Brief Summary
This video discusses the concept of "game feel," which is the mostly abstract but essential quality that makes action and platforming games fun and responsive. It emphasizes that a game should be enjoyable even without elements like story, graphics, or level design, focusing on the core mechanics. The video provides practical tips and tricks, often used in the polishing stages, to enhance game feel, such as screen shake, hit pauses, impactful feedback for damaging enemies, creative camera work, and exaggerating visual and auditory effects. The ultimate goal is to amplify the core elements of the game, whether it's shooting or jumping, to create a satisfying and engaging experience.
- Game feel is crucial for making action and platforming games fun.
- Focus on the core mechanics to ensure the game is enjoyable even without other elements.
- Use screen shake, hit pauses, and impactful feedback to enhance the sense of interaction.
- Be creative with camera work and exaggerate visual and auditory effects.
- Amplify the core elements of the game to create a satisfying experience.
Introduction to Game Feel
The video starts by contrasting a generic iPhone game, "Random Heroes," with the more engaging "Super Time Force" to illustrate the importance of game feel. "Random Heroes" feels lifeless, while "Super Time Force" is alive and responsive due to its superior game feel. Game feel is described as an abstract art that is essential for action and platforming games, influencing the second-to-second gameplay. A good test for game feel is to assess how fun the game is even when stripped of its story, graphics, and level design.
The Importance of Core Mechanics
The video highlights "Super Mario 64" as an example of a game with excellent game feel, where Mario's movements are so enjoyable that players can spend hours just exploring his abilities in a blank room. The game feel in "Mario 64" is about the friction, momentum, and weight of Mario, with level design and enemies existing to facilitate and challenge his movement. Similarly, "Super Meat Boy" is praised for its fun, kinetic feel, while many other platformers and action games suffer from loose controls or a lack of energy in their fundamentals.
Practical Tricks to Enhance Game Feel
The video offers several practical tricks to improve game feel, drawing inspiration from games like "Torqus," "Vamir Cactus," and "Grapefruit." One key technique is screen shake, exemplified by Vamir's games, which adds a satisfying wobble to actions like firing a gun or hitting an enemy. Another trick is to pause the game for a split second upon impact to make hits feel more impactful, a technique used in fighting games like "Street Fighter," as well as in "God of War" and "Zelda" games.
Feedback and Effects
Providing clear feedback when damaging an enemy is crucial, which can be achieved by making them flash white, get knocked back, spray blood, change animation, or make a satisfying sound. Similar effects can enhance the player character's connection to the world, such as adding tiny dust particles when hitting the ground or recoil when firing a gun. Sound effects are also key, with bassy and loud sounds being more impactful. Randomized sound effects and rising pitch ideas, like those in "Mario" and "Peggle," can also improve the experience.
Camera and Visual Exaggeration
Creative camera work can significantly enhance game feel. In "Luftrausers," the camera intelligently frames the action and reveals nearby threats, while in "Hotline Miami," the camera juts out to help the player understand their hero's orientation. Exaggerating visual elements, such as making bullets large like in "Nuclear Throne," explosions massive like in "Super Time Force," and blood splatters excessive like in "Hotline Miami," can also add to the game's impact. The permanence of elements like bodies and blood sprays in "Hotline Miami" contributes to a sense of lasting impact and hard-won battles.
Doubling Down on Core Elements
The video concludes by emphasizing that improving game feel, or "juice," is about amplifying the core elements of the game. If the game is about shooting, then the guns should have a strong kick, a fast fire rate, and the camera should shutter with each shot. If the game is about jumping, then the character should have appropriate friction, and the camera should remain steady to facilitate accurate landings. By focusing on these fundamental aspects and polishing them effectively, developers can create a more fun and satisfying gaming experience.
