities that can make future playthroughs easier or harder depending on their skill level. Downwell uses randomly generated power ups that increases the player’s defence or attack capabilities and the player is able to decide on what is best for their skill and situation depending on what they have on hand.Īfter the end of a playthrough, the player unlocks palette swaps and player styles after collecting a set number of gems. It only offers more challenge by making enemies faster and more unpredictable. When a game like Pac Man is understood, it doesn’t offer a way of adjusting difficulty to suit the player’s mastery and understanding of its mechanics. This makes Downwell have the qualities of iconic arcade games such as Pac Man, but has a layer of mechanical sophistication that is easy to understand, but difficult and engaging to master. Hazards are pure red, enemies indicate they can be jumped on by being predominantly white with a hint of red, walkable and jumpable objects being white and a black background to make colour stand out. This rapid fire decision making is possible because of the art style. When enough gems are collected, the player enters a gem high that increases the power of their attack, but withers out if the player can’t maintain a constant flow of gems. Rooms the player encounters during their descent offer a break from the fast action and have power ups that change the attributes of the shooting attack and give health or ammo. This is expanded with randomly generated power ups at the end of a level that add beneficial abilities, such as collecting gems refilling ammo and creating a blast by stomping on enemies. Downwell artwork by BlueASIS, “ Jelly Smash!“ ![]()
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