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Research: How Games With Simple Controls Create Flow
I started looking into various smaller games, to see how the invoked flow, what I could take from these games and perhaps apply mechanically to my own.
LIM
In the minamilistic LIM, you play as a cube with the arrow keys and have to navigate a maze, which houses other cubes who will attack you if you don't hold Z to "blend in"- you flash rainbow colours and one can easily label this as an LGBT game, struggling in a society that won't accept you and treats you with hostility, at varying degrees.
This game gives you no context to who you are or what you're doing, you simply discover which is the key play aesthetic here. The other being the challenge of getting through it unscathed; mechanic as metaphor is applied here as holding down Z slows you down and physically cumbersome to do, its like holding your breath. Getting to the end was a challenge and letting others play it was also interesting, how they reacted to the violent cubes and what they felt it meant. They all felt alone and isolated. Reflecting who the game is arguably about. Four directions and a blend mechanic, simple and very effective.
I Can Hold My Breath Forever
Left, right, up and down. Only controls necessary. Here you explore an underwater cavern filled with glowing fish, gathering the letters of an old friend which are poignant to read, you traverse the flooded caverns but can only be in the water for ten seconds before you die. Abnegation is key with artistic games like this as you're exploring with minimal pitfalls, you die but you respawn at the last letter you read. The music really adds emotive power to this games simplistic sprite visuals and the writing serves as narrative- you want to read all the letters and find your friend. Writing can be a powerful tool when it doesn't break the game's flow, it appears as you walk close to the letters and fades when you leave, something to consider.
Loved
A platformer made difficult through its controls which must be mastered quite quickly, the jump is quite anchored as you leap over pits. A seemingly abusive narrator gives you instructions that you can choose to follow or not, ignoring and doing what is easier causes colour to feed into the world as little blocks the swarm and mask the area around you, following the demanding instruction adds detail to the black and white world that stays cold. Depending on your actions through the linear level depends on your ending, you either betray by doing what you want, masking the world, the truth, around you, or you compromise and follow out the seemingly harsh instructions you're told to do, out of love. You must blindly trust the instructions. Aesthetics lead this game, albeit simplistic ones, and a variety of simple but varied traps add some serious challenge which adds fun to a meaningful game.
Naked Man
A game with less symbolism now, found on the front page of Newgrounds, currently adored for its simple yet fun and engaging gameplay. Simple, blocky, pixel graphics work with a simple narrative-you're clothes have been stolen, get them back. You run and gun your way through levels, a fun mechanic being the float-jump umbrella that allows you to glide slowly through levels firing upon enemies below. Each level is linear with collectibles to find, enemies to kill and a boss to quell. The sounds and visuals compel you to play and the controls feel good to use. Mechanics and aesthics work cohesively to create a fun experience.
The Beginner's Guide
A recent innovative example of the medium, this game is more like and interactive film than what we've come to expect from games as a whole. Abnegation and exploration play key roles in this games strange playscape, comparable to Middens here, that makes use of base textures and models as aesthetics. Labelled as pretentious, BG has you you navigate many different "games" as a narrator drip feeds you in a "mockumentary" like style the thoughts and feelings behind them, the plot is the driving force behind exploring these dreamlike scenes. There are many tropes at play ( the literal Chekov's Gun being a favorite) and the game employs many theatrical techniques- something to consider.
As I'm researching and analysing I'm starting to see what I'd like to achieve with my game, perhaps employing simple but effective mechanics to tell a story and drive a metaphor.
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