Evolving a Genre - Maniac Mansion Retrospective

As an adventure game fan, I have many fond memories of Maniac Mansion; although I was late to the party (having played it in the mid-90's as part of a Maniac Mansion/ Day of the Tentacle combo purchase), it still held up impressively well against its successors - in part because of the unique horror/comedy setting, as well as  the (for the time) novel idea of character selection - the player controlling protagonist Dave and having the choice of two sidekicks out of a possible six.

Maniac Mansion's a prime example
of comedy tinged with horror elements.

The character selection was more than cosmetic though; Maniac Mansion's story and puzzles changed, depending on the player's choice of sidekicks - as each character has a specific ability to be used in puzzle-solving (such as Bernard, who can repair various electronic devices). This offered a hitherto-unheard of degree of replayability; the game offered a grand total of five endings, depending on which of the characters were chosen (as well as various other in-game events, such as whether any characters died).

The sequel, Day of the Tentacle added
time travel to the mix.

Interface-wise, Maniac Mansion pioneered a new form of player interaction; the now-famous SCUMM engine allowed players to use pre-determined actions (verbs) such as Pick Up, Talk To and Open - this came at a time when adventure games mainly (if not exclusively) relied on text parsers as a means of interaction and thus pushed the genre into a more user-friendly direction. It's interesting to note that the SCUMM engine (acronym for Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) went on to power most of the Lucasfilm-era games, with such hits as Secret of Monkey Island, Sam & Max Hit the Road and The Dig.

Monkey Island 2 - might not have been
as successful without the SCUMM engine.

The game's story is based on the 80's-era horror clichés; a group of teenagers must enter the mansion of mad scientist Dr. Fred, in order to rescue their friend - the game itself plays upon these stereotypes with what would eventually evolve into the staple humour of the Lucasfilm adventure library, offering a surprisingly well-made comedy/horror fusion that fits well with the setting itself. 

Sam & Max: Hit The Road, based on Steve Purcell's popular
comic book characters, also owes its' existence to SCUMM.

The story revolves around Dave Miller, an average teenager, who must enter Dr. Fred's mansion in order to save his cheerleader girlfriend Sandy; while Dave himself has no abilities of note, he is accompanied by two (out of a pool of six) friends, who can provide their expertise in navigating the mansion's various environments.

Ultimately, Maniac Mansion came in a period where the adventure genre had a small following (mainly due to the relatively high point of entry for text parser-based interfaces) and pushed the boundaries open by simplifying the player's interaction into a more intuitive form, thus attracting a larger player following (and consequently, greater interest by developers); it is thus my belief that Maniac Mansion was partially responsible for the adventure game boom of the 90's and though the genre itself has evolved in new and interesting directions, the game itself is still a great example of innovative design.

 

 Resources:

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* Maniac Mansion Wikipedia Entry
* Maniac Mansion Fansite
* SCUMM engine-based Game List

Non-Sequential Progression - Metroid Series Retrospect

In which I offer some insights on one of the Metroid series' staples: non-sequential level progression, the technique in which levels are interconnected - often via "hubs",  centralised areas which often provide pathways to the "regions" that make up the game's levels.

The "Morph Ball"; once acquired,
Samus can use the bottom-left path...

The basic premise of the Metroid series follows Samus Aran, an intergalactic female bounty hunter as she battles a variety of foes across the galaxy. The series is credited as being one of the first to introduce "hub levels" and "partitioned" level progression; in most of the series' instalments, Samus starts out poorly armed and with only a basic jump ability. Exploring the game world eventually results in acquiring upgrades, which in turn allows access to previously inaccessible areas previously encountered (thus encouraging backtracking).

A good example present in every game in the series is the "Morph Ball" item; with it, Samus can reduce her body size to a ball roughly half of her normal size, allowing her to enter various forms of tunnels and narrow passages, which in turn effectively "unlocks" more of the game world for the player to explore.

...and has thus become a staple of the
series, appearing in most instalments.

The importance of such a mechanic is two-fold: Primarily it encourages exploration in a non-linear fashion, rewarding backtracking with either new areas/ levels or various miscellaneous rewards (such as additional health or weapon upgrades). However, an oft-underplayed secondary effect is building a more immersive environment by giving a more (for lack of better word) "believable" structure to the game world, rather than the sequential approach most games favour. Done correctly, it leads into one of game design's more important attributes; a tangible indicator of player progress, as well as a sense of  personal achievement.

A "proper" sense of achievement is hard to find in most modern games, with developers often falling into the trap of making their product either overly sequential (thus effectively eliminating the illusion of choice and the effect said choices have on the player's experience) or downplaying on the player's decisions (most often by burying the player in a multitude of secondary variables and inconsequential choices); therefore losing any sense of achievement altogether. 

An indie title using the Metroidvania
model, Iconoclasts is worth a look.

A good remedy for the aforementioned problem is the "Metroidvania" model (a portmanteau of the "Metroid" and "Castlevania" series' titles, which are of the earliest examples of this particular style) - in this model, the player initially has limited exploration venues, which gradually broaden with the acquisition of in-game techniques or items. Under this model, the player can effectively pace his experience; at most points they can attempt the next available challenge or hunt for upgrades to their character, thus lowering the actual difficulty of any subsequent content they experience.

Though not platform games, recent
Batman games exhibit this model.

It goes without saying that, while optimal, this model does not work for all genres; in particular (but not limited to), first person shooters - which often rely on a pre-determined pace to convey their experience - are the least likely candidates for this model. Adventure games, which give weight on puzzle-solving and story telling, employ a similar structure; they are, however, sequential by design and linear by nature. 

Ultimately, it is left to the individual designer to assess whether their project can benefit from this model of level design; it is worth remembering, however, that it offers a sense of progression that can be used to enhance the audience's experience by rewarding progression and pacing - something that modern releases often lack.

Resources

=========

* Metroid Series Wiki

* Castlevania Series Wiki

* Metroidvania Definition (TvTropes Wiki)

* Iconoclasts Homepage

Insanity in Horror Games - Eternal Darkness Retrospect

Eternal Darkness box art.

I've never been a fan of horror games as a whole. Oh, I've played around with the Resident Evil series (long before it was reincarnated into it's trigger-happy fourth installment) and even tried the Silent Hill games on the PSX, but I've never been able to stomach the truly visceral horrors of, say, Amnesia or Fatal Frame.


One particular exception to this rule, however, was Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem by Silicon Knights, released way back in 2002 on the GCN. Here was a game that, at first glance, was a cheap grab at the Cthulhu mythos with eldritch abominations, forgotten gods and Lovecraftian settings (such as the Rhode Island manor, or the underground city of Ehn'gha), which nonetheless manages to stand out for it's original, multi-perspective narrative, interesting combat system and, ultimately, the Sanity system.

Note the sanity bar, color-coded green.

The sanity system in Eternal Darkness, while by no means original (effectively a second health bar), was implemented in such a way that caught most gamers off-balance. Aside from the more mundane camera tilts and eerie whispers, as your sanity dwindled and dropped further, paintings' vistas warp from serene to infernal settings, walls start bleeding and stone busts turn to face your character as you walk past. And eventually, one of the more intense insanity effects would trigger: Your character's limbs might explode, or they might shrink down to a fifth of their size, or possibly the next room you entered would be upside-down. Finally, one of the real heavy-hitters would jump in: the TV volume would seemingly lower itself down to zero, or a BSOD would kick in, informing you that the game was corrupt and had to be restarted. Talk about a real mind screw.

Blur-o-vision, how predictible.

What surprises me nowadays, though, is that in an industry that thrives on "borrowing" successful ideas, I have yet to see another game that implements these ideas (even the mildest of them). Take in comparison Amnesia: The Dark Descent (a visceral, haunting take on the "survival" part of the whole survival horror genre ~ *highly* recommended if you're into horror). In Amnesia, there's also an implementation of the sanity meter, however it only manifests as a blur filter over your vision. Underwhelming to say the least, it feels like a missed opportunity.

How about blood instead of water
when your sanity drops?

What's weird is how well an Eternal Darkness-esque set of effects would translate into Amnesia. Agreed, maybe the whole "corrupt memory card" thing would feel out of place, but what about the other stuff? Statues animating or portraits weeping blood, this would capitalize on the sanity system in a better way than some overdone and overexploited vision filter. Maybe have a piece of furniture move in a conspicuous way, only to find it back in it's place once you return to the scene? Again, a missed opportunity that was presumably ignored in favour of blur, the industry's new favourite gimmick (abysmal motion controls not withstanding).


That being said, Amnesia is one of the best examples of horror-provoking, cleverly thought out game ideas of the past few years, but that's a discussion for another time.


Resources:
=========
* Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem Wikipedia entry
* Amnesia: The Dark Descent Wikipedia entry
* Silicon Knights official website
* Amnesia: The Dark Descent official website