|
Monday 18 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY:
The game pretty much was the same for the next 45 minutes, except that the challenges got slightly harder as I progressed.
I was never quite sure why I was moving through this world, except that this was where the path led me. I'm sure there was more to the story than that, but I missed it somewhere along the way. However, this didn't take much from the enjoyability of the game, since the story doesn't really seem to be an integral part of gameplay.
The characters in the game are all whimsical, cartoon-ish, and would look very out of place in any other game I have every played. Here, however, they were right at home with the settings, which matched them perfectly. Character interaction pretty much (as far as I went in the game at least) consisted of Mario jumping on the heads of enemies, and onto the backs of Yoshi. There was no dialog, but it's a platform game with really no storyline-who needs dialog, anyway?
DESIGN:
One of the best design elements I remember from this game is the very basic inventory, which can hold an extra mushroom, turtle shell, etc, for use later in the game. This allows the player to go through an area with plentiful powerups and not have to leave them all behind. Of course, it also gives the level designers the ability to create more challenging levels, knowing that the player will have an extra chance, as it were, to get through them.
The game creates challenges in many ways. The player is given a certain amount of time to complete each level, so standing still is not an option, and parts of the game world are constantly moving, also requiring quick movement. Then there are the enemies, whom the level designers have placed anywhere the level might get too easy due to a lack of the other two factors.
The tone of the game world is light and happy. This is enhanced by the bouncy music playing in the background and the design of the characters. This tone gives the player the feeling that there is really nothing to be worried about, and can lead to overconfidence. I know it did for me.
|
