Short description:

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is a single player adventure mystery video game where the player will control mainly Sherlock Holmes,along with other characters to solve six complicated cases. Players will explore and gather clues from different locations and make deductions. Interactive and interesting illustrations and puzzles were also provided for each case to guide the players to figure out the culprit. At the end of each case, the player would get to make a moral choice to either absolve or condemn the culprits which will led to different endings.

Website: http://store.steampowered.com/app/241260/

Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXXHbbpHCJI

Elemental Tetrad

Aesthetics:

• I like the overall look of the game as the characters are detailed and realistic. Players can easily identify the character’s thoughts and mood through the expressive facial animations and the tone of the voice over.
• The setting of the game is in 19th century London which matches with the original Sherlock Holmes stories. This helps players to relate to the characters and be immersed in the familiar setting.
• Text are provided at the bottom to help players understand what the character is saying. The other purpose of the text is to show the character’s thoughts while making deductions. 
• The aesthetic for the ‘deduction board’ is similar to neurons in the brain and they connect with one another when there is an idea. This is a good illustration showing what happens when a person is thinking and connecting ideas.

Deduction Board

Technology:

• The game is available for Windows, PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, making it convenient for several types of players.
• This game is developed on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3.

Mechanics:

• An interesting mechanic of this game is the ‘Sherlock Vision’. This vision helps the player to obtain important clues that may not seem as obvious and allows players to watch how events happened in the correct sequence. This makes the game more interesting and different from the usual point and click adventure games.

Scanning other characters for information

• There is a special camera view whenever Sherlock Holmes interact with other characters. The view allows the players stand in Sherlock’s point of view as Sherlock observes other characters to gather more information. These clues are also useful in telling whether the characters are telling the truth.   
• Other than finding and examining clues, there are several puzzles throughout the cases that the player must solve to obtain the clues. While some puzzles are repetitive such as unlocking a lock, there are many interesting puzzles that vary for each case.  

Deduction Board

• After players gathered enough clues, they would go to the ‘deduction board’ to link pieces of information together and make deductions. Some deductions would require the player to make a decision based on their judgment and interpretation. These deductions would lead to different endings. 
• At the end of each case, the player gets to make a decision to either condemn or absolve the culprit. Following that, the game would show what happens based on the player’s decision. There would also be a ‘case statistics’ shown to the player to show the percentage of the players that made the same decision. 

Story:

• There are a total of six separate cases and some are adaptations from Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. The plot for the cases are rather complicated and intriguing which makes it fun for the players as they attempt to solve the cases. Furthermore, it is difficult to guess the culprit in at first glance and this motivates players to continue playing and gather more clues.   
• There are a number of different endings for each case depending on the player’s decision. I enjoy seeing the alternative endings as it is interesting how different decisions lead to different fates for the characters. Also, the good thing about the game is that players do not need to replay the whole case to see alternative endings.

Lens #4: Lens of Curiosity

• As the cases mostly start off with the crime, it invokes the player’s curiosity as there are many unanswered questions and several suspects. Players would want to know howh the crimes are committed and the motives behind it. 
• Players will also be interested to find out how the different clues gathered are connected with one another. This helps them to see the full picture and understand the case.
• The game reveals pieces of information and new locations one at a time throughout the investigation, this keeps the players excited and motivate them to continue playing. 

Chemistry Puzzle

Lens #31: Lens of Challenge

• There are many different types of puzzle that the players need to solve to proceed. Some of these puzzles are quite challenging as it requires players to think and see the pattern. There are subtle hints near the puzzles that can help the players. 
• There were some challenges at the ‘deduction board’ as some deductions require the player to choose one option out of the two. Players may not know which one to choose based on the information they gathered so far. Moreover, new evidence may appear and challenge their current views. 
• When exploring the crime scenes to obtain clues, some may feel that it is not challenging enough as the game would indicate to the player which are the important items. However, I feel that this feature is important as it makes sure that players would not miss out any evidence. Without this feature, players may be confuse and unable to search all the clues required. 

Making the moral choice

Lens #32: Lens of Meaningful Choices

• Players need to make a moral choice to either condemn or absolve the culprit at the end of each case. I find this meaningful as it depends on the player’s values and thoughts to make the decision. For certain cases whereby the culprit did the crime due to self-defense or with valid reasons, I feel that the culprit should be given another chance. But others may not feel this way since the culprits did commit a crime. There are no wrong choices but it is interesting to see what happens in the different endings. 
• As there are several suspects for each case, players are also given the choice to choose whom they think are the culprits. This provides the players an opportunity to look at all the clues gathered and make a logical decision. 
• Players can also choose how they want to dress up the characters to ensure that they are in the right disguise and suitable for the situation.  

Lens #5: Lens of Endogenous Value

• Clues and items gained from each crime scenes are essential to solve the crime.
• Some items could be used to unlock puzzles or new clues, allowing the players to move on with the game.
• Interactions with the eye witnesses and victims have a meaningful value as it helps the players to better understand the type of person the suspects are or gain information about the flow of events.

Lens #25: Lens of Goals

• It is clear to the players that the ultimate goal of the game is to find the culprit for each case. The objectives for the cases would also be in the ‘case book’ for the players to know. 
• During each case, there are several objectives that the players need to complete in order to proceed with the game. Some minor goals include unlocking a lock in order to obtain an evidence or gain access to another location. There are also many mini puzzle games that the players need to solve to gain crucial information. These puzzles are often associated with the context and characters of the case.

Mini Puzzle Game

Description

Don’t Starve Together is the standalone multiplayer expansion of the uncompromising wilderness survival game, Don’t Starve. It is a survival game full of science and magic created by KLEI Entertainment. In this expansion, players are required to work together in order to survive by gathering resources. There are multiple characters available and it is possible for players to choose the same character. Each character has their own traits, giving the players a different experience for each character they have chosen. There is no limit to how long the players can survive, thus the players are able to keep on playing forever, provided they have the capabilities to survive that long.

Game website: https://www.kleientertainment.com/games/dont-starve-together

Game trailer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVbyn7c1X6E

Lens of Elemental Tetrad

Mechanics

The objective of this game is to survive. There are 3 core stats a player must maintain, namely Hunger, Health and Sanity. These stats change accordingly to the environment, which include seasonal changes, and the players’ actions. In order to maintain these stats, players are required to search for resources which are scattered around the entire world map. Using these resources, players are able to get food, build structures, farming and even making weapons for combat.

Aesthetics

Don’t Starve Together generally has a decolourized graphics. The game is generally dark, making players feel more connected to the game in terms of survival. In addition to the colours, the music and sound of the game changes as the day and location changes. As a result, it is easier for me to feel immersed into the game. For me, I personally really like when the characters’ expressions change along with the day, actions or even the environment changes. By looking at these characters’ expressions and actions, it makes me feel as if I am inside the game itself.

Technology

Don’t Starve Together is available on the PC, unlike Don’t Starve which is available on mobile as well. The game looks as if it is 2D, but it is considered more as a 2.5D game – everything in the game is aligned on a plane (2D), but rendered as 3D. It is relatively easy to control the character in the game. It is just simply either WASD and Space bar to walk and action, or just by mouse left and right click, making the game easy to play with just one hand.

Story

There is no storyline to Don’t Starve Together, as it is just players coming together and trying to survive and fight off monsters. The game begins with the players all spawning at the same area, and everyone goes out to find resources and help one another to survive the entire game. It is easier for these type of survival games to not have a storyline, as everyone will be on the same page all the time.

Lens of Problem Solving

This game has different seasons, and there is a boss that appears at different seasons. Some bosses are more aggressive; thus, they will run to the players and attack them. However, there are actually ways to get rid of these bosses – either by engaging a fight with them, bring them to fight other monsters or even bringing them to far away that is not near the players’ bases. For example, during the winter season, a boss named Deerclops will definitely appear. If we do not properly resolve the problem of Deerclops, it will kill all the players and destroy our base. There are also other problems of maintaining hunger, health and sanity, whereby planning and gathering of resources is required.

Lens of Challenge

The first challenge players face is the beginning of the game. Players are being thrown straight into the game without any guide or help to make the players’ life easier. Instead, players are expected to play without any help and they are required to trial and error during the start of the game if they are playing by themselves. This learning process is painful as it can take a long process to learn. When people are just catching how to play the game, they will most likely be on the verge of dying.

Since Don’t Starve Together is an extension of Don’t Starve, the map is bigger and the bosses also have much more health as compared to the ones in Don’t Starve. This makes the challenge of the game more balanced and just right. Since there are more people in the game, the challenge brought by the boss is just right as the bosses now have more health. This is good as if they just maintain the original health, it makes the boss too easy to kill, and there will not be any challenge in playing the game.

Lens of Cooperation

Don’t Starve Together goes well with teamwork and communication. As the map is way larger and there is more people, it is more efficient if the team communicates and let each other know where each individual will be going. Also, through communication, players are able to allocate roles to each other. For instance, some people will be in charge of farming, some in charge of mining or some are even in charge of fighting monsters. It is essential for players to work together to avoid double work being done, and to increase chances of survival.

Lens of Punishment

Don’t Starve Together is harsh on players when they die, and especially when there are no living characters in the game anymore. When all the players that exist in the world are dead, the world will reset and randomly generate a new world. Imagine if the players have played very far into the game, and all their efforts are gone when everyone dies. This can be very depressing to players that have spent a very long time in player that world.

Another punishment in the game that might be a little harsh is the death of the player. When the player dies, all the items and equipment drops at the spot of death, and they need to find means to revive. Once revived, the max amount of health drops – causing the player to have lower health when they start again.

Game: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Relevant DLC: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth (Released in 2016), Afterbirth+ (Latest DLC, which was released on 4 Jan 2017)

Blog (upload news and latest issues): http://bindingofisaac.com/

Wiki: http://bindingofisaacrebirth.gamepedia.com/Binding_of_Isaac:_Rebirth_Wiki

Youtube play demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV-w-Zf-mc8                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_S2zDEMTG8

Description:

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a remake of the game: The Binding of Isaac. It is an action RPG shooter game with randomly generated floors, monsters and items. Players will play the roll of Isaac(or other characters) to explore rooms, collect items, fight with monsters and go to deeper floors to beat fearsome bosses. The attributes of the character, as well as the appearance and attacking styles will change when player gets different items, trinkets, pills or cards. When the player has beaten the final boss, the ending of the game will be shown on the screen, to tell you the sad and dark truth of Isaac.

Elemental Tetrad

Mechanics:

The character has its attribute board, where each attributes will be changed by the items player picks up. Player needs to explore rooms to beat monsters, collect items to strength attributes and finally beat the boss of that floor to get into the deeper floor. Players can choose to go to Sheol or Cathedral after the Womb floor. Final boss and ending will base on the player’s choice.

Aesthetic:

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a 2D pixelated game. Although the storyline is sad and dark, the hand-painted art style makes the game unique and cute. There are 42 monsters and more than 10 bosses with different appearance and movement animations. All the monsters have their own sounds and attacking sound effects. And the background music changes according to floors and rooms. All these designs show the great work and effort put in the game.

Technology:

Players use keyboard to control the character and attacking directions. There are keys to use cards, items, bombs and to show maps and attribute board.

The most important technology in the rebirth is its randomisation mechanism. Each run of the game has a unique seed to generate the whole map, items, pickups and monsters.

The AI of the monsters is also wisely designed to increase the difficulty of playing.

Story:

Apart from the randomisation, the background story is another important element of this game. Rebirth’s story is based on the Biblical tale of the Binding of Isaac. It tells about a young boy named Isaac, to escape from his mom who wants to sacrifice him for God, jumps into the basement (which is the first floor of the game), starts to fight with horrible monsters, using his tears as the weapon.

When analysing this game with its background story, everything will have a deeper meaning and the game itself become more thought-provoking. The level settings of the game, as well as the monsters, for example, angles and demons, are relevant to the story. Besides, all characters in the game are related to Biblical tale as well, such as Magdalene, Cain, Eve, Judas. There are 11 endings and also one hidden character: Lost for players to explore in the Rebirth.

In summary, the story supports the gameplay and make the game more engaging and meaningful.

Lens 1: Essential Experience

The essential experience of a player when playing the game is to grow stronger and to survive when facing all kinds of monsters and boss to reach the last level. Players should consider the effect of the items they collect, the use of money, bombs and keys, and the attacking styles of different monsters to survive the game. The other experience is to unlock achievements by reaching certain milestones, hidden goals or unlocking items. There are hundreds of unlockable achievements designed for users. The achievement system in the game is an effective way to encourage players to play the game.

Lens 2: Surprise & Fun

The charm of The binding of Isaac: Rebirth is its randomisation mechanics, which provides great surprise and fun for players. On each floor, enemies and bosses are randomly generated. Moreover, The game has a huge item pool and all the items player will get in treasure room and boss room in each floor are random. Thus, there are hundreds of, or even more combinations of these items, which will make every single run of the game become totally different as game progresses. That is the reason why many users have hundreds of hours in this game without feeling bored. (Personally, I’ve played this game for 400+ hours and I’m still holding a strong passion on it. :D)

Lens 3: Challenge

It is not easy to win the game. Player is required to get used to the controls and be familiar with hundreds of items and monsters. Furthermore, the difficulty will increase as the game progresses. The deeper the floor is, the more rooms there are and the more difficult to beat the monsters. So it will be hard for new players. Players can select difficulty before starting: normal or hard, which reduces the difficulty to some degree. And for the skilled players, the game is rather enjoyable than challenging. ‘Hard’ mode will have more champion types of monsters and a higher chance of getting cursed on each floor.

Lens 4: Competition

In Rebirth, there is a daily run mode. Everyday the daily run will generate a seed and a role for players to play. Players will be ranked globally according to their final scores. The seed controls the items, rooms and pickups dropped. Players will get penalty of scores when play time increases, getting hurts and collecting items. Killing monsters and getting pickups will increase the score.

Therefore the measurement is fair, as all players will start with exactly the same condition and the only way to get high score is the good skills to reach the goal faster with less damage. Also, as the rank is among global users, higher rank will provide a feeling of achievement and proud. Thus, this kind of competition is meaningful and attractive to players.

Website: (it’s too old, this is for the remake) http://www.zelda.com/ocarina3d/
Gameplay: (full game) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QvlxoX1GjI

Short description

The Zelda series of games is not easily classified; I personally think it is of the puzzle-action-adventure genre. With a linear storyline, players adventure through dungeons, defeating enemies and solving puzzles to advance through the storyline. The Ocarina of Time’s defining characteristic is that time-travel (albeit only through 2 different times) is one of the main mechanics through which players advance.

The Elemental Tetrad

• Mechanics
  Mainly action – fighting and weapon/tool-use. Some weapons include bombs and arrows, and some of the more interesting tools include iron boots (used to sink and walk in water) and a shootable grappling hook. The strong adherence to physical rules aid the player in figuring out how and where to use the tools (puzzle-solving). There is also a little magical element in casting spells such as time-travelling by playing songs. Most consequences are still physical and thus players can logically deduce when and where to cast the spells.

• Story
  The story progression is linear, but the time-travelling aspect makes the player’s experience seem non-linear. The story-telling is quite tightly-fitted with gameplay, thus serves the game well. There are also surprises and a large plot twist which adds drama and immersion to the game.

Visuals, old (top) and new (bottom)

• Aesthetics
  The visuals are nothing spectacular. The Ocarina of Time was first released on the N64 in 1998, thus systems were only capable of supporting low-poly graphics. A remake for the 3DS features much better graphics but still not particularly impressive in this day and age. On the other hand, the music and sounds are beautifully-crafted and synchronise well with the mood of the moment. I feel that the animation is also realistic and expressive, to the point where combined with sound, I even sympathise with the main character when he shivers or falls. Not to mention that I am unable to detach myself emotionally when facing lurching enemies.

• Technology
  The game was first released on the N64, a console with standard interactions (screen, controller with buttons, vibration). The remake released for the 3DS featured a very different experience with the upgraded device, with features such as 3D view, gyroscope-controlled camera-panning and touch screen, on top of better graphics.

Back door access required!

Lens #6 The Lens of Curiosity
From the very first game in the series, players have always been rewarded for exploration. Other than the standard rewards such as hidden treasure chests and heart pieces (for increasing max HP), there are also Easter Eggs for the sharp-eyed, such as references to Mario characters and even Nintendo hardware. In addition, a sub-quest requires the player to look for Gold Skulltulas, a type of enemy, 100 in all, which are often hidden away from sight. Players use sound to identify their location and uncover them in various ways, including placing bugs or bombs in the suspicious area.

Lens #21 The Lens of Functional Space
Like all Zelda games, this one is split into an overworld and dungeons. What makes Ocarina of Time stand out is its use of time as a complex boundary to create a separate dimension. Things are similar, but not exactly the same between the past and present. By traversing time, players feel like they are exploring a new space, with a familiar configuration. To me, it feels like my heaven (child-era) turned into hell (teenage-era). Child-era is peaceful and joyful, with fun mini-games, whereas teenage-era is fraught with hellish creatures called forth by the final boss. All the more motivation to finish him off.

Lens #34 The Lens of Skill
Here, I feel that the one skill I lack is in archery. My poor shooting skill makes it extremely tedious and difficult to complete mini-games with moving targets, essential for weapon upgrades. Ocarina of time features a few shooting-related mini-games such as horseback archery and the shooting gallery. In addition, shooting skill is also essential in puzzle-solving and defeating enemies. In this respect, I think the game can improve by tweaking the shooting interface to make it easier.

Lens #76 The Lens of The Hero’s Journey
Zelda games tend to play like an epic, this one included. The game does not go through all 12 steps of Vogler’s Synopsis of the Hero’s Journey, in particular ‘#3 Refusal of the Call to Adventure’ (Link would never refuse!!), but definitely adequately qualifies as a Hero’s Journey. Typical as it may be that the hero is tasked to save a princess/the world, I find it quite amazing that I have not tired of this formula. Perhaps it is the sincerity with which the developers have presented the story. Perhaps gameplay trumps all cliches. Perhaps it is because of the princess’ own involvement in the rescue…

New discovery: cow residing in cave

Lens #4 The Lens of Surprise
Surprise is provided in many forms, from the story to uncovering new weapons and skills. A Zelda game is full of hidden surprises, all waiting to be discovered. The Ocarina of Time is one of my favourites, with developers hiding items and recovery spots out of sight and out of reach, prompting players to rack their brains to find new uses for their weapons, or novel ways to reach these spots. When unwittingly stumbled-upon, the shock turns into a pleasant surprise and a sense of achievement for making a new discovery once again.

WARNING: Undertale is a game best played without spoilers. If you are intending to play it with the best experience, please do not read this post.

Game Summary

Website: http://undertale.com/
Demo: http://undertale.com/demo.htm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hojv0m3TqA

Undertale is an indie 2D single-player RPG game developed by Toby Fox using GameMaker: Studio, available on Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms.

The game is set in a world inhabited by both humans and monsters. A war broke out between the two races many years ago, one which the humans won and went on to seal and trap all monsters underground using a magical barrier.

The player takes on the role of a child who climbs a mountain and accidentally falls into the underground, beginning a quest to look for a way to leave.

Features (using the Elemental Tetrad)

Aesthetics

Graphics-wise, the game isn’t going to win any awards. Undertale uses 8-bit pixelized graphics, with nothing special to speak of. However, given the nature and relative simplicity of the game, I find it fairly appropriate that such old-school graphics are used. It shifts focus away from graphics and places more emphasis on the gam

Mechanics

The controls of the game are simple and intuitive, similar to that of console games. Movement is done via arrow keys, with a few other multipurpose keys used to interact with/select things, or open the menu, etc.

The combat system is instanced and turn-based, simplistic in offense but can be challenging in defense.

You attack by stopping a moving vertical line as close to the center as you can get (see above), dealing more damage the more accurate you are. You receive attacks from monsters in bullet hell mode, making the focus of combat avoiding attacks. Instead of attacking on your turn, you may choose to check the monster’s combat information, interact with your opponent, attempt to spare their lives or flee from battle. Sparing monsters isn’t straightforward all the time, often you need to sufficiently interact with the monster first.

Story

The story is simple. You start off in the ruins of the underground where you meet a kind, motherly figure who takes care of you. Eventually, you leave her to look for a way to leave the underground. Along the way, you meet monsters of all kind and learn of their desire to one day leave the underground, a future which their king promises will happen. You journey to meet this king, and your choices along the way affects the outcome of your quest.

The Lens of Meaningful Choices

The most common recurring choice you’ll make in the game is whether or not to spare the life of a monster you encounter in battle. The game operates on morality, and killing monsters, especially key characters in the game, will alter your playing experience one way, and choosing to help or befriend them will yield different results. Most of all, a lot of these choices question your morality, and you decide whether you want to be a serial killer or a gentle pacifist. At the end of the game, you do feel as if the result was brought about by your own actions, and if you had done things differently, they would have turned out differently.

Perhaps the most meaningful choice I had to make was at the end of the game, involving the evil, nihilistic, almost insane villain, who tormented you and everyone around you throughout the game, who tried to kill everyone and you, whom you have just defeated. Despite all that he has done, you are once again given a final choice — to spare him or to kill him. It is at this point where one truly learns the meaning of “mercy”, an action freely and easily given to all the innocent creatures you met, that only now is a difficult decision. Furthermore, the villain doesn’t beg for mercy, and keeps rejecting your attempts to spare his life, even threatening to make you pay for letting him live. Will you remain steadfast in your choice?

The Lens of Judgement

Towards the end of the game, a character will quite literally pass judgement on you based on your actions, more specifically how many monsters you have killed (based on your experience points and character level). The game “rewards” you with a happy ending if you have played it through without killing a single monster (you and the entire monsterkind gets freed from the underground and return to the surface to live in peace). On the other hand, the more kills you rack up, the “worse” the outcome of the game is, the worst being the destruction of the entire in-game universe (yes, that somehow happens). As you can see, the game judges players for their lack of digital morals, though this may not be a bad thing, since it gives you a chance to play as the villian. If you take the lives of monsters excessively, you will end up being treated like a villian, with mass evacuation taking place, all monsters fear you and loathe you. In fact, going the violent route actually makes the game more boring. You don’t meet many characters, combat involves you mindlessly slaying things, and you miss out on a lot of other things you can do when you’re not treated like a terrorist. This just reinforces the game’s stance on morality and encourages you to be a good person.

The Lens of Emotion

You get to know better or befriend a lot of quirky characters along the way, and form an emotional bond with them. You learn quickly that monsters are very much just like humans. This goes hand-in-hand with the lens of meaningful choices, and makes it sweeter when you manage to rescue everyone from the underground, and also harder to kill off characters like these.

The Lens of Novelty

An interesting design of the game is the way it breaks the fourth wall by incorporating saving and loading into part of the game world’s mechanics. The game allows one save slot, representing one universe, and the act of saving and loading the game is treated as a power of your child, a power that the being with the most determination can use, a power that used to belong to another character until the child fell into the underground and overwrote his capabilities. You have the power to restart the world at checkpoints and take different routes from there. The memories of monsters are (mostly) reset to that point accordingly, which coincide with the normal effects of saving and re-loading the game, but not entirely. A lot of characters seem to have some sort of déjà vu when you replay a part of the game. One character in particular has conducted research on timelines and notices many timelines starting and stopping, jumping back and forth. He suspects that someone is able to control it, and notices when you re-load the game again and skip through previously read dialogue, mentioning how he believes you’ve already read this dialogue before somehow.

Also interesting to note is that shop NPCs won’t buy items from you, just like how you can’t go to a supermarket and sell your junk. Why would they buy random stuff off customers?

The Lens of the State Machine

Undertale uses states to alter the storyline based on your actions. The first example is re-loading the game and replaying a part of it, with characters reacting a bit differently the second time round. Characters that are killed do not appear in the rest of the story, and they also affect other characters that may be close to them. A lot of conversations and some choices in game change or becomes available only when you have been through certain previous events.

Of special note to me is the when you achieve the worst ending in-game by excessive murder, resulting in the destruction of the universe by a powerful soul (which also intentionally crashes your game). When you run the game again, all you get is a black void. If you wait 10 minutes, the soul appears and reminds you of what you have done, but offers to re-create the world and let you play again, however, from that point onwards, your game is permanently “scarred”, and this powerful character will taint happy endings you try to achieve after having once gone down the path of no return, by slightly altering them visually to remind you of what you did.

Final Words

Video on some key features of Undertale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkJ8C1MEKLs

Website: http://danganronpa.us/danganronpa2/home.html

Gameplay 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BpcYbLjDKI
Gameplay 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSw9E5x2orE

Description:
This is a mystery visual novel game where a group of most talented students forced to live together on an island. The only way to leave is to murder another student and get away with it. When a crime occurred, a trial will be held, in which students must discuss who the murderer is. If they can pinpoint the murderer, he alone will be executed. Otherwise, the culprit will be set free while the rest will be executed. You play as one of the students.

Elemental Tetrad:

Aesthetics:
This game delivers a really unique aesthetics in which the characters are displayed as 2D sprites in a 3D world. Every student has different yet memorable characteristics in the way they think, talk and act. When investigating crime, I really like how they draw solid evidence as “bullets” which I use them to “shoot” down any contradictions during the trial discussion.

Story:
The story is the bread and butter. The game started with many happenings that left me in a completely clueless state. But many of my questions are slowly answered as the game progresses. Moreover, all of the murder cases are full of twists and mind-blowing truths that never disappoint a nitpicker player like me.

Mechanics:
This game has a variety of mechanics. I am very impressed at how they managed to introduce so many mini-games that all aims to progress the story to solve the mystery. The most common of which is the Nonstop Debate, where characters will automatically discuss the murder case, and it is all up to me to spot contradictions in order to proceed further. When every mysteries are solved by me, it makes me feel like a real detective.

Technology:
This game is playable on PS vita, PS4, ios, android and even home computers. Controls are simple and hence, really easy to adapt with any type of devices.

The lens of Essential Experience:
Every chapter has daily-life moments which let me explore around and improve friendship with the other characters. Sometimes, I thought I’ve entered the game, living a peaceful life. But murder is inevitable. Tensions build up gradually as the story continues. Before I realize it, either kill or be killed, some of my favorite characters disappeared at the end of every chapter.

Lens of curiosity:
Many mystery novel games have tons of content that tend to fill players with curiosity in the main gameplay. But this game has achieved another level. At the start of each chapter, I wonder who will be the next victim. At the murder scene, I wonder who is the killer. At the last few chapters, I wonder who will be the survivor.

Lens of Problem Solving:
During the class trials, mysteries are solved with solid evidence as backups. But when some problems are solved, more might appear. Nonetheless, the sense of satisfaction is fulfilling when everything starts to come together and queries are being well conquered.

Lens of Motivation:
The entire game is a mystery itself as one might ask why the killing is happening and no one is stopping it. However, clues are given at the end if each chapter. This encourages me to go on. Every chapter will also unlock a new environment where the next murder will tend to occur. With new place to explore and more murder case awaits, I can’t help with self-control and burn my sleep with some gamings.

Clash Royale was launched in early 2016 from Supercell. Clash Royale is a brand new, real-time, head-to-head battle game set in the Clash Universe. A breakthrough in the gameplay by adding a real-time strategy, MOBA and cards and other elements, tower defense with live real-time duel 1v1 play become popular around the world.

Website: https://clashroyale.com/

Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2unwuSrn7Qo

Elemental Tetrad

Aesthetics:

This game have beautiful graphics, especially on the different arena battlefields as players progress further in the game. It is further enhanced with the sound effects unique to each card when they are being played into battle.

Story:

There is no particular story to this game. The developers and the community however, have come up with random short clips every now and then featuring random events of certain card characters which are entertaining to watch.

Mechanics:

The game mechanics is simple. Players will just have to select 8 cards from their card collection to bring into the battle arena. During the real time PvP, the players will have to drop their cards in strategic areas of the battle map and see the character cards attack on their own into the enemy towers while using spell cards to turn the tides of the battle. The rules of this game is simply to destroy more opponent’s towers or the king tower to win the game and earn rewards to further upgrade the cards.

Technology:

The gameplay consists of real-time strategy, MOBA, cards and tower defense with live real-time duel 1v1 which are favourable to the majority, leading to its success in the mobile gaming industry.

Lens of Emotion

One of Clash Royale core designing principles is to evoke strong emotions, be it positive or negative. Aside from some cards such as X-bow and sparky that will invoke strong emotions in players during the game, the game allow the use of emoticons to taunt or to show sportsmanship depending on how a player uses it. Such strong emotions that players feel during the battle can affect their performance. Often, players who receive negative emotions from being taunted and losing will become more impatient in subsequent battles leading to more poor decisions and misplays, hence losing more battles before closing the game to cool off.

Emotes are also an important reminder that players facing another human being, be it a friendly one or a taunting rival, but there is definitely a person at the other end of the Arena and not a robot.

Lens of Reward

Clash Royale offers a reward system to help players build up their deck of cards to advance further in the game. The rewards do get better in quantity and quality so that players are motivated to play more games in order to achieve better rewards. The chest rewards also come with a countdown timer so that players will have to wait patiently, building suspense and excitement of getting a rare card as well as a cool down time so that players will not get bored of the game too soon.

Lens of Competition

Clash Royale core design is to bring out the competitive spirit in players. Every player will have trophy points that reflect their global or local rankings in the game to show others how skillful they are, however players can spend cash to give a great advantage in the game and rise quickly in the rankings which is a downside in the game as it does not really reflect on how good they are in the game.

Every battle players will battle it out with each other, the winner will be rewarded with chest and trophy points while the loser will be punished will a drop in trophy points. This creates a fierce competition as no players will want to lose their hard earned trophy points they had obtained from their previous victories.

There is also a tournament mode in the game that allows player to join with limited capacity and battle it out for an hour. only the top few players in the tournament will get rewarded with cards while the rest go empty handed. The tournament is a fair play as compared to the normal ladder matches as the cards level are standardised to the tournament standard.

Lens of Skill

More practice in the game of Cash Royale does improve the skill of a player as the player gets more comfortable with his/her strategy with a deck of 8 cards to bring into battle. In some cases of a skilled player, even with a deck of lower level cards they are able to defeat opponents that are supposedly more advantageous. In fair tournament battles a skillful player will be able to shine and come out as the top few even with low trophy ratings.

Lens of Spectation

Clash Royale offers live spectator mode for players to spectate one another. Players are also able to post replays of recent battles to the clan for their clan mates to view. There is also TV royale for players to view recent matches of top players or interesting battles in each arena level. This game is spectator worthy as players may want to try out new decks from top players or cheering on for their friends that are currently in battle to evoke more emotions during a battle. There are many players that stream their games to viewers in Cash Royale and post videos on how to handle certain popular cards or decks.

Website: http://store.steampowered.com/app/319630/

Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ix_Mfmjs5s

‘Life is Strange’ is an episodic 3D adventure game released in 2015. In this game you play as Max, a photography student who mysteriously gained the ability to rewind time after she witnessed a murder. With her newfound power, Max tries to find out more about the odd happenings that have been going on in her town, Arcadia Bay.

Lens #7: The Lens of the Elemental Tetrad

Story

• This is a very plot-driven game, where every player choice determine how the narrative unfolds. I think the story is undeniably the biggest part of this game.
• Unlike other choose-your-adventure games, what makes this game special is the ability to rewind time. With this superpower, the player can go back in time to redo an action, or to see how each choice leads to a different outcome, without having to load a savegame or replay the level.
• As the game progresses, the player will be introduced to many different characters and get to know more about them. Many players will find themselves developing a sense of attachment to several of the characters, which may influence some of the choices that they make later on in the game.
• The story also examines several sensitive issues, such as bullying, environmental
  changes, and mental health, and interweave them brilliantly with the plot

Mechanics

• Throughout the game, the player gets to explore various locations, interact with objects and talk to non-playable characters. This allows the player to know more details about the game’s world and characters, some of which are relevant to the story and can aid the player in making choices.
• The player’s ability to rewind time is an interesting mechanic and one of the selling-points of the game. The player is often encouraged to rewind time to change certain events or solve certain puzzles.
• The player can rewind anytime when in control of the character Max. This gives the player the freedom to experiment with time travel and discover different possible outcomes.

Aesthetics

• Overall, this game has a very beautiful and consistent aesthetic. Although the game does not have top-notch photo-realistic graphics, the game’s environment is still very pretty, colourful and detailed. I will say this game has a cartoon-ish but somewhat realistic look, that exhibits a warm feeling and is easy on the eye.
• Every time the player interacts with objects and characters, they will be able to listen to Max’s inner thoughts, which is a thing that very few games have. This really helps to bring out Max’s character and make the player relate to her.
• The voice-acting in this game is very well-done. So good that all the characters in this game, even the minor ones, feel very expressive and authentic, despite the rather stiff facial expressions and movements of the character models.
• Finally, the soundtracks in this game are terrific and perfectly fit the atmospheres of the scenes that each of them are used in. It truly is the icing on the cake that makes this game feels like a cinematic experience.

Technology

• The game’s 3D environment allows the developers to really flesh out the game’s world, in a way that they could not have done had the game been made in 2D or as a visual novel. Just being able to walk around in a 3D world and look at stuffs makes the game’s setting feel much more immersive and like a real place.

Lens #2: The Lens of Surprise

• Like every other story involving time travel, the story of this game is mind-blowing and full of unexpected twists.
• The theme of the game revolves a lot around the butterfly effect (the concept that a small change can have a very large effect). At many points in the game, the player will get to see how a small change of action in the past can have a profound impact on the game’s world.
• The choices that the player makes can have big or small effects on the story, but the full effect of a choice is often only played out in the long term. The player may be surprised by how a seemingly small choice that was made early in the game can have an unexpected consequence in a later part of the game!
• Episode 1 of the game (now FREE to play!) has a different, laid-back atmosphere compared to the rest of the game, which may give some players a false impression of what the game is truly like. In Episode 1, the story feels like an average teen drama with only a hint of time travel. Episode 2 and beyond is where the story takes a dark turn and gets really interesting. By the end of Episode 2, you will be tempted to say “well that escalated quickly”.

Lens #4: The Lens of Curiosity

• Most players will find themselves hooked by the storyline and be curious to find out what happens next.
• It also helps that the game has an episodic format, where each episode ends with a big reveal or cliffhanger that leaves the player yearning for more.
• There is an overarching plot in the game that involves solving a mystery. Players will uncover more information through their investigations, and be thirsting to find out the truth behind all the strange happenings.
• With the time travel element, it is especially hard for the player to predict how the
  plot will unfold, as the story becomes increasingly convoluted. Players will keep
  guessing till the end as they follow Max’s adventure through time and space.

Lens #3: The Lens of Fun

• The time-rewind mechanic is very fun to play with. The player can redo an action as many time as desired before moving on. And as Max rewinds, the player sees the entire game world reversing in time, including people walking backwards.
• The game utilizes the time-rewind mechanic to create many interesting scenarios. There are various small puzzles that require the player to rewind in order to solve them. The power also allows the player to teleport (as the protagonist Max is unaffected by her own rewind), adding another fun layer to the puzzles.
• The player can also make use of time-rewind to manipulate some characters. For example, the player can talk to a character to learn some useful information about the person; the player may then go back to time and use the new information to change the conversation and impress the person.

Lens #32: The Lens of Meaningful Choices

• This game is all about making choices; even a small optional action by the player
  may constitutes a choice.
• Every choice that the player makes will cause the plot to branch out into different scenarios. Whenever the player makes a choice, The game will inform the player that the action will have consequences.
• Whether is it a major choice or a minor choice, every choice will have some form of impacts that will manifest at a later part of the game. Even watering your plant will have consequences!
• Game encourages player to take time to think before making major choices. Some of them have very significant consequences that will determine the fate of certain characters, or change the relationship the protagonist has with certain characters.
• There are no right or wrong choices – some scenarios purposely present the player with moral dilemmas that will make the player struggle to even make a choice, while some choices are designed such that it is not possible to have a win-win situation.
• In any case, player should think about both the short-term and the possible long-term effect a choice can have, and decide for him/herself which is the best choice.

Dark Souls 3 is a third person action role playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the third game in the Dark Souls series. The game is set in the fictional world of Lothric, where the Age of Fire is ending and the player is tasked to prolong it by finding the Lords of Cinder.

Website: https://www.darksouls3.com/us/

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alU-EC5FEjo

Elemental Tetrad

1. Aesthetics:
   1. Dark Souls 3 is a beautiful game, and right from the start, it pulls no punches in showing off its stunning environments. The first boss battle, which occurs a few minutes into the game, takes place in an open area beside a cliff, allowing the player a breathtaking view of the far off scenery. The field is covered in water, with ripples and reflections that add further to the intricate beauty of the scene. This make an excellent backdrop for the boss fight, generating awe and capturing the attention of the player as the game begins to kick off. Subsequent areas and battles each have their own method of drawing the player in, sustaining interest in the game and compelling the player to move on.
      

      The first boss arena

   2. Of note is the game’s rather distinctive flavor of fantasy, which often skillfully combines elements of the magnificent, the glorious and the lovely with the disturbing, the grotesque and the broken, resulting in enthralling designs that invoke a mix of emotions, and differentiating this game from other more generic fantasy titles in the market.
      

      A twisted monster and graceful dancer

2. Technology
   1. While the graphics are not the best for its time, they are still of high quality and of a level one would expect from a AAA title. Controls with the keyboard and mouse on the PC might be considered clumsy, and there is also the problem of lag during multiplayer, which impedes player enjoyment, especially in a game where quick responses and precise controls are needed.

3. Mechanics
   1. The mechanics Dark Souls 3 balance well to create a sense of player progression while still rewarding skillful play. On one hand, the player is able to level up and obtain various equipment throughout the game, which can help strengthen the player character and adds a sense of progression. On the other hand, good equipment or high levels alone are scarcely enough to achieve victory (unless one spends an unhealthy amount of time farming for these resources), thus the player is still encouraged to play carefully in order to advance.
   2. There is also versatility in the way the player invests their resources – players can choose to increase different stats or use different equipment that grants different benefits. These choices allows the player to feel more in control, encourages experimentation, and increases replay value.

4. Story
   1. The plot of Dark Souls 3 is simple. The player is told near the beginning of the game that they are to find the “Lords of Cinders” and return them to their thrones, presumably by fighting and defeating them (as is the conventional way of solving problems in video games). From then on, there is little interference from the narrative.The lack of interference from the narrative can, perhaps ironically, allow for greater immersion into the game, as less control is taken from the player through hand holding by the narrative device, and the player is left to wander freely by their own goals instead of having one forced upon them.
   2. While the main plot is simple, a large part of the story is contained in the game world’s lore, which, instead of being told directly to the player, exists like bits and pieces of a puzzle, scattered among the various items and NPCs in the game. This, coupled with the somewhat detached method of storytelling, means that players can absorb only as much of the story as they care to find, and uninterested players can easily ignore this part of the game and move on with their other goals. Nonetheless, those that prefer a more active involvement of the story might find this approach lazy and unengaging.

Lens of Emotion

• Dark Souls 3 invokes a variety of emotions in the players.
• Frustration and satisfaction. Frustration happens more often in the earlier parts of the game. When the player is still unaccustomed to the Dark Souls style gameplay, or unfamiliar with the enemies’ attack pattern, they might find themselves seeing the iconic “YOU DIED” message all too often. Fortunately, the game is largely fair with its difficulty, and many players eventually discover a way to overcome the obstacles in the game, which brings with it a sense of satisfaction.
• Awe and dread. There are many beautiful environments, with fine details and grandeur which inspires awe in the players who set foot in them. However, these environments are often dangerous, with traps and deadly enemies at every corner, filling the player with dread as they try to find their way through. There is no lack of powerful enemies, with overwhelming might, speed, or stature that inspires awe in the players who face them, and at the same time dread as players question their own ability to beat them.
  

  One of the most beautiful (and dangerous) areas in the game

• Desolation and Camaraderie. The world in Dark Souls 3 is cold and unforgiving. Most of the denizens of the world are hostile, insane, or treacherous. The player has little else to count on other than themselves. However, there exists a few NPCs who are there to lend their strength in jolly cooperation, or just to brighten the dreary mood. It is in this desolate place that their companionship really shines, building attachment and a sense of camaraderie with these characters.

Lens of Surprise

• The game throws its share of surprises at the player. These surprises are often avoidable by playing cautiously and being observant, thus encouraging the player to remain on guard and increasing the tension of the game.
• One classic trick in RPGs is the “Mimic” monster, which poses as a treasure chest to ambush unwitting adventurers. The one in Dark Souls is particularly horrid, with a grotesque appearance and dangerous attacks, giving a good shock (and possibly swift death) to unobservant players who fall for its disguise.
  

  Mimic

• Seemingly dead enemies/inanimate objects come to life and attack the player, often at inconvenient moments.
  

  Dead?

  

  Guess again

• Enemies ambush the player from their blind spots, such as from above, or from a corner.

Lens of Endogenous Value

• “Souls” currency can be obtained from defeating most enemies, and as treasures found on the map. This is the main resource in the game, allowing the player to level up or purchase items/equipment, which can make them more effective in combat.
• Various items/equipment can be obtained from defeating various enemies, or as treasures found on the map. They can confer various benefits to the player, such as better defense or higher attack, which can again help in combat. Wearing different equipment also changes the appearance of the player character, which may add value for some appearance conscious players. Even if the item/equipment will not be used by the player, they may still have value as their descriptions often contain pieces of game lore that give a little more detail about the Dark Souls world.

Lens of Griefing

• Players can grief by tricking others into being banned from multiplayer. Possession of items obtained through illegitimate means (save editor etc.) can get one’s account banned from multiplayer. However, there are players who obtain these illegitimate items and give them to other players. This can result in the other players getting wrongfully banned, even if they did no cheating of their own, causing much frustration and compromising the game experience.

What is this game?

Minecraft is a game where people explore the virtual world full of blocks with tools created by themselves. Player can experience all kinds of scenery of the generated world, on himself, or with a group of friends.

It is a famous game among all players around the world. It has a lot of attractive points which make many players fall in love with it.

Players are spawn at a initial spawn point on the ground level of a generated world. The world contains a lot of blocks, such as dirt, wood, stone blocks which are most common, and fluid blocks containing water blocks and lava blocks. Players need to obtain some of these useful blocks in order to build tools for safer survival and further exploration. Players can farm (crops and animals), fish, mine, and build.

There are many monsters existing in Minecraft world, and some of them are quite powerful. In order to survive from their attacks, players need to improve their gears and defeat them.

Official site: https://minecraft.net

The lens of Curiosity:

In the generated world in Minecraft, there are so many different biomes, such as extreme hills, seas, rivers, forests, ice plains, swamp lands and deserts. There are also many caves of different shapes deep into the ground, with a lot of treasures and different kinds of monsters in them. While playing this game, players will be motivated to become very curious about the unexplored part of the world, and in order to survive and approach their own goals, they will become addicted to the exploration.

In order to survive for a longer time and achieve higher goals, players need to think of ways to create anything that may help them survive. This is really interesting, especially to a new player. There are recipes of creating tools which are not at all taught in the game, and players need to discover these recipes on themselves. Players can also create enchantment tables and cauldrons to enchant their tools and create potions, to make their work of exploration more efficient and make the survival easier. Players always want to become stronger so that they will be able to reach the goals, so they will be curious at finding out these recipes.

The lens of Cooperation:

Minecraft Players can cooperate with each other through different ways. A player can host a world, and other player can join through local area network. Therefore, a group of friends can explore the world together. There is a in-game chatting tool for players to chat. With the cooperation of friends, the survival can become a lot easier, making the goals easier to achieve.

The lens of Challenge:

There is an achievement system in Minecraft. It is actually like a guide on how to experience everything important in this game. It looks like a tree, from the root to leaves, with achievements ranked from easy to hard. These achievements are not like those in other games, which are very detailed tutorials to the game. Two continuous missions are really ‘far’ from each other, which means that you will take a lot of time to proceed to the next achievement from the current one you are on. For example, the achievement after ‘Monster Hunter’ (Attack or destroy a monster) is ‘Sniper Duel’ (Kill a skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters), which is super hard. But thanks to these challenging missions, anyone will take a long time to master this game.

Some of the achievements will require players to proceed to another dimension. There are two dimensions in Minecraft besides the normal one (the Overworld): the Nether and the End. More powerful monsters exist in these two dimensions, along with more treasures. There are even boss creatures in Minecraft, which are really hard to defeat. All of these made this game very challenging.

The lens of Fun:

Since Minecraft is a sandbox game, players can choose their own lifestyles. Some players want to challenge themselves and aims to defeat the Ender Dragon, but some like to live peacefully in a small cottage by the sea. Some want to build magnificent palaces or even cities, and some even built a CPU using the Redstone! Everyone can find his/her own way of enjoying Minecraft.

Players with programming background can even write their own mods and share them to other players. Mods are like extensions of the game, so players can modify their game experience on their own, which makes this game even more fun.