game review: teardown analysis (simple) and thinking of concept art of Splatoon 2
This is a game review of Splatoon 2. I started playing Splatoon 2 since 2018, it is one of my favourite multiplayer games. So I intend to introduce this game and make some review for it.
I bought a Nintendo Switch in 2018, in purpose to play this game. Splatoon 2 has a big fan group from the worldwide. In this game, players are divided into 2 teams, and going to act a squid guy, and splash ink with different colors on the battleground. Ink of one team can make damage to another team. When the timing ends, the team which splashed a bigger area wins. This is the basic rule of the whole game, many expending game mode are created on this base, which is very attractive to me. Another reason I like Splatoon 2 is because of its concept art. Game creators in Nintendo really spent a lot of energy to create this game, that is suitable to people of all ages.
As I introduced The character in Splatoon 2 are all squid and octopus. Game told us, over millions of years, human disappeared, species in the ocean came to lands. They built their civilizations on Earth, evolved a human looking but can also change between human and squid shape. An interesting world view showed to players, and perfectly connected with the rule of game. The squid girls and boys can make inks to splash the floor and attack enemy. When they change to squid body, they can swim in ink which has the same color to move fast.
I made a simple teardown analysis of the core loop in this game. It basically shows how resources be gained and used in this game. For example, when you played Normal PVP game once, you can earn Soft Currency from it. Then Soft Currency will be used in Store to buy Cloth and Weapon. Teardown analysis is very significant when we consider where this game really shines, and how it attracts audience. Of course each systems in this graph can be teardown again and again till we totally understand every details of this game if I want. But things make me feel exciting is actually the art design of this game.
In the story, Squid’s enemy is Octopus. So Octopus and other seafood are the prototype of monsters. I pretty like their idea of character design, it can always give me a lot of enlightenment.
How to make a game more real? The answer is to add more details. Designers made more than 100 clothes for this game, and them has different brands. Which means, designer even created so many brand in this game, brand slightly influences the utility of the cloth. When I first know this, I think that is so incredible that I never can design things so normal but so great. Refining made a real game world for players.
Pop-music is also a pivotal element in this game. Because creators are too serious on music, we always take joke that Nintendo is a music company. Produce team of Splatoon 2 made countless music for this game, they created a Squid Language that sounds like auto-tune edited voice to perform those music. Out of the game, Splatoon 2 held original music lives for many times. We can see pop music element everywhere in Splatoon 2. Even more than 5 original music albums released in 2 years.
To analyse how creators develop the main element in Splatoon 2, I made a mind map to make my thinking clear. I think that the most important elements in this game are Squid, Ink and Pop Culture. The development of idea is incredible, but most of ideas are obviously from our daily life. That is why this game can attract many teenagers like me.
That is what I have to learn in following years.