Thursday 29 January 2015

Why I Want To Play Grim Fandango Remastered (and it's nothing to do with the game)

Grim Fandango has always been in my peripherals. Not because i've always known it existed, but rather because i've seen the art everywhere but never really bothered to check out where it originated from. This was changed with the Remastered version that has just been released for PS4, Vita and PC. While the dark comedy noir-ish vibes are intensely appealing, it's not the storyline, gameplay, or the chance to play a cult classic remastered for a better system that's really enticing me. It's the developer commentary.

The game allows you to take a moment and listen to the developers talk through their work, as well as crack up at parts they remember creating, sharing anecdotes and making for what I believe to be a much richer gameplay experience. Sadly not many games offer their developers this indulgence, with just a handful of releases such as Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead, The Orange Box compilation, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider Anniversary edition taking the time to implement this feature.

I enjoy the backstories, the mistakes, the in-jokes, and i'm sure so would many other players. There's a lot more to a game than the amount of time a developer spent on the project (and usually that comes under fire for making the players wait), and it's rarely seen in the video game industry. Especially with big games, players often forget the sometimes deeply personal experience that is developing and creating a video game and it's often tricky to bear in mind that every boss battle, puzzle, and gunfight came from literally nothing - a blank space on a computer screen. The journey from that blank screen to a polished, interactive, immersive experience is often unjustly ignored and I for one would love to hear the developer's stories behind their decisions. It just seems strange to me that for an industry so focussed on the creative decisions of a group of people, there is so much ignorance of the work that actually goes into those creative decisions.

To be able to hear the developers talk you through their creative decisions, the efforts they placed into the smallest effects (the number of punches a peripheral npc makes in a gym scene is the subject of one piece of Grim Fandango commentary), and the stories behind their efforts can only intensify your enthusiasm for the experience as a whole, especially in-game where you can actually experience there and then for yourself.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Smash Hit, ios: Review

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the best games to grace Apple products are the simplest, and Smash Hit is no exception. With its crisp graphics, sharp sound effects, and uncomplicated gameplay, it screams addiction. The premise of the game sees you travelling through a series of glass obstacles in first person which you must destroy with a limited number of metal balls (that you can win back by destroying crystals). It is a concept that through their sheer simplicity breeds a brilliantly attractive and effortlessly engaging past-time with no waiting time, and no ads.



The basic foundations of the gameplay have allowed for the developers to easily create new challenges, keeping the game fresh with a wide variety of tasks presenting themselves as you move up levels. These obstacles may warrant a few attempts before being beaten, but most of them rely on quick thinking, timing, and aim. 

The premium version is required for picking up from where you left off last time, however this isn't so much of a downer as it first seems. Though the higher levels are more difficult and often pose a real challenge, the therapeutic simplicity of the opening stages and the game's compelling nature makes it a pleasure to retread your steps. This is improved by the changing dynamics of gameplay in the form of certain power-ups. Hit ten consecutive crystals in a row and shoot multiple balls at your targets, allowing a greater impact and wider target range, with the number of balls awarded correlating to the number of crystals you have hit. This ensures that no two plays are the same, greatly increasing replayability. 

The game is consistently enjoyable due to its ability to challenge the player with new levels and threats while maintaining the entertainment required to play the game enough to learn how to proceed. Even then, it only takes a few tries to break through tricky levels which are just as favourable as the first ones and easily defeated with practice. While there are ample opportunities to boost the number of balls at your disposal (hit an obstacle and lose 10 in a heart-stopping moment of red screen terror), it only takes a few mistakes to seriously set you back from even the most promising of situations.

The impressive physics establish realistic reactions and forces, however it is not 100% consistent as there are some instances when the player is able to travel through a sheet of glass despite the fact that the area smashed area was nowhere near where it needed to be. This happens rarely however, and is quite frankly a relief in times of frantic ball-flinging. 

The sound reflects the crisp graphics, with coolly calming music accompanying the satisfyingly sharp shattering of the glass. Hearing the impact of the initial hit and the echo of the crashing obstacles makes for incredibly gratifying gameplay. 

Overall, Smash Hit is an intensely addictive game with a beautifully simple design and infinite replayability. Managing to maintain an enjoyable balance between entertainment and challenge, all aspects of the game collaborate to create a thrillingly original experience... which is probably why it is currently featured on App Store Best of 2014.