Metroid has always been one of my favourite games. Metroid has also always been quite confusing. The layouts of levels is confusing, the mechanics can be confusing, and the sheer size of the levels compounds all of this confusion. The maps have always been really, really important in these games, and are usually pretty useful and well thought out. A game that’s space is so confusing in 2D is even more confusing when translated to 3D, and this is why Nintendo put so much thought, time and effort into the maps in the Metroid Prime trilogy. Metroid games often have you visiting areas, leaving areas, revisiting areas and discovering hidden areas. Metroid Prime is no different, except that now, you’re exploring the world on a whole other axes. The traditional 2D maps of Metroid were not going to work in Metroid Prime, even though 2D maps often work well in 3D games. In order for the complicated hives that are the worlds of Metroid Prime to be legible, the team at Nintendo had to come up with a whole new way to show their maps. In order to help you understand your location in 3D space, they used the 3D space to create the map. Instead of a static plan of the area you’re in, the map is a dynamic 3D model of the gameworld itself. It updates in the same way that the traditional maps of Metroid do, through finding map files or by exploring, but it’s the way that the map can be rotated, zoomed into and twisted around that really helps players understand the spaces they’re in. You can pan and zoom the map right into separate rooms, or all the way out to get a good sense of the bigger picture, and see where you are in relation to the rest of the game. The sheer size of the map can give the player a feeling of claustrophobia, as you’re buried right in the middle of it. Seeing the beehive like structure of the map can really drive home Samus’ isolation as she digs through, what can feel like, a massive labyrinthine structure. As you pan and scroll the map , perhaps in a particularly confusing section of the game, you really have eureka moments as you begin to figure out how all the rooms and tunnels join together. The interface of the map is made really easy to use with the 3D controls, and this tactile experience makes the map not just work and look cool, but feel really good too. The map in Metroid adds a lot to the game, and even pushes the game's themes and feelings further. This is a great example of a map that has been thoughtfully hand crafted for the experience, and one that is weaved into the game's mechanics and themes, and isn’t just a generic map to be begrudgingly glanced at. The map is integral to the experience, you really want to use the map, and this is a sign that it’s simply a really good map. |
World design theory (WDT)DevelopersThe goal of this blog is to relate current and past attempts at world design to further improve our understanding. Archives
October 2017
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