I'm not super happy with the lack of a proper conclusion for this video since it's more of a "this is why this game is great" analysis. But I guess the takeaway is, "make sure that every element in your game is designed with Intent"
@@morganlak4337 Well yeah its hard to define for sure. For me more complexity is when a feature just requires you more to memorize, but nothing to think about. On the other hand features those make games deeper results emergent strategies, giving the player a whole new gameplay spectrum to lean into. For example rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock just pure complexity, but if you leave the game as it is, and say if the player wins with rock thats 1 point, if paper thats also 1 point, but if scissors its 5 points, that adds a bit of depth to the play. This way you have changed the balance among the core element so the psyche of play will be different, which is the essence of RPS.
You could also do the inverse video as a lecture in design: elements that just seem to be slapped in so carelessly and thereby breaking flow. Judging by the tone of your videos you don't just want to shit on bad games so the best examples (both in terms of tone and contrast) would be in games that you adore or just appreciate because of their design but have some kind proverbial turd in the punch bowl.
The fact that devs accounted brain's priority of left side for enemy spotting and added sound in four sides to make you always know your orientation is just 🤯 Makes me wanna try the game
do it, its cheap and really fun. One of those games you come back too when the other rotation of games gets old, you sort of look at Devil Daggers like "alright DD, lets dance".
Implementation of actual sensorial knowledge about humans, like sound spectrum avoiding an overlap and enemy spotting, is a very very VERY interesting topic. I remember Valve and OpenBCI have a partnership for something they call "Project Gaella" or something similar, which is basically integrating an EEG and eye tracker into an Index VR kit. I think they started shipping them, but Valve said in an interview that they essentially want devs to start implementing subconscious brain activity into games, for example timing a jumpscare way too well in a horror game. That being said, seeing this game do so much with so little makes we wonder what is possible with something like the OpenBCI Index and the same level of attention (or intention?) in a game. Anyway, if you don't have that on your video idea list or you also find it interesting, I would be very interested in a video introducing/discussing the more advanced exploitation of brain functions in video games.
cant wait for big companies using this awesome technology to force feed me advertisements right as all my happy brain juice starts flowing to maximize the odds of me paying attention
They would probably need to put a warning scale on horror games at that point, like the most horrifying game will put a slightly light hearted person into cardiac arrest
Passed 1000s relatively recently. I remember saying "oh, I'll just get 500 and stop playing". Well that turned into 600, 700, 800, and then ultimately 1000. 240 hours later, I still love everything about Devil Daggers. The sound design is incredible, the difficulty curve is perfect, and the small but dedicated community will cheer you on with every new personal best. Over half a decade later the top 10 is still highly contested and there was just a new world record set yesterday. I will never forget this hidden masterpiece.
Top Over half a decade 500 and stop playing", Well that 1000. 240 hours later, I still love everything The sound design is small but dedicated the top 10 is still (1004s) oh, I'll just curve I will never forget the small highly contested
I think that as a vision of “hell” Devil Daggers is also a really interesting and compelling concept. Being trapped in a small dark area, constantly bombarded by creatures that want nothing more than your death, and sure you can fight them off, but they will never relent, you will eventually die and be forced to do the whole thing over, presumably forever. You’ll grow weary from the constant battle, the constant sensory overload of everything happening around you all at once, even your own painful death won’t be a relief since it only means beginning the whole cruel cycle all over again. Really spooky, and such a great game
On the same note as "Games that control your heartbeat," still to this day I've never had a similar experience to what Crypt and the Necrodancer does to my brain. After playing it for the first time and after quitting, I spent the next 20 minutes fighting with myself to *stop scrolling to the beat of an imaginary metronome.* This game wired my brain to think "If I go offbeat, I'll fucking die" and the sensation was both amusing and terrifying to me. The devs knew what they were doing. That game is full of bangers, too.
Another game that has the same vibe is BPM: Bullets Per Minute. Jumping into a different a game and trying to reload makes you confused why the weapons aren't reloading in multiple steps and on the beat. It's so satisfying
@@uhrguhrguhrg You beat me to it, the only problem I have with that game is my subconscious adherence to 4/4 time, there is more than one weapon that empties in 4 or 8 beats but reloads in 3, I almost can't *not* skip a beat to keep on 4/4 time... | Bang Bang Bang Bang | Open Load Close *_Wait_* |
hello, top 10 player here, thanks for spreading more awareness for this game, we're always happy to welcome new players :) when i started playing this game in the beginning of last year i never thought it would be such an awesome journey.
Nice video. One thing I'd like to mention is the way the game handles achievements. It has only one, and it requires surviving long enough. Such simplicity actually pushes the player towards the goal, as there is no 'good enough' state, you either do it or not. Not having achievements at all would not have communicated the intention as well, as players might think that the game is just the same loop and quit earlier. The low poly style is one of my favorites. It is relatively less time consuming to make, is easier for graphics card to render, has more 'art' in it than styles that try to do realism. In the end, the player gets used to visuals - we don't go out every day and say "Wow grass looks awesome" in real life - so it is more important to make it distinct and serve the purpose. The game also uses color coding for providing information. After watching the video I started wondering why did not all enemies have different colors, and then remembered that it actually does that. You don't need colors to tell apart flying spider from skull, but the important things are highlighted - gems are red, ghostpede is white, spiders are green, daggers are burning iron. By going minimalistic in one aspect, is manages to succeed in other things. Rarely a game can provide a replay or record something, but sticking to one thing gives it enough power to do so. You can watch your friend's replay, world record, anything. You will see that it is not a cheater getting high score but a person with experience and strategy. You will learn and fail. The price is also low - providing your own recording. Simple, but genius. The video is good overview of main mechanics and there are more of them that are required for a better run, like changing area and homing daggers being sucked by enemies. One thing the game does show is timer and gem counter, as this knowledge gives more depth to decision making during the play. Otherwise it wants to be very vague in other aspects, and has almost Lovecraftian feeling about things. For example, the daggers are generally shot in the direction you are aiming, but not quite as the spread is high. Your ammo is fixed, enemies are fixed, but directions are not as they spawn around you. This creates a feeling of tension, as even when you know that some enemy is about to spawn, you don't know where it is, and anxiety levels start rising as you rotate the view to spot it earlier. Same thing goes for the story. There is almost none, and some say games do not need them, so some try to do something silly with it. Here what we see is a consequence of something. Maybe a battle of a person who decided to fight his own demons and inevitably gets his life spiraling out of control. Maybe he signed a deal with the devil to get a power no other human has, but had to pay the price. Maybe it is all just a dream. Keeping it vague makes it even more mesmerising. One thing is certain - the circle arena is not just an abyss that stares at you, it sucks you in and devours you completely.
Great points, another thing with the low res and low poly count is that with less pixels there is less room for seeing how it doesn’t look realistic (your brain fills in the details) and with the lower overhead from resolution and polycount you can invest more in particles and lighting, which imo are far more important than texture resolution or poly count (like how minecraft with shaders can look better than AAA games)
"oh, and devil daggers analyzes your breathing pattern via the microphone to adjust spawns in a way that give you the most paranoia" that would just fit right in
List of songs used in the video for those who are wondering (In order) 0:16 (Unknown) 4:55 Somewhere out there - Anton Vlasov 7:15 Cinnamon - Out of flux 11:30 Bloodtear - SHIAS
The area does actually shrink as the game progresses. The outermost tiles drop down. So, the arena doesn't change much, but it does affect how you destroy spawners in the early vs later stages of the game in a subtle way.
6:47 The first spider actually appears at the same time as the first level 2 squiddy, after the first 5 squids, and a few seconds before the first level 2 squid. The first centipede spawns in at 110 seconds just about
I honestly love the amount of design thinking that went into this game design! Audio is a very important part and it making up over 90% of the game data is important in my opinion. Thanks for this analysis, would love to see similar ones in the future
It’s a simple cost and benefits system, the creators realized adding a cost and a benefit to every action is what adds depth without being convoluted or overbearing, it’s like applying the subconscious rules of reality to a game, it also plays with making both the player and the enemies being on the same playing field by making them function on the same rules, gems power you, gems power the enemies.
Never have I been really convinced to want to play a game than right now. But think about this: Devil Daggers but in VR. Yeah, motion sickness, but it'd be kinda cool!
Finally, a design overview of one of my FAVORITE games and shooters. You never realize how much complexity lies under the surface with a game that feels as focused and simple as this one.
This game had such a good rep back when it came out that I actually got it and gave it a try, I found it way too stressful, but I must admit it's really well designed.
You got me into wishlisting this game! At the first look i wasnt even thought about it but after you explained everything i just loved it. And the fact that you can watch a replay of a game is just amazing One thing i will never understand is why is the weapon flickering blue?
indicates that you have the ability to use homing shots (which are white/blueish) but also it looks like you overloaded yourself with power. kinda badass if you think about it
It’s the legend himself! I’m curious, how far do you think the game can really be taken? I watched your recent WR and I just cannot imagine getting any further
@@NSS420 there's plenty of room for optimizations to push the current wr, but its getting there. i have a hard time believing anything beyond 1230ish is humanly possible, but we'll see!
The level of production value on this video and in depth understanding of the development even going as far as reaching out to a dev is a clear sign you are going to be big, I can tell you respect the craft glad you were parked in my recommended
Man your channel is like a hidden gem version of GMTK and I am so grateful to the youtube algorithm for recommending this video to me. Hope you keep up the great quality content!
I don’t know if you’ll see this! But I’d love you to make a video on Dragon’s Dogma and a unique ‘knowledge system’ it has. Your party consists of you, your main customisable ally, and then two recruitable allies from other players. As you play the game, your pawn picks up knowledge on areas, creatures, and even quests. Basic example: say if you kill a goblin with fire, your pawn learns they’re weak to it, and subsequently if other players rent your pawn, your pawn will tell them goblins are weak to fire with their dialogue. This helps for some more complex enemies like hydras regenerating heads, or golems immune to all damage without hitting their lit up panels. It even works for quests, so rent a pawn who’s completed a quest you haven’t, they can give active advice as you’re completing it, such as “the forgery artist at the Black Cat might be able to direct you the item you’re looking for” when looking for a rare book. I’ve never seen another game do something like this - combining hints and tips you’d get from walkthroughs with an online social system, and blending it with your party management. It was for sure a bit rudimentary and crude, but could evolve into a fantastic mechanic if expanded a bit more.
Oh, just to add! With the pawn rental system, the longer your pawn is used, the more rewards you get when they’re returned - as they come back with currency and items they’ve picked up in other players games. What’s even more cool is when you stop renting a pawn, you can give it feedback based on its appearance, it’s helpfulness and it’s skill in combat - then there’s a leaderboard of sorts of every players pawn and their ratings. So building your pawn well isn’t just helpful to others, but it’s actively encouraged and rewarded!
Speaking of heart rate being linked to a game, I've felt that once before, playing Hollow Knight. During the Pantheon of Hallownest, every time I progressed further my heart rate would go up, until it reached a crescendo when I reached Absolute Radiance. I remember that feeling was pretty fun, so maybe I'll give Devil Daggers a try.
I'm not sure how well this is known any more, but Devil Daggers' "3D" directional audio was suggested by a player, since it was a relatively simple feature in the underlying engine they were using. Before that, the game's audio was only stereo directional. I think it makes a huge difference.
I saw the dagger and immediately clicked. I've loved playing devil daggers for a while now. It's been a couple years. I don't play it super hard-core like alot of the leader board players, but I play it from time to time when I'm bored and boy is it tough. Rly fun for what it's worth.
I haven’t finished the video but one thing that I see in this game is good art direction. Specifically, very good silhouettes. Thanks to the all black background as well, it makes it much easier to identify high priority targets based on what enemy silhouettes you can see. Very cool video!
It might be that I'm stupid but I only just realized that you worked on Kawairun, one of my favourite games that I played as a kid. Thank you for all the memories!!
Omg there were several times when I tried to remember the name of the game but couldnt :P Suddenly seeing "his older game" made me go to the comments straight away lol
16:08 hello RU-vid ! this game properly rewards skill, it feels so deserved to be in top 10, im glad i put so many hours into this masterpiece, and now represent the best Russian player :D
I’ve wondered if the game’s emphasis on spatial awareness in sound design might help someone be more aware of their surroundings based on hearing as well. Is this the case for you? I personally feel like it has.
@@Airut_Agate relying on sound does help your awareness, and in my opinion it is important to learn how each thing in the game sounds. without sound it will be much harder to learn enemy movement and spawn patterns, gem collection or bhop etc.... but, at certain point if you continue playing for a long enough time, youll be able to feel the game and have high level awareness without relying on sound anymore, i got to this point when my pb was about 1070. i no longer rely on sound in this game, i just turn on the music i love, and still able to hit 1100+ runs consistently and make successful big farms :p
@@theonlything. nope, this game never felt stale for me, its always fun and feels great for me to play. but i did get sad sometimes when i couldnt progress, i was stuck at 1102s and it felt bad to play because i didnt progress...
This game is so difficult and I love it. Decision making is so important. I played this for around an hour after watching this video, went from lasting 10 seconds to lasting 178 seconds. Watched the #1 score and was wowed at the fact that he lasted 20 minutes. I am 100% going to keep playing this game to get better times. This game is so cheap, so simple, yet so amazing and packed full of constant fear. I love it. Better than battlefield 2042, that's a fact.
12:36 It was around here I started to draw similarities between this game's sound design and one of my favorites, Risk of Rain 2. The sounds that go into both games are the spidey-sense kind (lesser-wisp location is a skill that is ingrained in my brain) and the types of enemies each with different sounds is a core mechanic of both. It's cool to see totally different games use the same style of enemy location and warnings.
I FONALLY FOUND IT AGAIN. I've been trying to find this video again for months. I saw it when it first was uploaded and wanted to watch it again but I couldn't find it. I finally saw that a small channel covered a game I recognized. I looked up the game and FOUND THIS VIDEO FINALLY.
love the video! i got this game from one of those steam key mystery box things and by far its the most played game ive ever gotten from a mystery box. Love the simplicity yet difficulty it creates.
getting 500 in this game quite literally almost gave me a heart attack. after a few close calls i had to actually breath slow and calm my heart down cause it was beating like unusually hard. craziest adrenaline rush ive ever felt in a game probably
I absolutely love this game, it's so simple, yet I've put an absurd amount of time in it. Never got the 1 achievement in the game cuz I couldn't make it past like 430 seconds though lol
the enemy's spawn in a fixed location, however, when you spawn in you are looking in a random direction. if you know where the first enemy spawns, you know where the second enemy spawns.
I said this in another video, but I swear this channel is the best source for both game design information, design in general, and also game recommendations for some reason
At first, it didn't look super amazing, it looked alright. Now it became one of my favourite games. This game has a truly well-thought design, and I think I know what to play for the upcoming holiday!
well i played it and honestly, even through all the goodies mentioned in the video - game just lacks good enough incentive for me to keep playing only to land higher scores than other players. because it's the part of the core loop - "kill the enemies - land high score - repeat " Unlike graven or hexen where it's "explore the environment - kill the enemies - get new piece of environmental story or lore piece - repeat". this difference in reward is what makes or breaks a game loop. in case of devil daggers, for me it's the latter.
Hats off to the developers/developer for attention to detail. I know just getting the audio right took a lot of work. Some people don't understand how difficult it is to get all these little programs/physics to work harmoniously.
This game looks, and sounds phenomenal! It makes me want to buy a PC just to play it, and experience a well thought out game rather than a rushed spam produced game. The fact it's taken into account how our bodies actually perceive things, and which way they spawn and move to subtly hint at that is ridiculously awesome!
Thank you so much for introducing me to this game. It's amazing! and so is your video/s. Misinformation: 4:05 saying that it never changes is wrong because it gradually shrinks. 6:46 the first spider appears well before the first centipede. Though a spider does spawn at roughly the same time as the first centipede.
I love the feeling I had watching this video, of falling in love with a game more each minute without even playing it, and getting excited for the next feature you'd explain. It's a similar feeling to watching a speedrun documentary where as you get to know the runners, you are so curious to learn what the next strat or time they get it. Your design of this video is incredible, like 12:42 seriously nice idea showing visually what you mean by different frequencies! Of course, credit goes to the game designers too, for creating something full of these "oh my god, that's genius" moments.
a very similiar game i highly reccomend is Swarmlake. its much simpler overall, but has its own quirks that sets it apart from this game. boundless arena, you can jump on enemies, different enemy types. i reccomend giving it a shot, its pretty cheap as well
The gem mechanic is genius. In a similar game called "hell is other demons" you absorb gems by ceasing fire which in later stages you have to weave in very very carefully because if you fail to kill the enemies of a wave before the next wave spawns you are very possitively fucked
I've been playing this game on and off for a while now. I'm pretty bad at it (my best time is about 190s), but it still makes me feel like a badass barely dodging every pixel of death as I mow down demons. However, I did NOT know anything about the gems. I didn't know they made your bullets more powerful, I just thought getting them illuminated the area around you better, letting you see enemies that are further away. I also didn't know you had to stop shooting to get them, I would just never let go of left click since in my mind there was no need. I reckon with this new, and VERY useful knowledge, I could finally improve my time after months of dry spell.
Game's like these are so satisfying to play, games where you have to be always moving and is hella fast paced. It always keep your attention and makes your heart beat faster and faster.
