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Mar 21st, 2016 at 15:59:28 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
Super Metroid is one of the best, if not the best, games released for the Super Nintendo, and one the best and most influential games ever released period. I’m going to attempt to look at Super Metroid and determine where and why it succeeds on such a high level.
First I’m going to look at the mechanics and systems of Super Metroid. Super Metroid plays very much like a typical platformer, a type of game that was very prevalent on the Super Nintendo. Thus the controls of Super Metroid are pretty typical, you can move, shoot, jump, and run. You can land on platforms, and touching enemies causes damage but you can shoot enemies to damage and eventually kill them and some enemies are only afected by certian weapons. Super Metroid is a bit more unique than most platformers in that it allows you to shoot in 8 direction at all times. Aiming diagonally is mapped to the shoulder buttons, and you can hold them both at the same time to aim down. I’m going to point out that mapping diagonal aiming to the shoulder buttons was a really good idea, it lets the player move and shoot diagonally comfortably and it allows them to aim diagonally while standing still. The one complaint I have about the game's controls is the face button mapping though. The face buttons are what you press to run, jump, and shoot and the game allows you to adjust which of the buttons do what in the main menu. While doing any two of these at the same time is easy enough, there isn’t a comfortable position to put your hand in where you can reliably do all three actions at the same time. If you want to switch from running and shooting to jumping and shooting you have to reposition your hand. In fairness though there never really is a situation in the game where you are required to run, jump, and shoot all at the same time, you only ever really need to do two of them to get past most situations. Another minor complaint I have with the controls is that some of the more advanced moves (specifically wall jumping and horizontal shine sparking) can be difficult to pull off especially considering that the game never explicity tells you how to perform these move, it only makes you aware that you can perform them. Again though it’s a minor complaint, mostly because these are intended to be advanced moves so the difficulty in pulling them off is understandable.
Where Super Metroid differs from many of its platformer colleagues is its overall game structure. Most platformers are structured by the level, the player is constantly given a clear objective and the game is usually played out in several brief segments that make up the games levels. Super Metroid is different. The only objective the player is given at the start of the game is that that baby Metroid has been stolen and they have to get it back. The game doesn’t directly tell them where to go, what to do, or what tools they need. It drops them off in an unfamiliar environment and expects them to figure it out as they go. There’s also a lack of traditional levels, rather the game is one large map and the player has to physically move from place to place. The areas of the game all have different names and themes, but they are all interconnected through one larger world. This leads to a general shift in focus to that of exploration rather than that of instant action or combat. The player is encouraged to poke around this large world and discover how the different areas connect. These shifts in focus have come to define a sub-genre of platformers called Metroid-Vania, named after the two franchises best known for this style Metroid and Castlevania (at least all of the Castlevania games in the vein of Symphony of the Night). This sub-genre is characterized by its focus on exploration, and progression through collecting items that give you more movement and offensive options as well as give you more health and ammunition, and this describes Super Metroid to a T which is appropriate given the genre’s name sake.
So in a game with virtually no direction, and with progression locked behind hidden items, how does Super Metroid not become frustrating and confusing? The answer is that Super Metroid is expertly designed. The game subtly teaches its players where to look and how to move in order to progress. To illustrate this I’m going to look at the first few moments of the game after landing on the planet. Once the player lands on the planet typical platformer conventions tell them to move right, but upon moving right they are met with a wall that they can’t get around so they have to move left into a cave that goes downward. At the bottom of this cave is an area called old brinstar, named so because it’s a recreation of the beginning and end of the first Metroid. Once in old Brinstar the player will again think to go right, and again they’re met with a wall they can’t get past, this time because they can’t open the door. The player then discovers that the floor in this room looks different from the other floors and shortly there after they discover that it is destructible so they move downwards and get the missile launcher needed to open the door, but after that is another wall they can’t get past, this time because they are too big. Then they move back and just to the left of the entrance to old Brinstar is the morph ball which they can use to shrink their size and move under the wall, but beyond that is yet another wall this time with no way to progress. Thus the player is forced to exit old Brinstar the way they came, but they can use the upgrades they just acquired to open up new areas in the first cave located next to the start, eventually leading them to the bombs which they can use to progress.
In the first few moments of the game Super Metroid has already subtly taught the player several key things without them even knowing about it. For one by repeatedly shattering the notion to move right they’ve enforced that the game is not about reaching a goal but exploring the environment around you. At the same time they enforce that obstacles can be overcome by using upgrades like the missile launcher to open doors and the morph ball to get through small spaces. Finally it teaches the player about backtracking. By forcing the player back into an area they just left they teach the idea that if you are stuck in one location move into an old one and use your new abilities to explore that area further. It also points out the ways the game likes to hide it’s collectibles, by giving the player certain visual cues in the environment. It teaches the player these things without interrupting the game play so it doesn’t feel like they were told what to do, it feels like they discovered what to do and that makes the experience more fulfilling. The players feels like they are succeeding despite the system, when in reality they are succeeding because of the system and the system makes them feel like they accomplished it on their own.
Super Metroid can get away with this form of teaching and progression because the level design compliments it. One of the more divisive aspects of Super Metroid’s gameplay, and the gameplay of many other Metroid-Vania style games, is backtracking, traveling through a previously explored area to try and find an upgrade needed for progression. Super Metroid mitigates this normally boring endeavor through its level design. When backtracking is required for progression often the game will place you near the area you need to backtrack to. For example n the first visit to Norfair the player will have to leave after getting the jump boots because it’s too hot to continue meaning they have to backtrack to find the varia suit in order to progress. Right next to the elevator into Norfair is an area only accessible with the jump boots that contains the varia suit the player is placed near the area they need to backtrack too minimizing the time it takes. Even during long stints of backtracking Super Metroid chooses to use this time to help the player find collectibles and get stronger, or by teaching them new techniques. An example of teaching the player new techniques happens when the player moves through brinstar on their way to the grapple beam. The player can discover areas with their new abilities that teach them about the wall jumping and shine sparking techniques which the player can use to find several items nearby. Even though the game features a lot of backtracking, because the level design is so well done, and because the game uses this time effectively, it always feels like the player is progressing even when going through previously explored areas.
Overall Super Metroid is a great game because it is incredibly well designed. Everything is placed with purpose, and even though there isn’t a typical linear progression the players route through the world is carefully planned out and the design of the level points the player in the right direction. Super Metroid also does a fantastic job of teaching the player about mechanics and where it hides its collectibles through subtleties in the environment and the level design, and It does all of this without interrupting game play. It also has a lot of replay value, players are encouraged to play through the game from the begining with their knowledge from finishing the game. This is furthered with the games completion percentage and completion time being displayed at the end of game. Super Metroid is just a good game, not because of its narrative or it’s art direction, though those are good enough in their own right, but because it has a solid and sensible design.
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Feb 9th, 2016 at 21:38:02 - King of Tokyo (Other) |
King of Tokyo is multiplayer game meant to reenact the Godzilla type monster movies with each of the players being a different kind of monster fighting for control of Tokyo. The game play is best described as a mix between a deck building card game and Yahtzee.
Players: Each player controls one of the six monsters. Though they all look different there's no difference between them functionally. Each monster starts with 10 hit points and if their hit points are reduced to 0 they are removed from the game.
Objectives: In order to win the game you either have to be the last monster standing or be the first to accumulate 20 victory points.
Dice rolling: As mentioned earlier King of Tokyo plays a lot like Yahtzee. The main action a player can take on their turn is rolling 5 dice. The dice have the numbers 1 - 3, an energy symbol, an attack symbol, and a heal symbol. The players roll the dice three times each time they roll they can choose to to keep any number of dice and roll with the remaining dice. For example if they wanted to heal and they rolled two health symbols they would choose to keep those and roll with the rest. Each symbol of the dice does something different. The numbers are ways to earn victory points. If the player rolls three of any number then they get that number of victory points. Each additional number after that is one extra victory point. So if a player rolled 4 2's then they would get 3 victory points, but 2 2's wouldn't get them anything. The energy symbol grants the player an energy token for each dice that lands on it, energy tokens are used in purchasing cards. The attack symbol lets players attack other monsters. Finally the health symbol heals 1 hit point for each dice that lands on it.
Cards: Cards are the other major component of the game. When the game starts the deck of cards is shuffled and three cards are revealed from the top. Each card has an associated energy cost and after any player is done rolling dice they can choose to purchase a card if they have enough energy, that card is then replaced with another card from the top of the deck. Alternatively they can choose to spend two energy to discard the three cards out and replace them from the top of the deck. Players can choose to play a game of asset denial by removing cards that combo with cards other players have. The cards all have varying effects and most of them combo well with other cards. For example one card (solar powered) allows you to gain 1 energy a turn if you have none and another (friend of children) lets you gain 1 extra energy each time you gain energy.
Tokyo: The sub goal of the game is to try and occupy the city of Tokyo, represented by placing your monster's token on the game board. If more than 4 people are playing the game recommends you use the additional Tokyo bay space, but I am going to focusing on the typical style of play that doesn't use this space. At the end of a player's turn if Tokyo is currently unoccupied they can spend a victory point to occupy it. If they remain in Tokyo until the start of their next turn they gain 2 victory points. While in Tokyo the monster can't heal from dice rolls and when they attack they hit all monsters not in Tokyo. Likewise monsters outside of Tokyo have the ability to heal from dice rolls and when they attack they hit only the monster currently in Tokyo. Whenever a monster in Tokyo is attacked they can choose to flee Tokyo leaving it empty for other monsters, typically the one that just attacked them, to take it for themselves. On a side note I typically play with a house rule the Tokyo can't be occupied until turn 3. I do this because one of the major flaws of the game lies in the ability to fairly quickly win the game by entering Tokyo on turn 1 and racking up victory points while the other players don't have a solid method to stop you other than lucky dice rolls. While being in Tokyo is very dangerous it's the quickest way to earn victory points without the aid of cards. It's important to note, however, that you can win the game without ever entering Tokyo.
Game Play: I played two games back to back with my room mates. I've played it several times while they have all played it once before. I played Cyber Bunny in both games.
Game 1: Before going into Tokyo Cyber Bunny bought total devastation (if you roll one of each symbol gain 9 victory points in addition to other effects) and nova breath (your attacks damage all other monsters). Meka Dragon bought extra head (use one extra dice in all rolls). The Kraken bought urbavore (gain one extra victory point per turn and one extra attack while in Tokyo). Finally, Giga Zaur bought friend of children (whenever you gain energy gain one extra energy). Because of urbavore Kraken went for an agressive strategy where they stayed in Tokyo for as long as possible. They supplemented this quickly by buying camouflage (for every point of damage roll a dice if it's health you don't take that damage). Unfortunately for them they didn't do well on their camo rolls so they had to leave Tokyo quickly. Giga Zaur took tokyo after them but because of strong attacks from everyone else they also had to leave quickly. On leaving Giga Zaur bought monster battery (put as many energy from your reserve on to this card as you want, match this amount from the bank. At the start of your turn take two energy from this card. When no energy is left on the card discard it). Because of friend of children Giga Zaur had a lot of energy and each time he drew from monster battery friend of children meant he would get even more energy from it. Because Cyber Bunny had nova breath though they could attack every monster even when they weren't in Tokyo. Because Kraken and Giga Zaur were at low health Cyber Bunny was able to kill them with nova breath. Seeing that Cyber Bunny had the upper hand Meka Lizard took Tokyo and bought alpha monster (gain one victory point each time you attack) hoping to win through victory points. Cyber Bunny attempted beat Meka Lizard to 20 victory points by using total devastation. Cyber Bunny never got the right roll and Meka Lizard won through victory points.
Game 2: Early into the second game Kraken bought one of the best cards in the game shrink ray (when you deal damage to a monster place a shrink token on that monster, that monster rolls with one less dice for each shrink token on them. A monster can use a heal to remove a token). Because of this early purchase everyone else bought cards specifically to counter shrink ray. Meka Dragon bought wings (spend 2 energy to negate damage) and smoke screen (put 4 smoke tokens on to this card. You may spend a token to perform an extra re roll. When this card has no more tokens on it discard it.) Giga Zaur bought stretchy (spend 2 energy to change one of your dice to any result). Cyber Bunny opted to go for a more aggressive strategy and occupied Tokyo as fast as possible and used cheap one use cards to heal and attack. Due to heavy attack rolls by everyone else they were quickly killed. Meka Lizard was the next to take Tokyo and was trying a similar strategy to the first game, stay in as long as possible and get victory points as fast as possible. Because of the effects of shrink ray however they never had enough energy to use wings damage negation consistently even with the added re rolls of smoke screen so they were killed. Since Kraken believed they had the upper hand with shrink ray they took Tokyo and tried to kill Giga Zaur from inside. Some good rolls from Giga Zaur in combination with stretchy meant they healed enough to remove the shrink tokens and still managed to deal damage. When Kraken left Tokyo to heal themselves Giga Zaur bought fire blast (discard: deal 2 damage to all other monsters) and then followed it up with an attack from Tokyo to kill Kraken and win.
Conclusion: It's very easy for even the newest player to build up a successful set of cards and develop a unique strategy around those cards to win. The length of the game could stand to be a little longer. At the end of any given game it doesn't feel like you got the most out of your group of cards like you were only one card away from having a good combo going. It's also fairly easy to win by just refusing to move out of Tokyo and healing with cheap one use cards. You can get a lot of victory points this way before everyone else has the chance to buy cards good enough to stop you so it feels a little unfair. Despite these downsides though the game is very entertaining. Save for a few exceptions all of cards are fairly balanced the cost of the card generally is proportional to how good it is. In addition to the cards being balanced I have yet to find a strategy that is consistently more reliable than other strategies aside from the one mentioned above, and if one exists the small amount of cards you use means it's unlikely that you'll be able to duplicate it perfectly in the next game. Additionally there are enough cheap one use cards that players can remain competitive in the game even if they don't have any particularly good cards that work well with each other. With the right group of people King of Tokyo can be a quick and easy to learn game with enough strategy to keep it competitive and interesting.
The makers of King of Tokyo have recently released both a general and Halloween themed expansion and I have yet to play either of them. They may have fixed some of the issues I had with it or made them even worse. This review only applies to the original release of the game with no expansions.
This entry has been edited 5 times. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2016 at 22:30:19.
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