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Thanks to the highly enjoyable Bytejacker video podcast, I found Seppukuties at Kongregate. It's an interesting little platformer, not least because of a particular design decision: Instead of giving you 30 lives as, well, 30 pieces of life, it embodies those lives into 30 cute little animal characters who have a bit of personality each, thanks to pixel-cute visual design.

Furthermore, death of them cuties at the game levels becomes part of the game mechanic, as the seppukuties' bodies become platforms that help the surviving, less than 30, animals get across a level. It's kind of similar to Lemmings but with direct control of an individual kutie at a time.

In terms of game design theory, one could discuss this in terms of design metaphors. The essence of metaphor, as Lakoff & Johnson put it, is that it allows us to understand one thing in terms of another. In game design, metaphors come 'big' and 'small', or macro and micro. A macro metaphor would be a metaphor such as 'game as a dog': that is how we understand and engage with Nintendogs. On a micro level, metaphors can be used in finding ways to communicate rules: For instance, by giving them a more accessible form, in line with the theme of the game.

So, in Seppukuties the rules regarding 30 lives is communicated through the metaphors of 'your individual kuties as lives'. This is interesting also because it translates into a visual indicator as well: your standing in the game is directly proportional to the size of your kutie pack. The fewer it becomes, the closer you are to the end condition. Yet, you have to allow yourself to become closer to that - through the act of logical - or trial and error - sacrifice in order to get ahead in the game.

Play as sacrifice. Lovely, isn't it?

Technorati Tags: game design Kongregate metaphors Nintendogs rules Seppukuties