What kinds of fun play experience does this game provide?
- There's an element of drama in the game - the suspense and anticipation of stomping the last man before he gets back into his home and the panic that might be experienced when the player gets too close to the knights or arrows adds to the emotional experience of the game.
- Sensation is evident in the simple graphics and the sound effects. There are points in the game that provide auditory humour (such as the occasional comment "Aw, this is the worst game I've every played!" if you die) and visual humour (the image of Trogdor sworded/struck with multiple arrows as a way of teasing the player for dying)
- Challenge is an important as it's the primary focus of the game - the levels get harder as you go and there's a higher rate of getting killed.
- Fantasy - I mean, come on. Fire-breathing dragons and medieval knights?
Can you summarise the core experience of the game in just a sentence?
A simple and amusing game that merges pacman and pyromania into one game.
How does the game progress? Does it change? How does this affect the experience?
The game progresses when you burn all the houses down by achieving burnination. As it progresses the levels become more difficult - there are more houses to burn, they are orientated differently on the screen and people are harder to stomp on. This means the experience is largely dynamic and never gets boring (unless you Game Over a bajillion times and have to play level 1 again... and again... and again...)
Some houses have a bonus area where you get extra points and after every certain number of levels you get a fun cutscene.
What are the core mechanics that make the game work?
The reward system of having a level achievement every time you reach 10 stomped pilgrims and the loss system (losing a pilgrim on the meter when they reach their house safely) is definitely an important aspect that makes the game enjoyable.
The increasing difficulty of the levels with changing number and orientation of houses adds to the success of the game - it becomes less easier to burn everything down in one go as some houses get blocked off, and the positioning may result in less area for you to side-step the knights.
The point system (getting an extra life when you reach a multiple of 300 points) also means people are able to enjoy the game longer, as levels get harder to success unscathed.
How do the various components of the game contibute to the core experience?
The visuals allow a simple way of keeping track of how close you are to the Burnination, heightening that sense of drama. The invincibility attained through Burnination also adds to the Reward system giving the player a sense of empowerment. The bright colouring and simple design make it pleasing to look at while playing, and easy to distinguish the targets and the obstacles to avoid.
The mechanics of the knights also add to the core experience and they have a generated path across the screen, adding to the drama as they speed up and slow down, change directions across the screen and seemingly follow the player around.
The cutscenes at certain milestones also add to the challenge as it gives the player the sense of accomplishment needed to make the game work.
Are there any parts that detract from the experience? How could they be changed?
Sometimes the knights have an ambigious radius where they kill the player. I had a visible gap between a knight and myself once and I still died. Also sometimes the knights go up into the sky - a glitch which could easily be fixed.
Sometimes the Burninate Meter feels like it drains a lot faster than Trogdor, which meant even on simple maps depending on where you are on the map when you achieve it you run out before you can get all the houses.
Despite invulnerability you can't kill the knights during Burnination - that would be more fun.
All in all, I think I've found a new method of procrastination =)
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