Untitled Magnet Game
Mark Brown's puzzle platformer built around magnets.
Where Untitled Magnet Game comes up1 episode or test
- 1Play demo levelPuzzles and platforming are mixed
- 2Can't tell brains or thumbsPlayers don't know what's expected
- 3Communicate the modeBrown's fix: tell the player
From Mark Brown on Untitled Magnet Game demo
What was said about Untitled Magnet Game
Signal whether a level needs puzzle thinking or platforming skill. Players of the first Untitled Magnet Game demo couldn't tell whether a level asked for brains or thumbs. Mark Brown took from this that a game mixing puzzles and platforming has to tell players which mode each level expects.
Changing which actions a level requires also sets expectations. Brown: "One solution to this problem is to simply communicate this information to the player."
1Similar examples from other apps
These are about other apps, not Untitled Magnet Game: examples from the same sources that help explain it.
Grapple Dog stacks several cues to mark its speed-run stages. Grapple Dog flags a speed-run stage with a fast-forward icon on the door, a countdown, a sprinter's pose and a racing flag background.
Batman: Arkham games handle the same problem differently and punish players who treat stealth sections like a beat 'em up.
How To Combine Video Game Genres
Players of its first demo couldn't tell whether a level needed brains or thumbs, which showed the need for clear signalling.
Signal whether a level needs puzzle thinking or platforming skill. Players of the first Untitled Magnet Game demo couldn't tell whether a level asked for brains or thumbs. Mark Brown took from this that a game mixing puzzles and platforming has to tell players which mode each level expects.
Changing which actions a level requires also sets expectations. Brown: "One solution to this problem is to simply communicate this information to the player."
Grapple Dog stacks several cues to mark its speed-run stages. Grapple Dog flags a speed-run stage with a fast-forward icon on the door, a countdown, a sprinter's pose and a racing flag background.
Batman: Arkham games handle the same problem differently and punish players who treat stealth sections like a beat 'em up.
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