Playtesting
This course has become quite confusing as Stencyl continues to serve as the backbone for course activities. Fortunately, I have been given permission to use a different set of tools for the game I plan to develop as the final component of this course.
For this blog post I have been asked to review another Stencyl game example in the format of playtesting.
Last Square Standing
I chose a highly rated game from the website Kongregate called Last Square Standing. It stood out to me as an abstract concept that might differ from the typical platformers often represented by Stencyl. The game description is as follows:
“How long can you (the square) survive the onslaught of circles from all directions?”
To play the game, I had to allow my browser to be taken over by zombies of the 2000s Internet. Good riddance, Flash.
The game delivers on its promise. In all three modes, the goal is simply to avoid circles by moving your square around the screen with the arrow keys.
Besides color palette changes, each mode presents circles with different movement patterns. These patterns did not necessarily represent changes in difficulty. In all modes, the level starts easy as few circles appear. As more circles crowd in, it becomes more difficult to avoid them. There is no way to fight or destroy them, so the best you can do is to keep moving.
Play Matrix
After attempting all three modes several times, I did notice my skill level improving as measured by the length of time I was able to stay “alive”. This is literally the only measurement of success. On each turn, I tried different “strategies”.
For instance, I thought I noticed that many circles avoid lingering in the center of the screen, so I tried to stay within that area on the next turn. These types of experiments did not reveal any repeatable strategies, so I determined that the only real variable is how well you can use the arrow keys to keep moving.
The matrix below represents my overall impression of Last Square Standing after 30 minutes of play.
Game Features
As indicated by the notes above, the game presents a single skill-based challenge that relies on physical dexterity and reaction time. As the level length continues, there is little chance involved as the screen is inundated with enemies. It is only at the beginning of the level that the square’s starting positions really introduce any element of luck.
The speed of gameplay and limited action possibilities remove the element of calculation and strategy, especially after a player has attempted each mode several times without finding a definitive edge.
Modifications
The game description was quite accurate. The game in minimalism is a representation of a large category of video games that require speedy reaction times and are prone to cause frustration.
Recently, my sons and I have tried a new edition of Frogger — Frogger in Toy Town. Though visually more complex, it is essentially the same kind of gameplay. My impression is that this type of game has become particularly popular in the mobile gaming sphere as these games can be enjoyed in short bursts without a lot of mental engagement.
A touch version of Last Square Standing for mobile devices would introduce a more direct form of physical dexterity if the player could control the movement of the square directly with their fingers. Otherwise, I think the game is fine as is.
