Extended Practice Game Inspiration Research for my Environment

After looking at a number of different documentaries that where about the building of the pyramids and generally information about them I wanted to them look at a few games that where also set in Egypt to get an idea of how they where created and the layout and over all look they decided to go with in the end. This was a very fun stage to the project and looking at the existing games really made me even more enthusiastic about making my own, and making it incredible.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped
The first game that I decided to look at was Crash Bandicoot: Warped and specifically the levels set in Egypt. All of the levels are fairly large and set over a vast distance, but the design to it rarely changes, keeping with the same square tiles on the floor, with added holes to fall in, and the same hieroglyphics plastered on all of the walls that you come across. Although certain aspects are changed over the four levels that are set in Ancient Egypt most of them are the same, but this does create an aspect of continuity throughout all of the levels and the layout is mainly similar as well, with the camera following the character throughout.

When looking at the following levels, although they have similar mechanics all the way, each have there own that is unique to the level. The first level is Tomb Time, and this is one of the most basic ones of all the levels, it includes that classic Crash movements and mechanics, ranging from jumping puzzles and killing enemies that stand in the way. During this level there is also the added attribute of the light mechanics that when the character enters them arrows will be fired out, making the player have to run through quickly or jump them making interesting game mechanics for the player to navigate.

Tomb Time (Level 9)

The next level that is set in Egypt is the Sphynxinator that is later on in the level list features pretty much all of the same features that the first Egypt level does, but with the added edition of moving platforms over pits in large rooms, something that could provide an interesting game mechanic to my own level. The concept of the level is simple but works well, using different symbols on the stone slabs to show the player that certain ones will fall, whereas others will not, meaning that it becomes a trial and error process.

Sphynxinator (Level 16)

The next level is Tomb Wader and this introduces an entirely different mechanic: water. The addition of water in this level adds more depth to the level and with the levels rising and falling in a recurring pattern. This offers a great new concept to the game and alters the pace as well making the player rethink how fast they can travel through a level. 

Tomb Wader (Level 20)

The last level set in Ancient Egypt is entitled Bug Lite and uses the same concept for the first two levels but this time the level is plunged into darkness, again altering how the player navigates and traverses the environment. It offers the player a chance to be a bit more cautious when they are moving through, but unlike the last level they can move quicker knowing that the light will come with you.  

Bug Lite (Level 25)

Overall this game is definitely something that will influence the final level that I design as it also has a great art style that can be studied. The overall look is, although basic by today's standards, but very nice and colourful. It doesn't incorporate the traditional golden yellow colours that would normally be seen with Egyptian pyramids but the bright and colourful hieroglyphics on the wall really stand out and give off a cartoony style that is very much aimed towards children.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves
The next game that I wanted to look at was Sly 2, the second game in the Sly Cooper series. There is only a small section of this game set in Egypt, and it is the opening prologue set in Cairo. The opening scene does not offer much in the way of the level being set in the pyramids of Egypt, but there is a glimpse of them at the beginning, as the whole level is set inside and around the Natural History Museum but it is an excellent example of how good game mechanics have been used in combination with a very interesting art style.

 The general mechanics are interesting and there are jumping elements and also some elements of combat and walking on ropes which all add to the width, height and depth of the level making rooms feel a lot bigger than they are because you can go from the floor to the ceiling in most of them, something that could be considered for my own level. But the aspect that draws me into this game the most is the art style and it really is beautiful. The colours are all very bright and lighthearted and the atmosphere is great, making the game very child-friendly. Altogether these aspect really work well to create a very stylised version of modern day Egypt, although I feel that it could be easily transported back in time.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
The next game that I looked at for its setting in Egypt was Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy due to the fact that it takes a weird twist on the traditional Egyptian look. It takes locations in Egypt and turns them into this weird and wonderful fantasy land that is inhabited by strange monsters and creatures. The general idea of the game isn't incredible but it's the setting that I am mainly interested in, and this game features more of an open-world esc feature as you are not confined to just taking one path to get to the end, and this is perhaps something that is not a good idea for my own level.

The general mechanics are also rather strange, with the character having weird abilities throughout that certain people grant him and the general movement of the character is rather lumbered and clunky. Having said that it is interesting to play and offers an insight into a rather different take on the well known Egyptian look.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation 
The next game that I looked at was Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. This was a great one to look at for this project, especially for the level design as the whole last third of the game is first set in Cairo, Egypt and then the Pyramid's of Giza themselves. Although this game is a very different art style to previous ones that I have been looking at, this trying to play on the realism side, whereas I'm aiming to make something that is more cartoony and stylised, it has still been really exciting to look at.

The size of the layout is probably something that I will not be trying to recreate as these individual levels are huge, and packed with passageways and secrets to find that will leave you wondering whether you will ever find them all. Altogether levels usually take about an hour to and an hour and a half to fully complete, something that I am definitely not aiming for, I'm more looking at the three to five minute marker for my own level.

But having said that, the layout is something that could be used for inspiration in my own level. All of the levels are very well thought out, often linking back on themselves and there often being multiple ways to get through them, something that could be considered for my own level. They layouts do also tend to be quite linear, having corridors instead of open spaces, unless presented with a larger room, and this definitely works and does make you feel that you are exploring instead of just being lead, as many turns tend to have different passageways in which to follow.

Game play mechanics are also something that could inspire my own game level due to the different elements that are featured throughout the worlds and levels. The main features of the game include one main feature of levers, something which has featured constantly throughout all of the tomb raider games and a nice feature of this is that when the levers are pulled you are shown what happens when it does but most of the time you have no idea where that is and you are left then to wander around and find it; a very nice feature. Other features include jumping and traversing the environment, shooting enemies, which is something that won't be featured in our game, and pushing and pulling blocks out of the way, something that could definitely brought into our game if we wanted it.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary
The last game that I wanted to look at was Tomb Raider: Anniversary as this has some brilliant examples of how an Egyptian theme can be used in a level and work extremely well. The whole design of this level is beautiful and it is very clear where in the world it is set. The overall size of the level though is huge, and spans across 3-4 different levels itself in the same location, just in slightly different areas. The size is generally too big for the level that I am creating but I can certainly take ideas from it and the general layout.

 The layout is actually something that draws me to look further into this game, as it does follow a linear path but they have branches and you may have to go one way before being able to go the main way its intended and there are also branches that only hold secret places where you can pick up collectibles and ammo for your weapons. The overall layout though is something that I do like, ranging from corridors that are constricting to vast and tall rooms that have towering statues above the character, making them feel a lot smaller but this works for what they are trying to achieve.

 The game play mechanics are pretty much the same as all of the other tomb raider games, jumping and moving across the environments from platform to platform and pushing and moving blocks, like stated above. But this game brought in the new mechanic in terms of a grapple-like rope that can be used to swing to different levels in the environment or can be used to open doors from after and other like things. This is something that probably will not be included in the game as it doesn't have any need to be, but it's an interesting idea to explore.

 Overall this game has given me lots of interesting ideas into how the layout and the size of the level can be used effectively. The only thing that I will not be looking to this game for is the art style as they do aim to be more realistic than others that I have looked at, and we are still aiming for more of a hand painted texture look.

In the end it was really the Crash Bandicoot level that will be inspiring me the most. I feel that the level itself, although minimal with textures and the overall look, did spark an Egyptian theme, especially due to the catchy music, and it was very well executed with hieroglyphics and themed enemies, and it worked very well in the game. This is definitely going to prove a large part of inspiration for my final game level, but obviously incorporating my own style to it to ensure that it has a different vibe and looks like an older 90s game that has been revived into modern day technology.