Task 1 Research

Task 1 research

Retro platformer: Super Mario Bros

The game: 

Image Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.

The game starts with the character Mario standing in the middle of the screen. As you push the buttons you assume make you move, you will notice you cannot go further left, only right, so you go that way.

 As you move on you will encounter your first enemy (Goomba) and objects (bricks and question mark blocks). By trying the buttons you find you can jump but not attack, so you try to evade the enemy, most people end up landing on the enemy, discovering how to beat them. They then try the same with the blocks, discovering that you jump under them, they do this and get coins, they now know to collect them, as well as their first mushroom which makes Mario bigger and has them assume that is how you see his “health” when they mess up and touch an enemy later on, along with the mushrooms, fire flowers are found that let the player throw fireballs.

 As they go on, they find pipes which they soon find out to jump over, although if they crouch on the one before the first pit they will discover that some pipes are tunnels and get a shortcut across the map.

 The pits anyone can assume they kill you so they jump over them, later on in the level they find a star, once collected they discover it makes them invincible, then at the very end there is a flag that marks the end, they touch it, end the level then move on to learn more through the later levels.

 All of this is done without a single word said until the end. The plot of the game is that Bowser has captured the princess and you must rescue her.

This game got many sequels with the first levels layout staying mostly unchanged.

Things you can do:  Move, jump, duck, throw fireballs

Personal thoughts: A well designed platformer much like mega man that introduces players to new gameplay features throughout the levels without needing to say anything. Also has a jolly tune playing during the game.

Game Layout: Lots of levels per world, multiple worlds in the game

Contemporary platformer: Limbo

The Game: 

Image Source:  http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/limbo-review/1900-301/

When the game starts your character is in the middle of the screen (hey this sounds familiar), you push the buttons and figure out how to move, jump and eventually push/pull objects, as the game progresses you encounter many deadly things; pits of death (plenty of them), drowning water, traps (bear traps, swinging logs, saw blades and more) and enemies (guys with blowguns and a HUGE spider). It’s not that easy though, as the game doesn’t always play fair (example: hidden bear trap attached to a pull-able rope).

  The player has to use skill and careful thinking to avoid the dangers, outwit the enemies, not fall for the game’s tricks and eventually reach the end goal with more and more varied and difficult dangers in the way as they progress further through the one massive level, they need to be careful though, as your character is only a child and very vulnerable.

 All of this with no words spoken and only silhouettes used to see. The plot of the game is that your sister is trapped in limbo and you must save her.

There are no sequels as its only plot is “save your sister from limbo” and once that is done, the game is over.

Things you can do: Move, jump, pull/push

Personal Thoughts: A clever little Indie platformer, it is a game that requires quite a bit of skill and thinking to get through. The game is also essentially silent except for the traps trying to brutally murder you... Constantly.

Game Layout: One very large level.