MarBronx

People have been asking me “hey, what’s your chill beat to write game reviews to, what’s your secret”. I usually tell those people to get bent, but since is Christmas, good times for some holiday spirit and whatnot, I thought I should just spill the beans.

Disclaimer that this guide is not a recipe, for those you can check your average 5-minutes youtube tutorial.

For writing a review it’s necessary to focus your brains to the 3 main G’s: Graphics, Global narrative and Gameplay. Or in human language: Ambience, Story and Gameplay.

Ambience is the equivalent to a business card. Is the first impression of a game, and because of this there is a chance that a potential player can embrace a new title in its library or, on the contrary, dismiss it in the depths of oblivion. The key to review ambience is to focus in the overall coherence rather than the quality of the graphics. A game can look gorgeous, AAA standards, but if there is zero coherence in the scenario transitions or you find unfitting models or textures, or if the lighting is not well balanced, we may be in presence of utter garbage. On the other hand, a polygonal or 8-bit creation, even something that looks designed overnight with crayons, can be a diamond in the rough if it is internally coherent or if fits well with other aspects like story and gameplay.

To assess the coherence, one must look for the bits and pieces. Textures, models, colour palettes, lighting and shadows, and even rendering can be part of the list.

An often overlooked aspect of ambience is music. In some games it can be more or less an accessory, but I’ve played a few independent pieces of art whose soundtrack is a main feature deeply connected with gameplay. In this sense, it can be said that ambience are like dressings for a dish: they enhance the experience and can leave a lasting taste in the mouth (or in the mind). Even more important and forgotten than music is ambience sounds. A polished sound of footsteps, a realistic clip of an old creaking tree, a subtle loop of machinery working are things that must be carefully balanced to work the most out of games’ environment.

The second point of interest can be named in different ways: lore, narrative, argument, story, etc. But all the same, they refer to the sequence of events that is the background of the characters of the game. Just like books, stories in a game can be told in many different ways. They can start from the beginning or from the end. They can be narrated from the point of view of the protagonist or have an ethereal omniscient narrator. The narrator can be a smart-ass and recount to perfection every detail and event or can be an unreliable narrator, often troubled personally, which adds to character development.

A good narrative has always something original to say, even if it approaches a theme that has been treated several times before. It has to have an unexpected turn of events, so it shouldn’t be (entirely) predictable. Characters in a story must always play a role in telling it, even if they are expendables. Good stories have protagonists that are non-linear, and develop their personalities through the gameplay, and memorable characters are always relatable to the player.

The third topic to cover in a review has to do with playability, i.e., how the game is handled and how it feels in a playthrough. Everything matters here, from simple to complex. Controls are the main entry to the gameplay, so if they feel clunky or are smooth and intuitive make all the difference. AI can range from very refined and well worked to something bugged and wrongly pathed. Levels of difficulty in a game could be feel right or too extreme, or even they can feel off (e.g. an easy difficulty that seems quite hard).

Maybe the most complex aspect of gameplay are game mechanics. Most mechanics are replicated in different games, but where possible originality is to be rewarded. Abilities, skill trees, puzzles, strategies or team forming are examples of popular mechanics, but they could be developed in varying degrees. It’s usual that a mechanic looks well on paper, but doesn’t feel right when playing. At times, a mechanic is good, but lacks potential to be outstanding. A good gameplay is something you feel, so in this case is not bad to trust your gut for criticize.

See? It’s easy to start writing a review, but this post is just the teaser. Practice makes perfect, so if you want to be an expert reviewer you have to go hard with the wax on, wax off in writing.