Recently, I bought “Angry Birds” for iPhone. I know I am late. Then as I play on, I could see Angry Birds is another incarnation of Crush the Castle at Armor Games. I admit I shamelessly pulled all-nighter with crushing castles. I then pulled another all-nighter with screaming birds. Have I not seen the same?
What makes Angry Birds really different is, I think, it limits your options by predefining number and type of birds for hitting a pig castle. By doing so, clearing a stage seems like a very simple and lightweight task you can finish within 5 minutes of bathroom break.
With only few ways to play the game, learning curve is extremely flat. You can throw a bird up in the air; the bird might or might not let you further touch the screen; that is it. We live in a World where each person is hard pressed and so absorbed in handling a lot of life tasks in a day. It’s not likely we are lazy to learn a new trick or two to play a fun game. It’s more likely that we just do not have enough composure to let a game step in our mind. Angry Birds just slips through this huge obstacle with very limited ways to play.
One might say that the power of cute characters does the job. I have to disagree. There are games with even cutter characters out there which just don’t resonate as much as Angry Birds does.
Then Angry Birds turns into slightly challenging circumstances for you to think about. As players get familiar with the birds, reality slows kicks in. In reality, smashing all the pigs in a castle is not so simple because your options of hitting them all is pretty much limited: one or two red birds, another blue bird and so on so. It’s now a bit irritating. Can you just quit? No, because the birds, the pigs, and the castle are already in your mind. You become to think, wonder, and grow obsessed with hitting them all. In the end? you keep playing until all the pigs are dead.
Limiting users’ options, then turning circumstances into something challenging is, I believe, the key to make a quick to learn but addictive game. I then became curious if there were any predecessor who has done same;a very complex, ever challenging game with limited options. Of course there are because there’s nothing new under the Sun.
Quick Googling hands me few of those.
I want to live, by one stoke of key. Platforms keep dodging at me, and I have to jump across to survive. I get to keep playing until I realize few hours are just gone by. What makes me do that? Again, very limited user options, but ever challenging situation. Quick to learn, but addictive.
One Button Bob / One button Arthur
These two games are created by Tom Vencel (Ninjadoodle). These two are just amazing amazing games. You can only do so much as click on screen. Yet, you would be surprised to find yourself in ever challenging circumstances; you might have to jump, turn, and many more. As game goes on, OBB effectively corners you so much to a point where you forget you can only click on screen. Also, the learning curve is extremely flat. I mean there is no learning curve. I guess magic is here to limit your choice but put you in various challenging situations.
I think I can come up with something interesting. Stay tuned.