In our previous “Tagalong Trap” post we talked in general about cooperative games, what components make them “true co-op games” where both players perform active and meaningful roles. We also cited examples of how we implemented these components when designing Shadow Puppeteer.
This time, we will go more into depth about specific ways of working when developing co-op games and give examples of how this was done for Shadow Puppeteer.
Ever since Tennis for two in 1958, games designed for two or more players have been fairly common. Many games claim to be co-op, but merely offer an experience where only one player is needed to beat the game, while the other can simply “tag along.” In these games, the second player is effectively rendered superfluous and begs the question: How can we design true co-op games to avoid this “tagalong trap?”
This week we continue our series about the different Shadow Puppeteer Team Members’ “Favourite games”. This week’s post is by Anna Lena.
Hi Everyone,
We wanted to let you know that this week Shadow Puppeteer is part of the Humble Weekly Bundle: Co-op 2.
This is the perfect bundle for close friends, siblings, partners and just about everyone else who enjoy playing together! It’s a great gift to show someone you’re thinking about them, or it might even be a late Valentine’s present.
Today we’re going to tell you a bit about the lights in Shadow Puppeteer. One of the central gameplay elements in the game that sets it apart from other titles is the variation in light types.
How the logic of the Shadow works, is that he is always drawn to light. He has at all times one primary light source which has a gravitational pull on him. If he falls into the light he dies, but as long as he has shadows to walk on he’s fine.
We wanted to use this to create a unique form of play with «source change». Source change is when the shadow’s gravitational pull moves from one light source to another.