"With Mario, each new gameplay element you want to add should be used 4 times in a stage: a place where players are introduced to and can safely learn the new element; a place where they get to play around with it; a place where they apply what they know about it in some novel way; and finally, a place where the idea is taken to an extreme."
Shigeru Miyamoto - Game director & designer at Nintendo
Your Own Game Design Analysis
Independent Analysis
Now, after having analyzed Shovel knight gameplay, you've got a taste of what analyzing gameplay and game design can be like. Next, it's your turn to do a similar analysis independently. Below you'll see three gameplay videos from different types of games. The games showcased here are:
- Superhot
- Bastion
- Dark Souls
All of these games have very different styles, but many of the same game design principles apply to all of them. Look at each video carefully, and analyze how each game does things differently. Keep in mind all the things we covered in the previous lesson while going through each video.
Think About the Following Questions While Watching Each Video:
- How do each of the games teach new mechanics to the player?
- How do the games differ in terms of gameplay mechanics?
- How does each game expand on its basic mechanics?
- How does the games test the skills of the player?
- How does each game "trick" the player into learning new things?
Exercise: Different Tutorials
Exercise: Different Tutorials