Video Game Lab

The other day my partner Kunal and I played a few games together from the aspect of a designer. Here are a few of them:

This is the Only Level

This game, at a very basic level, is just a simple platformer that includes killer spikes, a locked door and a button to open the door. At least that is exactly what is is for the first level (or is it). In stage 2 an unsuspecting player would immediately run into the spikes at the start. They will soon figure out that the keys have been reversed and you have to adapt to that. It is at this point that the player will expect something different in the next level and that they have to figure out what to do or risk death.

This game is brilliant as far as game design goes. It creates variety through game different mechanics rather than level design. Most games will change up the levels and only leave you with your starting mechanics and possibly introduce a few more as you progress through the game. This was an incredibly entertaining game and a kept wanting to know what the next level would be like. It is only one level, but a well made one. Each of the mechanics plays well with design of the level and can punish you if you execute it incorrectly.

How to Be Happy

This is a wonderfully simple dating simulator. You play as a puzzle piece trying to find your second half. Through the use of abstraction it tells a story of most relationships and a persons journey to find true happiness. The game does not specifically tell the player this, they just know. In one stage, which I assume to be the "sex scene" you try to fit into one space together. This is followed by a quick "oops!" and another space appears. You fit into this space but the other piece you are connected to still has a space missing. She coughs, fills in the hole and changes color for the rest of the game. In the end, after button mashing like crazy to try and stay together, the game ends saying "We hope you won." 

It is a lot like real life in very subtle ways. If you fail your first relationship, it takes a long time to find the right partner again. You try and try to find another piece that fits with you until you get frustrated. you then finally find another piece that fits and you start all over again.

Wizard Wizard

The premise of this game is just like every other game we have ever seen. Jump the saws, grab the keys, save the girl. Throughout playing the game you find out that this feels very different. The game-play it self is fun and offers a great challenge to those looking for it. The first play through will result in many deaths along the way.

The random NPCs that say something different to you every time you pass by them is what keeps the game interesting. I found myself more interested in finding out what they would say next, rather than being able to finish the level. 

Board Game Prototype

Here is the description of the game as well as the rules to make it easier to understand

Name; Absolute Space

Items:

2 dice

2 player tokens

1 Time-warped Reactor Piece

Game Board

Deck with only face Cards and jokers

Max Players: 2

Premise: A Time portal has opened which allows you to warp to 3 different timelines. This allows you to travel to either the past, present or future in order to obtain a Time-warped Reactor which you must bring back to your timeline to save yourself from disappearing altogether.

Rules:

- Each player chooses a different timeline in which they begin in the outside space.

- The Time-warped Reactor will be placed at random in the timeline that the players do not belong to.

- Players begin the game by rolling 2 die each to try to reach the Time-warped Reactor first.

- Reaching the time portal counts as one space. Once there the player can choose which timeline they would like to go to.

- The first person to reach the Time-warped Reactor is now the Carrier.

      - Carriers can move either backwards(towards the center time portal) or forwards(towards the outside edge), but must commit to either one before each roll.

      - Carriers can not choose to go backwards AND forwards on a single roll.

      - Carriers can not play action cards

- The person that does not have the Time-warped Reactor is now the Chaser and must attempt to steal the item from the Carrier before they reach the end of their own timeline.

       - Chasers can only move forwards(towards the outside edge)

       - The Chaser can now play action cards when they land on a dotted space

               - JACK- Allows the Chaser to move either way on the roll of their choice. Chaser can keep this card and use it at any time

               - Queen- Forces the Carriers next roll to be going towards the Chaser.

               - King- The Carrier must skip their next turn and the Chaser gets to roll again.

               - Joker- Warps the Carrier to the timeline in which the secret item came from.

      - The Chaser mush reach the Carrier's space to steal the Time-warped Reactor. If the Chaser still had more spaces left to go on their roll after they steal the item, they can move those spaces in either direction.

- Reaching the outside edge of a timeline teleports you to the time portal in the center.

- Reaching the outside edge of the timeline in which you came from AS THE CARRIER Wins the game.

Exploding Kittens Session Report

Kittens do whatever they want. They don't care what their owner is doing or what is going on around them. As innocent and cute as they may seem, they do have a secret plan to destroy us all in the game Exploding Kittens. Kunal, Jun, Erikson and myself decided to sit down together and play a hopefully friendly game.

As the cards were being dealt we went over the rules which were simple enough. As soon as I picked up my cards I found myself just staring at the images and laughing at what the creators had came up with. Some examples being a rare form of cat called "Beard Cat" and attack card in which you awaken the bear-o-dactyl. The first card I played was the "Special-Ops Bunnies" which allowed me to privately view the top three cards to see if there might be an exploding kitten coming up soon. I then drew a card from the deck as to end my turn and live another turn without having a kitten blow me up

The game went on with the Kunal deploying "thousand year back hair" to attack the the person next to them. Erikson had to " don a portable cheetah butt" to skip his turn and not have to draw a card. Jun decided to "rub the belly of a pigacorn" to view the top three cards on the deck.

I then drew the first of the three exploding kittens on the deck. This kitten was about to walk all over the key board of a nuclear missile launcher when I quickly defused the situation by distracting it with a mountain of catnip sandwiches. Whew! Luckily we all started out with at least one defuse for a free life to start out the game.

When the kittens start exploding you must do anything to prevent it. This could mean distracting it via laser pointer or even via kitten therapy to get this homicidal kitten some help. But when you have run out of options to defuse, there is nothing you can do when that cat start munching on the dynamite. 

Jun and I had fallen to these evil kittens and only Erikson and Kunal were left standing to face the wrath of these felines. Only one exploding kitten card was left in the deck of only two left and it was Erikson's turn. He deployed the double "potatoe cat" allowing him to take one card of his choice from the three cards that remained in Kunal's hand. His first pick did not go over well when he picked only a cat variant. Erikson then deployed a double Tacocat allowing him to take one more card from Kunal. What he did not know is the only card remaining in his hand was the final defuse card which he desperately needed to evade the inevitable exploding kitten.

Erikson exploded with his buddy holding a hand grenade and only Kunal survived the exploding kittens.

Board Game Geek Link