So what sort of evolutions have we had? Well graphics are an obviously notable one. Back in the 80s characters, environments and everything else were represent by a gathering of pixels. In the 90s, they became cubic portions. In the 2000s, they finally began resembling more realistic forms. Now, they often look human. Many companies have even begun conquering the 3D realms, making their creations literally jump out at you.
We've also had improvements in the tech itself. Games have become bigger, bolder, sharper. No longer is gaming something always used as a spell of quick-fire entertainment- whilst the form of these is evidently still present, it no longer represents such a large portion of the market. Now we have systems which can hold incredibly long adventures to get our teeth stuck into, without colossal loading times or even having to switch the disks. This means that companies can provide us with even more complex games, holding dozens of gameplay mechanics all seamlessly melted together. Hundreds of possibilities, all at your disposal. Just see Bethesda's latest instalment to the Elder Scrolls' series, Skyrim. A tremendous feat, with an incredible number of hours of gameplay, all of which never get boring due to the vast amount of things you can do. Level up your character. Go on side-quests. Slay dragons. Talk to thousands of characters. Find new armour. There's so much to do, and yet none of this would have been achievable on a system twenty-five years back.
Despite all of this though, there's something which has become increasingly popular over the past five years. Amongst all of the complicated titles, there's been a recurring pattern of a different method of creativity. Rather than hurling dozens of different ideas at the player, developers are often using something which many type of gamers all around the world can enjoy: simplicity.
A contributing factor of this is likely to be the potential unlocked by the online stores found on every major console of this current generation. A simplistic idea, simple style, simple story, all wrapped into a single package which you don't even have to leave the house to purchase. It may not appeal to every single person interested in video games, but it's perfectly understandable as to why such a thing every caught on with the masses. These digital stores have acted as a stepping stone- they've given developers a chance to experiment with the smaller ideas, concepts which they might have been too scared to release to stores because consumers might not think they're "complete" enough. Downloadable titles have allowed mass distribution for a smaller title at a smaller price, and companies have been rewarded tremendously for these efforts. Perhaps on the next generation consoles, companies may even release simplistic titles to stores without the fear of the title being painfully unprofitable. Interest has been stirred for these sort of games. They may hold a considerable place in the medium now.
I myself am a big fan of simple ideas. There are some smaller titles which show more innovation and creativity through one straight-forward approach than many full-priced, "complete games". Read on below to find a couple of examples of great simplistic games.
Limbo [Playdead]
Limbo was released to heavy anticipation. Gaming magazines and websites were drawn to this title purely based on its unique aesthetics- a purely black and white visual style. On top of this, a speechless character and with the exclusion of various muted sound effects, no sound. This isn't something which has been tried very many times before, and it worked perfectly to Playdead's advantage. The simple style not only roped in a great amount of praise for the game, but also worked perfectly for publicity. Gameplay itself was standard platforming fare with some neat features, such as attempting to kill the fearsome tarantula which towers over you as the protagonist. Story-wise, Limbo follows a small boy who journeys into the titular location in the hope of finding his missing sister. The dull tones certainly fit the silent, character-scarce story. It's all pretty sombre, but the atmosphere raging on whilst playing is just one of the key perks of such a simple idea. These days, not a great bunch of games get your emotions running- but Limbo certainly did.
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| The silent terror of this moment is bound to send a chill down your spine. |
I was introduced to this particular title at a friend house whilst they were showcasing some of the Playstation's best exclusives. After five minutes I was hooked- it's such a simple premise, and yet it works a treat. Flower sees you controlling the wind using the Six-Axis Playstation 3's motion features. Tilting the controller allows you to direct the flow as you guide a single petal around the level. The whole objective of the game is to guide it around the level and through other petals, which in turn adds more to your collection. After collecting a certain amount, the previously dull scenery will burst into colour as flowers blossom, leaves and trees grow and the scene generally transforms. It's a concept which may have been practised in other forms in other games, but never quite to this quality. The graphics are a lush swarm of beautiful natural colours (made even more impressive by the fact that the team consisted of only nine people!) which paint a beautiful picture as the levels progress. Music is another key feature which works perfectly with the progressive nature of the gameplay- what starts off as a tune dwindling quietly on a piano can turn into a cheerful score by the end of level. Overall though, there's no greater moment than the last level, a bleak, grey-washed city which acts as your playground for reinventing. Whereas the previous levels have you change small locations, now you have an entire city at your disposal, just begging to be recreated in a flash of colour, with vegetation and flowers growing fresh as you guide the petals. Such a simple prospect, but such a beautiful game.
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| Just one example of one of the many beautiful scenes in Flower. |
