Summary
I chose Hades because It’s a really fun game with a ton of amazing characters. The music also really enhances the overall experience.
Game Play Analysis
| Formal Elements | |
| The Basics | |
| Name of the game | Hades |
| The platform | Nintendo Switch, Steam |
| Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | 125 hours |
| If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | I would fix the glitch where you some players can’t max out their bond with Dusa. It’s been like 30 runs since I did everything I was supposed to do. |
| Players | |
| How many players are supported? | 1 Player |
| Does it need to be an exact number? | Yes |
| How does this affect play? | 1 player can play at a time |
| Player Framework | Single Player |
| Objectives/Goals | |
| What are the players trying to do? | Escape Hades (the realm), defeat Hades (the god) |
| objective | Destroy |
| Rules/Mechanics | |
| There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state. | Setup: Choose weapons, talents, conditions Progression of play: Beat enemies, choose rooms to go into, choose boons resolution: If you die, return to House of Hades. If you win, return to House of Hades, but with more stuff. |
| Controls | |
| What controls are used? | Stick, A,B,X,Y,L,R,Zl,ZR,+,- |
| Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | The game tells you what button to use |
| Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | easy to understand |
| Resources & Resource Management | |
| What kinds of resources do players control? | darkness, gems, charon’s obol, titan blood, diamonds, nectar, ambrosia |
| How are they maintained during play? | You beat people up, solve quests. |
| What is their role? | A variety of things. Some get you new abilities/powers, some are cosmetic, and some allow you to bond with characters. |
| Other Resources | Other resources include health, heat, death defiances, keepsakes, chthonic companions, weapons, aspects, and time in certain runs. |
| Game State | |
| How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | A lot of information, such as what resources you have. Other info is hidden until you do a certain something, such as you can’t see what rooms are ahead until you beat every enemy. |
| A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information. | |
| Sequencing | |
| In what order do players take their actions? | 1 player |
| How does play flow from one action to another? | You have to wait until 1 animation is completed before you can do another |
| Structure | Real-Time |
| Theme & Narrative | |
| Does it have an actual story structure? | Yes, the story in unlocked as you complete more and more runs and talk with the characters. |
| Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | Based on greek mythology |
| Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | Yes, It helps me know I want to beat my dad up. |
| Does it have emotional impacts? | Yes, such as when you character beats the game for the first time |
| Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | The games starts when Zagreus tries his first escape attempt |
| The Elements in Motion | |
| How do the different elements interact? | |
| What is the gameplay like? | |
| Is it effective? | |
| Are there any points where the design choices break down? | |
| Design Critique | NOTES |
| Why did the designer make these particular choices? | |
| Why this set of resources? | |
| What if they made different decisions? | |
| Does the design break down at any point? | |
| Graphics & Sound | |
| Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | Yes, very well |
| Did you find any bugs or glitches? | Not in the graphics |
| What about sound? | The sound was amazing, from the fight music, to Orpheus and Eurydice, it all sounded really nice. |
| Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | No |
| Various Stages of the Game | NOTES |
| To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play: | You’re always want to consider what boons you have, and how they can lead to other things such as power duo boons or legendary boons. |
| What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them? | You face the powerful wretches that live in Hades. You overcome them fighting them, and you get better at fighting using practice and the various different currencies in Hades |
| Is the game fair? | Some people feel the game is unfair in the beginning, and that it should be easier to escape on the first attempt. I disagree. I think it really adds to the narrative for Zagreus to have to work so hard just to escape once. |
| Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | It is very repayable, each escape attempt is basically replaying the game all over again. |
| What is the intended audience? | Teens who are willing to try a rougelike |
| What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? | Yes, fighting through the hordes of wretches that live in Hades is very fun. |
This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/
Resources
- Playing Like a Designer – I: Examine Your Experiences by Extra Credits
- Playing Like a Designer – II: How to Analyze Game Design by Extra Credits
- Game Analysis Guidelines by MIT
- Level 3.2: Critical Analysis of Games at learn.canvas.net
Books
- A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
- Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers
- Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals by Katie Salen