The following is from an email I wrote to the guys at Extra Credits, which is an excellent show that if you aren't already watching, you should watch. I realized I hadn't talked about game design on this blog at all recently, and that this was perfect for it. Enjoy.
I think they're extremely well-designed games. I'm going to refer to
Dark Souls specifically, because I've played it more recently. One of
the most brilliant things they did with the design, I feel, is the
control scheme. More specifically, how "attack" isn't one of the four
face buttons. They probably mapped the left and right hands to the
shoulder buttons more because of symmetry and the elegance of everything
having a primary/secondary use, but this had a secondary effect that was
possibly even more beneficial. The four face buttons are the most
comfortable buttons to hit quickly and/or repeatedly, which is why games
usually assign their most common actions on those buttons. Dark Souls
has their attack function, normally used relentlessly in Action-RPGs, on
a non-primary button. This emphasizes their focus on carefully choosing
when and where you attack, as opposed to running in guns-(or
swords-)blazing. It also -physically- reinforces this notion, because
the shoulder buttons are somewhat awkward and painful to tap repeatedly.
This physical reinforcement of how to succeed in the game is one of the
most brilliant pieces of design work I think I've ever seen.
The rest game is filled with similarly brilliant design choices as well.
Mobility at the cost of protection makes for an interesting choice (more
so in Dark than Demons', because of the increased effectiveness of
armor). No music except during boss fights creates an atmosphere of
tension and loneliness, and a sharp jarring contrast that puts the
player in awe when a boss does show up, and also gives a sense of
epicness that serves to highlight what a blast the bosses are to fight.
The only thing I feel was a mistake was the Mimics. Yes, you only ever
fall for it once, but, c'mon guys. Now you're just being mean. And
missing a bonfire is fairly aggravating, but the game has such an
exploration/survival bent that I'm willing to accept it.
Personally, I don't play it at night anymore. Not because the monsters
ghouls zombies skeletons aberrations what-have-you are particularly
scary. To me, the game as a whole isn't terrifying for the most part,
despite the numerous enemies that, presented differently, would be much
scarier. I can't play the game at night because it's atmospherically
spooky, and the gameplay reinforces the terror of exploring somewhere
you've never been, where everything is trying to kill you. That sense of
the entire game's world being out to get you - because it is, mind - is
more lastingly chilling than many things that want to be scary. When I'm
done playing Dark Souls, I am, thanks to the gameplay and level design,
paranoid and jumpy for at least an hour. I find myself checking all the
corners of my house, not completely trusting that there are no traps or
monsters around. I want to be aware of whatever dangers are around,
because I also know from the game that whatever comes my way, with
perseverance and careful tactics, I can defeat it. The game isn't purely
tension all the time, even though the player is always extremely
vulnerable. If anything, this vulnerability is empowering, because even
though the player's avatar is heroic, strong, and has magical powers,
the bosses they topple and even the hordes of minions they defeat are
all so much more powerful than they are it's amazing that the player
even warrants their attention. And yet, with just a little persistence
(or, sometimes a lot), they emerge triumphant.
