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“Today I Die”
I have to be honest, I didn’t really like the game very much at first glance. The poorly made graphics really turned me off. I also got tired of looking at the screen not knowing what the hell I was supposed to do. Once I figured out that this game, like many others, was a giant puzzle, I started to like it. As I was slowly solving each puzzle the poorly made graphics, which initially turned me off, began to remind me of the old school Zelda, and Link Nintendo games that I used to play when I was younger. That deep and significant memory of mine was what ultimately made me see the game in a different light. The musical score was also another aspect of the game that brought back memories of Zelda, especially when the music changed when the mouse was clicked down on a jelly-fish or the girl. Another aspect I liked, which I used to hate, was the changing of rules. Every time you progressed to a higher stage in the game, a rule would change and if a rule wasn’t followed correctly in the previous stage, the next stage would be impassable, or so I thought.
The fact that words are used as locks and keys in this game turns the game into a series of puzzles that are only considered complete when the correct key is inserted into the correct lock.
Corvus believes issues that many designers run into, when working with mechanics, is that games must have a fail state and they must be goal oriented. The advice Corvus gives is to explore the meaning behind games and to not play them like games but play them like poems. By taking this advice gamers will get more out of games and see the true depth and meaning behind them. I agree one hundred percent with Corvus. This advice doesn’t negate the game. It adds another dimension that many people may not recognize because they are either too focused on the graphics or on the possibility of failing. As stated before, Corvus considers “Today I Die” to be much like a poem and I couldn’t agree more. The way the text affects the sentence as well as the gameplay and scenery draw the player in to continue exploring.
By implementing some of the mechanics that Corvus is referring to, my games would possess more meaning and depth like “Today I Die Does.” Some of these mechanics could also act as a spring board for developing additional ideas and meaning into my games.
