| Ostro said: The gameplay has to be smooth to make you feel like being on an adventure and not a messy bondage that you don't enjoy. Or don't you think gameplay (or game mechanics) affects how you feel? |
Agree completely. This is what people don't get about games. The rules of play evoke a sense of feeling.
Add a lifebar to a platformer instead of the one-hit kill, and reduce the sense of mortality, which dulls the edge of the game, but might be considered more relaxing if that's the tone you want.
Add a timer and you create a sense of urgency. You have to clear the level before time runs out. Take away the timer, and the player is free to explore the map.
Use big, floaty double-jumps and little inertia, and decisions don't feel like they matter so much. Any given jump carries little risk because the player has plenty of time to correct a mistake.
The list goes on with every little game design decision that players barely even notice. They all fine-tune the game's mood, tone, and excitement level.
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
