Friday, April 27, 2012

Week 13: Kingdom Rush, Zuma's Revenge, Line Rider


Kingdom Rush

As this screen shows, the player often has to oversee multiple
battles at once.  Complicated but awesome.
The first game of this week, Kingdom Rush, involves the player trying to protect the kingdom from invading monsters.  The monsters appear in completely differing forms, from the weak Worg to the mighty Magma monster.  The player is able to control the forms of defense in varying degrees in order to successfully destroy the specific types and amounts of attack.  For instance, the artillery is the most efficient means of destroying a large number of enemies, but the artillery is also completely ineffective (for the most part) against flying monsters like Gargoyles.  Against this type of enemy, the magic or archery bases need to be utilized.  This level of strategy within the game progressed further in the later levels.  The greater challenges require that the player be more creative with the problem-solving techniques; in one level, I used enemies from Section B in order to defeat enemies in Section A.  I could not have defeated the enemies in Section A if there had not been any monsters in Section B.  As this illustrates, Kingdom Rush forces its players to devise truly clever plans.

In addition to its normal gameplay, Kingdom Rush has other aspects that its players can enjoy even after beating the game.  Most notably, the game has additional modes for each level that provide extra challenges.  I am actually in the process of beating this extra facet of the game, and I welcome it.  Kingdom Rush has done an excellent job in striking the proper balance: difficult enough to ensure a player receives satisfaction in “winning”, but not so hard that the player loses interest because it is seemingly impossible.  The other great feature of the game is its ability to not take itself too seriously.  Kingdom Rush includes many humorous pieces such as an enemy’s silly-sounding death cry or the arch villain saying “All your bases belong to us.”  As a sucker for Internet memes and phenomena, the game had my heart at that moment.

Other than the original Super Mario Bros., this is the game that I have played the most in conjunction with this class.  Kingdom Rush is not revolutionary in its approach.  In fact, a majority of the gameplay is very similar to that of games like Plants Vs. Zombies.  However, Kingdom Rush’s execution makes it a very entertaining and addicting game.


Zuma’s Revenge and Line Rider

How is the frog getting all of those diamonds anyway?
The other two games for the week are fantastic examples of how successful a simple idea can be.  Zuma’s Revenge involves a line of colorful diamonds advancing to the middle of the screen.  In the game, the objective is to shoot a diamond that matches the color of a group of diamonds; if the group is three or more consecutively of the same color, all of the diamonds in that group will disappear.  This pattern continues until the diamonds reach the middle or all of the diamonds have been destroyed.  Extra points can be gained depending on specific power-ups and the speed at which a level is completed, but ultimately, the mechanics of the game remain the same.  Zuma’s Revenge is a flash game that demands dexterity and accuracy from its players, and through practice and a little patience, any gamer can develop those traits.

Possibly the most simple game assigned in this class, Line Rider is purely a creation-based game.  The player is instructed to draw lines and, when finished, allow an animated motorcycle to use the drawn lines as a driving course.  That is it.  The brilliant part about Line Rider is the blend between simplicity and giving the player control over the game’s outcome.  On the downside, no one would expect a gamer to play Line Rider for extended periods of time, but that is not the purpose of most flash games.  Line Rider accomplishes the goal of any flash game, and that goal is to provide an entertaining experience for its participants, if only for a short while.

No comments:

Post a Comment