This week I decided to play a game from the Nintendo eShop, since I often enjoy Nintendo’s exclusives. And the game I came across left me astounded at the amount of hours I had put into it. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a beautiful game with unique art styles, stunning visuals, and a plethora of expressive characters. This game balances its simple narrative with complex themes such as spirituality, love, and sacrifice to create a work of art. I was readily immersed into the world of Ori throughout my playthrough, and I grew attached to the protagonist, Ori. This attachment culminated when Ori confronted Kwolok at the Luma Pools, which influenced me to finish the game all together. I never anticipated the affect a fictional character could have on me. I believe the developers accomplished this bond by conveying relatable emotions through these characters. The developers also presented this game’s aesthetic through the protagonist to evoke an emotional response from the player. I’ll need to take a similar approach when creating/animating characters for a game.
I also learned about the intricacies of prototyping from an excerpt that highlighted the elements of “What do prototypes Prototype?”. There are three distinct prototype substructures including: Roles, look and feel, and implementation prototypes. I originally thought there was only one kind of prototype, a hybrid of sorts between the three forms. This is not an uncommon thought, but relying on one particular prototype structure will hinder user feedback, as each type of prototype exists to show the different aspects of a product. Also, these structures remind me of the MDA framework, since they both follow similar principles in terms of foundation. And user feedback is the main focus of both frameworks, which is why it’s necessary for a game designer to know their audience first.
Brycen Lawson’s Dev.log 