Exploring the design and development of video games
In the original Kingdom Hearts, Tech Points were a feature in combat that allowed players to get extra experience for taking specific actions in battle. Tech points are awarded when the player exploits an enemy’s weakness, parries an enemy attack with an attack of their own, or uses an enemy’s attack against themselves Tech Point …
Design Articles Kingdom Hearts: What Happened to Tech Points? – An analysis of the positives and negatives of the Tech Point system in KH1. How to Design a Hard Mode: Kingdom Hearts 2 Case Study – How Critical mode in KH2 was one of the best difficulty modes ever added to the game and how the series …
We’ve explored how KH2’s controversial MP System allows for great game design but comes off as unappealing to some people. In Kingdom Hearts 0.2, we see the MP System return from KH2. Not much is different, and it shares a lot of the same problems. Luckily, it synergizes nicely with a mechanic borrowed from KH …
Difficulty modes. Games use them to keep different types of players in flow. While it’s not the best option, it’s can be an easy way to support a broader audience. If you’ve decided that you don’t want to rely on challenge layering or other options alone, here’s what you can do to make a good …
Kingdom Hearts 2 has a rather odd MP System. It’s often criticized but also loved by others. Let’s talk about how it works, what’s not great about it, why it’s awesome, and how it could be made better in Kingdom Hearts 3. Here’s how it works: Magic spells cost some amount of MP. Usually around …
Let’s talk about non-linearity of Kingdom Hearts! Here are some different types of non-linearity and where KH fits in them: Permanently Branching Storyline/Gameplay – can the player make choices that set them down one path that makes it impossible to see other paths? Very rarely does KH have the player take any paths that block …