Level Design

There are a lot of games with various themes. Some being futuristic, some being fantasy, and some being realistic and modern. However, this type of theming greatly adjusts the level design of the game. Some games manage to have great level design that fits the theme, and yet some have good levels with a bad or mismatched theme. Flight simulators typically have a realistic landscape when they're something like Microsoft Flight Simulator; however, a lot of the time, the landscape is usually flat and boring. The Super Mario games have good level design for the fantasy theme, which was proved superior in Super Mario Galaxy with the game's art style and the physics. The planets allowed for great opportunities to create miniature fields in one large level to create a great feeling of freedom. Then, we have the type of game that allows getting a biker from one end of the level to the other without flipping over, which uses level design as difficulty. Sometimes, this can be good, yet in an artist point of view, it can turn negative. The Metroid series has some interesting level designs in some scenes, but a lot of it is based more upon architecture, same can be said for The Legend of Zelda; however, The Legend of Zelda usually has a lot of landscaping involved in it. Metroid mainly consists of hallways; which is a familiar theme that is repeated in games like Quake, Doom, and other breeds of First Person Shooters. However, games like Call of Duty matter more on landscaping than buildings, which I find interesting, mainly because buildings are look to be as if they have been blown up in bombing strikes, with the ground covered in rubble. I do enjoy the look of landscaping and architecture by themselves, but, the programmers need to somehow combine them. In the Mario series, usually, it is one or the other, but is often made up for by the games' art style and design. The Legend of Zelda series usually takes this into play very well with Hyrule Field, Hyrule Castle/Hyrule Castle Town, the villages, temples, etc. Metroid is based mainly on the architecture of inside buildings, which I think should be more elaborated upon. The Pokemon games have some interesting level design, however, a lot of the levels are mainly based around giving the player the option of easily battling players or taking tedious detours (Unless Fly has been obtained and taught). Now, level design can alter a game's level of difficulty, which I think is interesting. Like I have said above, those biking games can greatly alter the course of the game depending on what the level consists of. Tower Defence games can also make the game easier or harder by restricting towers to be placed in certain places, which I enjoy from time to time. Doom and Quake can increase the difficulty by having hidden corridors that must be traveled in order to continue on through the game, which I find both entertaining and tedious, for it gives the player a challenge as to find the end of the level, usually running into enemies. Like I have said before, I enjoy the level design of the Mario and Zelda games, for they usually can quickly change the difficulty of the game with a simple cliff or obstacle and can both advance and restrict your forward movement, depending on what items are in the player's inventory. Now, I mainly agree with that design, however, it doesn't work in a few games; mainly ones that don't contain major overworlds. However, a key system would work out great, like in Legend of Zelda. Destroying all enemies like in Mario and Zelda would work out as well in certain games (Imagine a zombie game in which you're locked in a secure chamber until all zombies are destroyed). Pokemon did good with the design in which you could obtain HMs and TMs so that way you could get to certain areas that were unaccessible previously in order to get valuable items, yet not ones that are directly required to beat the game. I have yet to see that tatic in any other type of game, but I may be corrected with the Metroid series. I guess this means I finally have made my comeback!