The 3 Prince of Persia games, played on the Playstation 2 system, employ a console that includes 4 action buttons, triggers, and 2 analog sticks to provide a compact, handheld interface ideal for quick button mashing and performing complex platforming sequences. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess works a bit differently, as the motion-sensing Wii remote and nunchuck are manual interfaces that allow the player to interact through physical motion and more actual movement; since Twlight Princess demands the player master many different tools and weapons as oppose to simply pressing buttons to create combos, the Wii interface is well suited for pointing at the screen to aim an arrow or boomerang, directional swordplay with a slash of the wiimote, or casting a fishing line with a throwing motion. Controllers for both systems come with a few interesting additional features designed to make the gameplay a richer experience for the player, such as the sounds that come from the wiimote itself, or the vibration felt in the PS2 controller when the Prince gets hit, falls from a considerable height, or comes into contact with a wall when platforming.
Onscreen visual displays are another essential to any game, as they give the player vital feedback and information about the status of their gameplay so that they can react accordingly. Examples of an active interface would be PoP's combos lists as well as LoZ's menu screens, pause screens, save screens, a full screen map and inventory where the player is able to track their position in Hyrule, read mail, equip objects and weapons, or even change Link's green tunic to a Zora one so he can stay indefinitely underwater (still not exactly sure how the physics work out on that one).
Passive interfaces which cannot be directly manipulated by the player act more as indicators, such as Link's hearts which show you how much life he has left, or the Prince's blue health bar in Sands of Time. Twilight Princess includes a map in the bottom left hand corner, a helpful addition to navigating the game's vast explorable environments and multi-leveled dungeons. Also shown here is the player's immediate inventory for reference, which the player can select different items from using the directional pad in order to quickly whip out an empty bottle to capture a fairy, a lantern to light the dark, or switch between their bow, slingshot, or boomerang as a secondary weapon.
Sands of Time also includes a vertical display of the amount of Sand the Prince has off to the left, while the same indicators have been compacted into a less-distracting circular display in the top left hand corner of the screen in Warrior Within and The Two Thrones. Sometimes other health indicators will appear, such as Farah's bow-shaped life meter when you haven't been defending her properly in SoT, or a boss monster's remaining health bar in WW. The simplicity of this display is perfect for high-paced action games since the player cannot devote much time to reading any sort of complex interface, and the unobtrusiveness of it allows for a better view of the games' beautiful environments and awesome effects.
Both games are also moderately accessible, still playable by those with slight visual disabilities or hearing impairments. While Twilight Princess includes audio cues such as the rather annoying beeping that sounds when Link's health level drops to a few hearts, they are not necessary to play the game, as most of these indications also include a visual or text-based accompaniment. In The Two Thrones, the Prince must sometimes perform a stealth attack at the right time, although his dagger provides a visual cue by flashing noticeably a split second before the player must press the appropriate button to execute the move. Since no one really ever talks in the LoZ games, all the dialogue appears at the bottom of the screen, so deaf players would have no trouble understanding the plot of the game or spoken hints to Link's quest. The PoP trilogy is outfitted with enriching voice acting, although it comes with optional subtitles as well as other visual customizations and volume adjustments in the options menu (setting the slow-motion cam in Warrior Within to OFTEN is a rather WIN idea.)
Both games also allow the player to save their progress, a must-have for any extensive game not bound by set levels or stages (not being able to save in old school action/adventure games was rather suicide-conducive). Twilight Princess conveniently allows the player to save at their leisure by simply bringing up their inventory screen any time they wish; this is particularly useful in a game as vast and content-filled as that, since the player is likely running back and forth from place to place exploring and completing subquests. Even in the event the player forgets to save, there are a a few instances after major cutscenes where Twilight Princess promts the player to save and does so automatically if you choose YES. Saving in PoP is less convenient, although also less compromising to the game's immersiveness, since the player has the option of saving their game at consistantly recognizable components of the environment itself- Saving in SoT occurs at glowing sand clouds that appear after battles or in strategicaly placed areas, while the player saves and regenerates health when they drink from numerous water fountains that seamlessly merge with the scenery in WW or TTT (Who knows...maybe it's holy water?)
Both games also give the player the option of retrying the last boss battle or returning to the last checkpoint, even after flashing an ominous GAME OVER message, which lessens the consequences of repeated failure and therefore general frustration. All in all, both games have a well-designed, functional interface that's easy enough to use for each respective genre and still compromises little in the way of immersiveness.
10/10
ReplyDeletegood details about your games and good use of the info from the text