As my aim is to create a serious, educational game, it is best to use a mobile platform. Therefore, I will be designing my game for IOS/Android devices. This is the appropriate platform because it will reach the largest audience. The topics I am using in my game design, climate change and morality, both interest a wide audience who wish to learn more. And I think this could be most effective using an enjoyable and practical method, which consumers can engage in on-the-go. With this in mind I have decided for my game to be 2D and side scrolling as I think this would work best for an adventure/exploration game that is restricted to smaller screens.
To inform my design decisions, I will research a range of side-scrolling games that will allow me to investigate different methods of UI and control mapping.
Limbo
Limbo is a high-tension, adventure puzzle game developed by Playdead. You play as a child trying to escape death by running through a dark, dystopic environment, solving puzzles in order to escape armed guards.
The interface design is very basic with the main focus of the game being the visual environment and the emotive tone which is presented using eery sounds such as crunching twigs and a wolves howl. There are no clues on screen to assist play. To move the character, you must just swipe a finger on screen and hold, swipe up to jump or climb and let go to stop or stay put. To interact with an object on screen, press and hold. The controls are simple and easy to remember which I think presents distraction from the overall game experience.
Geometry Dash
Geometry Dash is a rhythm-based platforming game where the aim is to beat levels by dodging obstacles by either tapping on the screen to jump or allowing the player-character to interact with different game elements.
The controls are simple and somewhat intuitive. The game is also restarted immediately upon death so if the player has any confusions, they are forced to experiment and investigate to work out how to play. The character moves forward itself and the game environment changes very quickly so the player is also forced to think fast and ahead of time.
I like the idea of limiting the time the player has to make actions. It provides a sense of urgency and evokes stress and tension in the player. By adding a time limit during decision-making in my game, I may be able to really put the player on the spot so they can feel that their decision has urgency and importance but it may also stress them out enough that they may not consider the choices enough and just quickly choose any option.
Among Us
Among Us is a top-down, 2D, multiplayer game where the objective depends on your character. As an "imposter", your objective is to sabotage a crew ship under a time restriction without any of the other players suspecting you. As a "crew-mate", your objective is to carry out jobs before the imposter sabotages the ship or kills you and the rest of the crew. The crew can also win by successfully ejecting the imposter by working together to keep track of everyones movement.
As you move around the ship, the screen will pan so you are always in the centre, only allowing you to see the room that you are in. As the player in my game is on a journey rather than an explorative adventure, i think it would be best to use side-scrolling rather than this alternative.
The controls for among us are relatively simple and i think would be suitable for my game idea. At the bottom left side of the screen, player are able to swipe their thumb/finger up, down, left or right for movement. At the bottom right corner, are action buttons which are used regularly so are easily accessible without too much reach. Then any less-sed function such as settings and map are across the top of the screen.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is an action-adventure game that was released for consoles and PC. It takes place in a fictional world where the player controls an insect-like creature, that is completely silent and nameless, through a strange underground domain.
I really like the visual design for this game. all characters and environments are hand drawn which I think works really well for the theme of the game. The detailed backgrounds are simple yet very immersive and have been blurred and push back. The platform the character moves about on therefore has more clarity and dimension. I will take inspiration from this when it comes to creating concepts for my own game environments.