BOTANICULA LEVEL 5 TRIAL

Most players had trouble understanding this. Arrows point at missing items in the screen or problems that need solving, to explain why an action is impossible.

Players did not always think they could change screens immediately, since the edge arrows only appear on mouse over.īut then, there’s one last type of message conveyed by arrows.

He was confused, but it didn’t prevent him from succeeding. One player thought it told him what he already had tried, or what was left to try.

When arrows point at the characters to encourage the player to pick one.

Small issues can arise, but not blocking or very frustrating ones. This is all nice and consistent : see an arrow, click.

Arrows point at each character when the player needs to choose one to perform the action in their own unique way.

Arrows in the game screen mea “You can also stand here”.

Arrows appear on the edges of the screen on mouse over when the player can walk that path towards another screen.

By default, an arrow is shown to Skip a cutscene, the word skip will appear next to it on mouse over to clarify the action.

In Botanicula, arrows are used for a variety of meanings. Clarifying goals Arrows mean “click here” to playersĪrrows are a widely understood sign that clearly give directions, literally, pointing at what the player should notice, see, pay attention to, think about. Turns out, he’s still missing 6 creatures. Our hardcore player decided to go through the game a second time to find more creatures than during his first play, clicking and teasing anything that looked a bit different on the screen during the second playthrough to make sure he found everything. This feedback clearly indicates to the player that he has a new card in his collection. When that happens, the first time, it is explicit, but later, only a small part of the cards becomes visible at the top of the screen. When players discover new creatures, they are added to a card collection. Colors are more bright, and the player understands he can resume his exploration. When the narration is finished, the game view goes back to normal, as seen in the second screenshot. Usually, scenes with storytelling are also more minimalistic, they have less elements in them, interactive or not. Naturally, the player’s attention will be attracted by the movement of the animation, but the darkening effect strengthens this, and ensures there is no competition with animations that might loop in the scene. The level around the animation sequence gets darker, to guide the player’s attention. The game attracts the player’s attention on the storytelling and important information by darkening the rest of the screen.įor example, here, the creature is telling how the spider stole its head, when the player gives it back to them.

BOTANICULA LEVEL 5 TRIAL

All others focused on exploring by trial and error to progress and see what happens. Funny thing is, the core gamer was the only one to explicitly be able to tell your goal was to plant a tree. It manages to convey complex information by using meaningful animations. Repetition is used to teach the player the important aspects of the game. The game is introduced by cute and explicit cutscenes that clarify the game’s context and goals. Tested on PC/Mac Guiding the player through the story Here’s some highlights of their player experiences. I’ve had the chance to test this game with two teenagers: Joe, a core gamer, Alex, a casual gamer and Robin, a 5 year old little girl, a 66 year old grand mother and a zen-game loving mom (not mine though!). The “least favorite” puzzle : trial and errorīotanicula is a “relaxed game perfect for hardcore gamers, their partners, families and seniors” A point and Click adventure by Amanita Designs, who already won our hearts with Machinarium.Sometimes too simple for players imagination.Variety in interactions create complexity in puzzles.A wide variety of controls and interactions.Interaction design and the complexity of puzzles.Go to menu Playtest insights on Amanita’s Botanicula Playtest insights on Amanita’s Botanicula, Réalités Parallèles Réalités Parallèles | Ergonomie et conception de jeu vidéo FR Réalités Parallèles

Botanicula level 5