Initial game research/ideas.

According to the data found at this site, games apps currently make up 16.80% of the total App Store market. The data was last updated 2011-10-31 06:00:27 -0700 PDT.

Having had no hands-on experience with an iPhone, my initial ideas looked toward successful DS games I've played for inspiration. While the two platforms are not overly similar, they both use a touch screen. One game that caught my attention was 'The World Ends with You'. The World Ends with You merges action and role-playing genres to create a hack-and-slash style battle system merged with heavy doses of JRPG story. While the latter isn't necessarily something I want to incorporate, the battle controls allow for flawless touch-based input.

To move a character, a dragging motion is used -- starting from the character and moving around the screen. Finally, to attack, a player is required to tap an enemy, or draw shapes upon the screen depending on which type of attack the player wants to use. The way the game uses the touch screen during battle is almost flawless, and something that could easily be transferred across to an iPhone/iPad format. Below are two pictures of different attack types being used within the game; the first activated by dragging across remote empty space and the second activated by tapping the target enemy from a distance.

Barbed wire is cast across the screen, where it remains for a set amount of time to damage enemies.

Attacking with bolts of lightning.

Additionally, gameplay videos where the different kinds of attacks are demonstrated can be found here and here.

With this in mind, the sort of game I want to create will merge hack-and-slash controls with a roguelike inspired dungeon replayability. One recent and successful 'roguelike'-esque game that captures the simplicity I wish to aim for is The Binding of Isaac; featured on the PC.

The Binding of Isaac follows a boy's journey through the dungeon-like basement of his house. Rooms are randomly generated, allowing for huge amounts of replayability. The game isn't heavily story focused aside from an introduction to set the scene, and much of the game's appeal are the many, many items a player can retrieve in order to improve their offensive and defensive capabilities. Each item modifies the player avatar, often with amusing results visually.

As well as rooms being randomly generated, entire dungeon 'floors' are also made at random. Each floor contains a boss which must be defeated in order to move to the next floor. At the end of the chain of floors, the player must face Isaac's Mother, who is attempting to sacrifice him in order to prove her faith to 'God'.

In contrast to The World Ends with You, which allows multiple attack methods, the main way to attack in The Binding of Isaac is ranged. The player is able to shoot Isaac's 'tears' at enemies. While there are special weapons that occasionally allow for other methods of attack (such as one that turns you into an invincible boy with a unicorn horn), the main method remains very much the same throughout the game. Strategic use of bombs is also a valid tactic.

The game mixes a very simplistic artstyle with often disturbing concepts (travelling through Mom's womb to attack her heart) and themes in order to create a distinctive and memorable visual style. The Binding of Isaac is very much a pick up and play game -- permadeath is used and runs are often cut very short by a spree of bad luck. This is a very suitable gameplay style for an iPhone or iPad game, as many of the games on these platforms are timewasters during periods of downtime. There are no save functions; items gathered and items unlocked are saved automatically upon game end/death. The only thing retained between runs is information on the items a player has unlocked and is able to obtain on their next run.

Randomly generated room. From left to right: Map, coins bombs and keys remaining, arrows, special item and health remaining.

The Binding of Isaac boss battle.
 

Another interesting little feature of the game is the inclusion of items such as 'Brother Bobby' and 'Sister Maggie'. These are items that can be picked up in much the same way as any other, but float beside your shoulder and attack with you. These are 'familiars' and are able to attack, defend and perform other tasks for the player. 

Sister Maggie

As I do within many games, I felt a little comforted by the presence of a 'helper' I could use to go through the dungeon.

This brought me to a game I'm playing currently; Rune Factory. A spin-off from the long-standing Harvest Moon series, Rune Factory combines the farming and social bonding aspect of HM with dungeon crawling. However, as an extension of farming, the player character is capable of taming creatures found within the dungeons they traverse. These creatures are capable of picking their own target and different creatures have signature attack styles and skills.

These monster companions are not necessary or gamebreaking; they are useful assistants but will not make or break the tide of a battle.

My initial game parameters so far would be:

• Hack-and-slash real time combat through touch screen attack input.
• Dungeon crawling replayability through randomized rooms and floors.
• Stat increasing items.
• Optional companion system.
• Simplistic but distinct art style.