Skylanders gameplay:
One of the biggest inspirations for my gameplay design and level design is from the game Skylanders. I’m being focusing on one specific Skylander game because each of these games has their own unique and interesting ways of creating levels and each have new gameplay features however, I feel the first game in the series was most similar to the gameplay and levels as Doctor Waters. I’m going to have a look at what they have done to create a new and interesting gameplay through their level design.
Skylander Spyros Adventures:
- Although the game is designed for children, it still is fun for adults to play this, in my opinion, comes down to their incredible gameplay design.
- The developers Toy For Bob anticipated the replay factor in each level, as such with their swap on swap off character mechanic they create secret items, secret areas and special areas for specific types of characters. For example, some areas of the map can’t be reached by certain characters that can’t fly, this means that if you go out and buy a flying character in the future you can always come back and replay the level in a different way. This kept players not only buying new characters but kept them playing the same levels which gave them more play time of the game.
- Another major positive of the gameplay was the unique and engaging puzzles from re-directing light, pushing blocks, and hitting switches although they seem simple (which they are) when combined with constant enemies trying to stop you it creates a very fun gameplay experience.
How this relates to and going to inspire my gameplay and level design?
- Some of the main inspirations I want to use in Doctor Water is the idea of enemy interference during puzzles. This adds a layer of urgency and keeps the player engaged throughout.
- Also this is the inspiration behind wanting to include puzzles throughout the game as it adds a layer to the game and changes it from a generic platformer action game to a puzzle adventure game.