Introduction
The Warcraft III series consists of its original starter base game (Reign of Chaos, released in 2002) and its more widely known expansion (The Frozen Throne, released in 2003). It is a fantasy real-time strategy game created by Blizzard Entertainment and has been well known to be the spark of the WarCraft universe that led on to the creation of the widely popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft. During its prime, WarCraft III was known to be a competitive game and had several eSports (as we know it now) competitions held for it. More importantly, the game’s bundled map editor provided endless versatility for game enthusiasts to create a wide variety of experiences and gameplay which allowed for many mini-games within itself, some even growing to be even more popular than itself (Defense of the Ancients [DotA] and now DotA 2).

Here’s the link to some footage of the gameplay:

As I review this game, I refer to playing the Campaign and standard gameplay according to the original game and not custom maps made by the community.

Breaking the game down with the Elemental Tetrad:

1. Mechanics:
   Eliminate all structures of all opponents (in a standard game) or finishing the defined mission objectives. This follows standard real-time strategy games such as StarCraft and Command & Conquer games and it simply means annihilate your enemies.
2. Story:
   
   This is where I feel WarCraft III shines over all other games in its genre. It uses its wide spectrum of characters to a story within a fantasy universe that we come to enjoy and love. The WarCraft universe has always been centered around wars and diplomacy between the various races to survive and it is no surprise that we see commander-like gameplay mechanics to suit this story.
3. Aesthetics:
   The game is aesthetically acceptable at its time of release, it wasn’t the best in  immersing me in its universe due to its blocky style but its varied and detailed environments, impressive cinematics and flavourful hero design did create a strong impression of the game. The gameplay however feels slow paced and sluggish which although helped to make the game easier and manageable but made not much sense in a war.
   It takes ~33 strikes from an Orc Grunt to kill another Orc Grunt with his axe; that ain’t happening in real life man.
4. Technology:
   This game was made strictly for PC and I don’t think it would have been possible to re-create it on any other console at that time. Playing it on a controller would have been quite frustrating.

Analysis through other Lenses:

#31 Lens of Challenge
The game had varying levels of challenge as it not only had AI that pretty much straight up cheated for an edge, but it also allowed for LAN competition where human players play against each other. So whether it was in the Campaign or Multiplayer (through Battle.NET), we were sure to have a suitable level of difficulty. I agree that all games should try to use multiplayer to create that variable level of difficulty but I like how WarCraft makes sure that there is the fallback option of a good and challenging AI.

#32 Lens of Meaningful Choices

Crucial to any real-time strategy game, the game permits you to spend resources in any way you seem fit to surprise or counter your opponent’s army composition. WarCraft III makes the important design decision to place a higher population resource requirement on strong individual units that makes sure that no one can snowball the game out of control with the mindless accumulation of them. This ensure that there is no straightforward dominant strategy in the game (except for extreme ones that competitive players come up with).

#46 Lens of Economy
Of course, as mentioned above, this game is all about spending resources in the game’s economy. Securing of resources must be fought for and the thoughtful spending comes along with it as resources are rather scarce in the game. WarCraft III has this unique economic design called upkeep that basically reduces the income as your army rises in population. I believe this was meant to reduce snowball rushes with armies but what it means is that players are given the option of risking expansions early on, which ultimately provides more avenues of gameplay.

#01 Lens of Essential Experience
Ultimately, I think WarCraft III caught my attention because through the campaign, I could resonate with the heroes going through their struggles in their conquests.

The game does so with effective storytelling, unique and personalised characters and managing to capture the feel of leading troops into battle for their own agendas. The whole real-time strategy genre really fits into the theme and it ultimately creates an story-telling experience like no other that I have felt before.

SimCity 4 is a 2003 city building simulation game by Maxis/EA. It is the last and hands down the best game in the illustrious SimCity franchise[1]. You play as the mayor of a city, taking charge of everything from finance and zoning to transport and utility.

Playing this game is an incredibly addictive experience to me. The simulated city feels organic and alive, and as a system demands constant attention. From fires that needs responding to, to tweaking the taxes to ensure the finances goes smoothly, to adding yet another residential block to the city to satisfy the needs of the Sims, the game satisfies a need no other game can.

The game has no fixed goals, not even a scenario mode like its predecessors and other simulation / god games. This makes it interesting to analyze – the traditional tertrad would not work here at first glance because there is absolutely no story. Yet that is not quite true – the player themselves tells the story here, as the simulation allows them to craft any sort of experience they want, and the through the growth of the city the player creates their own narrative. Is the city going to be the model of Small Town USA, with cornfields as far as the eyes can see, or a bustling metropolis of a million people? Each of these can only be arrived at only with the conscience decisions made by the player. Think of games with branching narratives, except in this case every macroscopic change to the city can be considered a branch in the narrative, and the game supports a near infinite number of them.

Simulation games are also frequently viewed through the lens of creativity and curiosity. SimCity 4 naturally fulfills both of these. By allowing the player to save at any point, and providing a huge set of tools, the player is allowed to experiment with many options, not all of which are positive. Disasters like earthquakes and UFO attack for instance are hugely destructive, yet at the same time fulfills a primal urge we human have to see just what if everything goes wrong. And if the player doesn’t like what they see, they can simply rewind back to their last save and restart.

Another lens which we could analyze SimCity 4 through is the lens of skill – the game is brutally difficult, because as a sandbox simulation, the game presents you with a near infinite number of choices, most of which will not do anything useful. Playing the game requires a mastery of its mechanics – at what tax rate would the correct proportion of rich and poor Sims come into the city to drive the economy? Which power plant should I build first, and what funding level should I set it? The game does not teach any of these in its bare-bones tutorial, instead leaving it up to the player to experiment, fail, and learn from their mistakes. However, it is this mastery that makes the game satisfying, as the first skyscraper appears in the city you can look back and realize how much of the game’s mechanics you have mastered.

[1] SimCity 2015? Nah, you must be mistaken. Maxis never made another SimCity game *plugs fingers in ears and runs screaming away*

Website: https://www.playrix.com/gardenscapes/

Gardenscapes is a game from Playrix, available on iOS, Android and Facebook. The game starts with the player inheriting a house from a relative, and with the help from the butler Austin the player has to make the ruined garden beautiful again.

By playing match-3 puzzle games the player receives stars which can be used to restore some part in the garden, for example fix a broken fountain or plant flowers. While the player gets to higher levels, new parts of the garden is opened and ready to be fixed. During the game new characters and challenges are introduced to help the player to grow his/her garden.

A screenshot of the garden.

A screenshot of a puzzle-game.

The lens of the element tetrad

Aesthetics

Besides the parts of the garden that is yet not fixed, the game is very colorful with a happy soundtrack and sound effects when the player achieves something or interacts with the environment. There is a big contrast between the dark, fallen garden and the color full and flourishing garden, which makes the player want to solve more puzzles to transform more parts of the garden.

Technology

The game can be played on the users phone which makes it easily accessible for everyone who owns a smartphone, and can be played anywhere and at any time.

Mechanics

The player can achieve stars by playing puzzle games. The puzzle games have different goals that need to be achieved within a specific time or with a limited number of moves. The goals can be achieved by moving and removing fruits and flowers. When there is a row of three, or more, of the same object, those objects are removed. The goal can for example be to find hidden gnomes or collect flowers/fruits of a specific kind. The player can also get different objects, like bombs or shovels, to help achieve the goal.

When the player wins a puzzle-game he/she gets stars, which can be used to restore the garden, but if the player loses a game he/she loses a life. When the player has lost all lives, he/she can achieve new lives by waiting or get new lives from friends who also play the game.

Story

Austin, the butler, is one of the main characters of the game and gives the player new tasks to be performed. While the player gets to higher levels new characters are introduced, that can help restore the garden and new parts of the garden are opened. The story can only move forward and while the user can make some choices, for example what color the flowers should have, the story evolves in the same way, independently from the users moves.

The lens of problem solving

Every puzzle-game has a problem that the player needs to solve. By matching the same objects together the player can collect flowers or find hidden objects beneath. The problem needs to be solved within a specific time range or with a specific number of moves. There are often many possible moves for the player to make and all moves effect the game in different ways, and gives new possible moves.

In the beginning the puzzles are very easy but as you get to higher levels the puzzles get harder and new goals are introduced. This makes the player interested in continue to play and keeps him/her challenged.

The lens of endogenous value

This is used in the game by giving the player stars for achieving goals by solving puzzle-games, which can be used to restore the fallen garden. When the player has enough stars he/she can choose from a list of ”To Dos” in the garden. This makes the player want to play more puzzle-games to be able to achieve all the things in the list. As things on the list are achieved, new things are added to the list, so the player always have a reason to continue collecting stars.

Screenshot of the To Do-list.

The lens of accessibility

When the player starts to play Gardenscapes, he/she is introduced to the character Austin. Austin helps the player to progress in the game, and introduces new goals to be achieved, so the player is never left to alone figure out what is the next step. The puzzle-games are very similar to other 3 match-puzzle games, for example Candy Crush, and doesn’t need much explanation of what to do. If the player is not familiar with the concept, he/she can explore the different moves and objects available and will quickly learn the mechanics of the game. To make it more obvious and help the player if he/she is stuck, the objects blink and move to suggest the next move.

The lenses of character function

There are many characters in Gardenscapes, which are introduced as the player gets to higher levels. Instructions and new challenges are given by the character of Austin, who speaks directly to the player. Austin also gives compliments and comments during the game as if he is talking to the player directly, which makes it feel more personal.

Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay Video (how the game is being played)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-xHcvug3WI

Grand Theft Auto 5 is a mimic of the America City, Los Angeles. As a player, you are in control of a character in the game to explore the city and do missions along the way. You literally feel like you are a citizen of the city as you get to do all kinds of things from sleeping on the bed to buying groceries to talking to anyone on the street. The world created in the game is huge and there are different characters with different abilities to be used. There is also a unique storyline to the game which gets harder as time passed by.

Everything in the game is controllable so the player is in full control to do anything he or she wants to achieve. There is a list of missions to choose and I can decide which mission to embark on. There is close to no penalty in the game as you will be revived at the latest saved check point. As a result, the player can explore different options or ways to accomplish the mission in any number of attempts.

Lens of Surprise:

GTA 5 is filled with surprises. To start off, as a citizen of the city, I can already do all kinds of things such as buying guns, stealing cars and even fight random people I dislike in the game. It is even more surprising when some of them fight back with me, making the interactions more realistic. On top of that, the missions vary a lot. From simple missions like delivering things from places to places to fighting the cops. I also get to drive a wide variety of vehicles to travel around such as bicycle, sports car, helicopters, speed boats and even airplanes. All these things which cannot be done in the real world can be achieved easily in the game.

Lens of Fun:

Personally, I really enjoyed playing GTA 5. Although GTA 5 has a well-developed storyline and missions for players to complete, the player can also do anything they want in the city. You can simply ignore the missions provided and talk to random people to gather different responses. Or you can choose any car and owns them. Basically, you are like the king of the game. Even though the cops will come and chase after you if your wanted level increases, the thrill of running away or fighting against them is really fun. Even if I am “busted” (caught), I will be revived at the previous checkpoint which I saved. This allows me to explore the city and play the game in any way I enjoy.

Lens of the Player:

I feel that a player who plays games want to do something which cannot be done in the real life. This can bring the player from the real world into the virtual world and do whatever he or she wants. The virtual world needs to be as realistic as possible so that the player can link things in the virtual world to the real world. Ultimately, the game should allow the player to be excited and engrossed in playing it. The player should not feel bored or do mundane things but things that pose a challenge to him or her to continue playing the game.

Lens of Pleasure:

In GTA 5, I feel that I really get to experience the character of the storyline built by the creator. As a result, I feel really absorbed in the game. I also get to experience characters with other background. However, all these characters are limited. I thought that it will be really joyful to have more options when talking to different people. This can create an even more realistic view of the virtual world. Although the missions are fun but ultimately upon completion, there isn’t much more things to explore. Hence, it will be cool to have a score system to compete with different players in GTA 5, increasing the competition and making it more challenging.

Lens of Beauty:

I really enjoyed the graphics of GTA 5 however it certainly can be improved. Each human is rendered using relatively large polygons, hence able to see small uneven edges on the face etc. I believe that some of the features can be rendered more clearly. All these things may not be so significant when I saw the view of the city from the sky. In the general perspective, everything looks so beautiful and I am so amazed at how far this city in the game stretches. I would appreciate more if more things in the game can be customized to suit the artistic beauty of each player.

Dota 2 is a highly successful free to play game of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre developed and published by Valve. As with most MOBA games, 10 players are divided into 2 teams of 5, with each team defending their base separated at corners of the map, while attacking the other team’s base at the same time. Each player controls his/her own hero with its own unique abilities and style of play. The win condition is to destroy the opponent team’s ancient, located at their base.

Based off the widely popular community-created mod DotA (played on Warcraft III), this stand-alone game boasts 81 of the top 100 highest-earning eSports players (money earned from prize pools in competitions) and is famous for its steep learning curve and extremely high skill cap.

Dota 2’s Website: http://www.dota2.com/play/

Gameplay introduction and tutorial for beginners

Screenshot of the game

Lens of Elemental Tetrad:

Aesthetic:

The aesthetics style followed closely to that in the original DotA mod, where the 2 factions were Sentinel (Protectors of nature, druids, elfs with forest as backdrop) and Scourge (undead, with blight everywhere they go). The art style was described to be more realistic and dark compared to other popular MOBAs like League of Legends.

As each hero has their own unique abilities, each ability needs to have a unique look to it as well so that players can differentiate between the many abilities that are casted during the chaos of the game. Valve even takes it further by making the sound effect of every single ability different (easily up to 400-500 different abilities), so much so that there are mini games where many players can name the ability simply by listening to the sound effect.

Numerous voice actors and actresses are also hired to voice the heroes in major languages like English and Chinese to make the game more immersive for its players.

Story:

While each hero has its own background story and Valve has also hinted at main storylines (we call them lore) in the Dota universe, much less emphasis is placed on the story of the game compared to the mechanics and the balance of the game. Valve does release its own occasional comic series when new events and heroes are introduced to add more story to the game.

The heroes themselves come from various origins. There are heroes from Greek mythology like Zeus and Medusa and also from Chinese mythology like the Sage Monkey King (Sun Wu Kong, Journey to the West).

Mechanics:

There are almost too many mechanics to be able to write about them in a single post. Largely speaking, every hero has a health pool and a mana pool. Mana from its mana pool is used when casting its abilities, and the hero dies when its health pool reaches zero. The player whose hero dies will have his gold deducted, while players who participate in killing a hero obtains extra gold and experience.

Gaining a certain amount of experience causes the hero to level up, obtaining skill points to enhance or learn new abilities. Gold earned can be used to buy items, strengthening your hero or giving it useful abilities to use, aiding them in their quest to destroy their opponent’s base.

Technology:

Dota 2 has been ported to Valve’s new Source 2 engine with a new in-house physics engine named Rubikon. The source 2 engine is free to use for developers, with support for the Vulkan graphical API.

Lens 38: The Lens of Challenge

Dota 2 is without a doubt one of the most challenging games out in the market with this level of popularity. While Valve has tried to make an in-game tutorial for absolute beginners, it has been criticized for being inadequate and seen as not of importance to Valve.

The Dota community has thus become the provider of tutorials and knowledge, from having detailed wiki pages of all skills, mechanics, interactions, to numerous Youtube channels teaching people how to play the game at various skill levels, to professional players streaming their games on Twitch.tv, showing how they play and explaining why they do certain actions.

Nonetheless, the steep learning curve (a player has to at least know all 112 heroes and what each of their 4 or more abilities do in order to know what’s happening) and often toxic community (towards beginners and people who make mistakes) meant that new players mostly turn away from the game after a few tries. Unless the player really enjoys the game and has the perseverance of learning the basics of the game, or has someone patient enough to teach them, it seems highly unlikely that they will continue.

This has proven true for Dota 2, as the growth rate of the game has stagnated for a long time, with players of the genre turning to less punishing and more beginner friendly alternatives.

As for the matching of players within the game, Dota 2 has an algorithm in place to match players of similar skill level. The method to determine a player’s skill level is similar to the Elo rating system, a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess. Basically, the more games you win, the more your rating improves, and you get matched to players with higher ratings, giving you more skilled opponents to play against.

Lens 41: The Lens of Skill vs Chance

According to “A deck of lenses”, games that rely on skill tends to be more serious than games that rely on chance. This is certainly true for Dota 2. While there are many players who play the game casually, most players treat the game seriously, up to the point where they start blaming and scolding both their teammates and their opponents when things do not go their way.

Stories where friends fall out because of events that happen in game are not uncommon. Personally, I feel that the level of frustration that the game brings to people can show the best and the worst in individuals, revealing a side of them that even really close friends might not have seen before.

Previously, there were many elements of the game where the effects of the abilities happen randomly (eg. 25% chance of dealing more damage). However, the trend in recent years is to reduce the reliance on such mechanics by either replacing such skills, or using a pseudo-random distribution (PRD). PRD refers to a statistical mechanic of how certain probability-based items and abilities work. In this implementation the event’s chance increases every time it does not occur, but is lower in the first place as compensation. This results in the effects occurring more consistently. This has indeed resulted in more reliance on skill and allowing players to feel more in control.

Lens 44: The Lens of Cooperation

In a MOBA game like Dota 2, teamwork and communication can be considered one of the most important aspect of the game. Valve has done a pretty good job in this aspect. Since players can play both in a party with friends, as well as with strangers (possibly speaking different languages), communication must be universal and easily understood.

Besides enabling voice chat to players of the same team, Valve has also introduced additional ways of notifying your team your intentions, via what we call the ping wheel. This can convey messages such as “Attack”, “Retreat” or “Enemy Vision nearby” at certain locations on the map. The video below shows the ping wheel in game.

Players of a team are usually divided into 2 roles, “Cores” and “Supports”. Cores are deemed to have higher farm priority, which means that they are given more opportunities at accruing gold at the early stages of the game, while the Supports should be protecting their Cores while gank-ing up on the opponent team’s Cores at the same time, allowing their team to gain an overall advantage.

Some heroes have better skill synergy than others. However, most of it still comes down to the players’ execution and timing of their skills. Done correctly, and the synergy can be game-winning. However, if teamwork is lacking, then even heroes that work well theoretically can lose games easily.

Lens 53: The Lens of Balance

With over a hundred heroes and close to half a thousand of different abilities, the number of interactions between skills is massive. Debugging itself is a chore, balancing the game is definitely a great challenge.

This is where the players come in. As a competitive video game with the most money in its prize pools, the professional scene becomes very active. Competitions happen all year round with top teams participating in many of them. The heroes most often picked during these competitions form what we call the “meta”. With every major patch, heroes in the meta gets nerfed a little while heroes that gets rarely picked are buffed, thus circulating the pool of heroes in meta.

Compared to other similar MOBA games, Dota 2 has been praised for having a much larger pool of heroes in meta, with 95.5% of the hero pool picked in its last major competition (The International 2017). The most popular pick, Earthshaker, appeared in less than half of the games, with a pick rate of 36.98%.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dota 2 is a game that I find myself coming back to again and again, be it to have an entertaining time with friends, or for personal enjoyment and a sense of achievement when I win an especially tough game. It is definitely one of my favourite game of all time and one that I hope survives for a very long time.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo, released for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles on March 3, 2017. A part of The Legend of Zelda series, it follows Link, who awakens from a hundred-year slumber to a mysterious voice that guides him to defeat Calamity Ganon before he can destroy the kingdom of Hyrule.

Game Website: https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/

If you haven’t played Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW), you are truly missing out on a masterpiece. Let’s dive into the Kingdom of Hyrule and analyse what makes BotW so great!

Lens #9 The Elemental Tetrad

1. Aesthetics
   

   The moment I walked out of the shrine of resurrection, and watching the intro scene, I knew I was in for a great time. The way the grass swayed in the wind, twisting and tumbling as you dash through it, the sound of birds chirping, water splashing as you run over it, the minimal user interface; all of it serves to immerse you into the kingdom of Hyrule. I still get goosebumps when watching the intro scene. You’ll realize how vast the world is, there’s no loading screens when running from one part of the map to another, something which would break immersion if there was.

   Another feature that adds to the immersion of the world is that you can tell the game tries to emulate the real world. You can tell whether it’s late or early, cold or hot, exhausted or not. Link will shiver when you do not have enough protection, you’re set on fire if you walk on lava. He also pants if he runs out of energy from sprinting or attacking. You feel at home when you enter a stable, with the warm mood and music playing. You feel threatened when you face a boss, with tense music playing in the background.

2. Mechanics
   What makes BotW so engaging to play its the use of creative mechanics. In combat, you can time several different actions to make combat rewarding with a high skill ceiling. Time your parry to execute a perfect block against enemies attack, time your dodge and you’re rewarded with slow motion flurry attack. Flip off your horse in air to have a longer time to aim at enemies weak points for a critical hit. Glide in the air if you want to travel from high ground to low. Shield surf if you want to use your shield to slide down mountains. Sneak behind enemies and perform a sneakstrike. Link also has a Sheikah slate that can spawn bombs, create ice blocks, freeze time for awhile, and magnetise metal objects.You can even use the game’s environment to kill your enemies. Push a boulder down the mountain to kill some bokoblins, lure him into a trap, leave and blow up explosive barrels beside their faces when they are sleeping, there are many possibilities!The initial goal of Zelda BotW aka main quest is to defeat Calamity Ganon, the game’s final boss. Yet the game doesn’t tell you to rush into Hyrule castle and beat him with the first stick you find. You are encouraged to explore, with multiple side quests, also find and solve puzzles in shrines.Album of gifs:https://imgur.com/gallery/an5z3
   
3. Story
   Link wakes up from a deep slumber and he has forgotten his memories. He soon discovers that the land of Hyrule is plagued by an evil being, Calamity Ganon which resurfaces many times over the history of Hyrule. Each time that Ganon resurfaces, he was defeated by Princess Zelda with the help of her champion, which is Link. This time he discovers that Princess Zelda is still trapped in Hyrule castle for 100 years in attempt to stop Ganon and Link must now go to her aid. The story is told as the player advances along the main and side quests, which recovers Link’s lost memories to help him and the player make sense of the events and characters that played a part to lead to the current state of events.
4. Technology
   

   It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.

   Botw can be played on Wii U, Switch and on PC (Emulated) if you know what you are doing. On Wii U and Switch, the maximum FPS is 30 fps and may dip to a fps floor of 20. The resolution on Wii U is 720p and on Switch is 900p if you play it docked. On the PC, there are emulators that removes the 30fps cap, 60fps and even 144fps if you want to. You can even increase the resolution to 4k if you wnat to.

Lens #58 The lens of the Puzzle

In a sense, the entire Kingdom of Hyrule is a puzzle. You start of the Great Plateau and discover Sheikah Towers that lead you to unlock a part of a map (which are the pieces of the puzzle), if you are a completionist, perhaps you may want to find every single location on the map.

Example of using mechanics to solve a puzzle. Source

There are also multiple shrines in the game, which essential act as whole puzzles. The goal of each puzzle is to get to the end, which you will get a spirit orb. Along the way, you’ll have to figure out how to get there, and if you look hard enough you can even find one or more treasure chests, which rewards the player for being observant. The beauty of these shrines is the eureka moment. You are presented with props and a set of clues. Eg, in the Toh Yasah Shrine, before you can even find the shrine, you have to solve a puzzle. Which involves putting 4 orbs into 4 corresponding sockets according to their symbol. Sounds simple? The orbs are not close by the sockets, which to make things worse are on a raised platform with lightning falling everywhere. Eventually, a eureka moment struck me. I used the stasis rune to freeze is in time, generate momentum and launch it away with my weapon. The satisfaction of solving small problems towards a goal really feels amazing.

Lens #79 Freedom

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in contrast, is all about what you can do. This is a game that says “yes” to anything you ask of it. From the very beginning, you can swim in any lake, pick up any boulder, and cross any pit.

–Kotaku

Again, one of the best parts of BotW is the amount of freedom you have in the game. Want to explore the Kingdom of Hyrule? You can run, climb, jump, glide, swim, mount horses, ride sandseals, and etc. Want to climb the highest mountain in Hyrule? Go ahead, the only thing that restrict you is your stamina; you can’t climb forever as you’ll tire out.

Want to complete the entire game in less than an hour? Go ahead. You can reach and defeat Ganon (the final boss) using creativity and ingenuity, leading to speed run records where expert players find the fastest ways the game allows to complete it.

You can choose to fight your enemies head on charging in with your best weapons, or you can plan how to take them out one by one, using the game’s environment and stealth mechanism. The possibilities are endless, but are confined by the games’ physics and mechanics.

Lens #34 The lens of skill

One of the things I love about BotW is the combat, the controls on the switch. There is hardly any input lag. You attack when you hit the Y button, you dodge and it happens. The interface and controls are quite intuitive if you’ve held a console controller before. XYAB pad with left and right triggers, along with the D-pad for camera movement and direction.

You can even prove your skills and knowledge acquired in the game by challenging yourself to the Master Trials, where you have to survive increasingly harder levels with multiple enemies in order to perfect your master sword.

The combat in this game has quite a high skill ceiling. It’s not easy to fight a lynel for the first time as they pretty much 3 shot you. You have to memorise the enemies movements, attack and timing. Imagine facing 3 of them at the same time. Time you dodges and parries with perfection, the moment you can do that, you feel proud of yourself for the level of improvement and precision you achieved.

Lens #29 The Lens of Secret

Another really interesting feature of BotW incorporated in the open world is the amount of secrets out there for the players to discover and unlock, which encourages keen observation, experimentation and curiosity. There was once which I was in front of a dog. He seemed to react to my movements, and then he started to like me! Then i tried giving him a piece of raw meat, which he then ate it. Afterwards he led me to a pleasant surprise! A hidden treasure chest that you will not find unless you interacted with the dog in the first place.

Another example was when I noticed at five frog statues in Karkariko Village. One was missing an apple. I decided to try to put on the statue without an apple. POOF! A korok appeared and rewarded me with a korok seed, which is needed to expand your inventory space.

Lens #1 The Lens of Emotion

We’ve talked about the puzzles, sense of freedom, skill and secrets. But what makes someone want to come back and play? The emotions the player feels when he/she plays the game. BotW gave me feelings I could never forget as I played the game. Feelings of empathy and sadness for Mipha’s love and sacrifice for Link (spoilers), of courage and braveness from Daruk as he fought of one of Ganon’s henchmen Fireblight Ganon. Each character in BotW has a story behind them, and personalities that embody them. The memories that return as you unlock them, of Princess Zelda deciding to sacrifice herself to face Calamity Ganon alone when you (Link) ran out of power and failed so you had to go into a deep slumber. Of your friendships and how they describe you.

In summary, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not about what you cannot do, but what you can do. Everything you do has a purpose in the game, which indirectly or directly rewards you as you explore, experiment and  experience the vast and magnificent Kingdom of Hyrule.

The Metal Slugs franchise is a side-scrolling, run and gun action game that originally marketed as an arcade game but is also available to be played on the pc with the aid of an emulator. I chose to focus on Metal Slug 6 as it has the most diverse range of characters, each with their own unique sets of skills that sets it apart from its predecessor. The objective is to clear the 6 stages known as missions by gunning down enemies with the aid of weapons and mounts known as “slugs”.

Lens 7: Elemental Tetrad

The player selection of Metal Slug 6 showing all 6 characters, 
the largest of any Metal Slug Franchise

Mechanics: The game mechanic features a 2d side scrolling movements with various different weapons and vehicle/animal mounts known as “slugs” to aid the player in clearing the various missions with a boss at the end of every mission. Players will be instantly killed when hit by enemy fire and hence have to elegantly dodge every incoming projectile while finding the right opportunity to gun down their adversaries. The player can choose to play under a strict time limit or no time limit at all. The game also supports 2 players where you can tag a buddy along to help tackle the challenging enemies and bosses. Differentiating itself from its predecessors are the unique skills that each character have and the ability to carry and switch between 2 types of weapons.

Aesthetic: The sprites and animation of Metal Slug is one of the best I’ve seen and it adds value to the gaming experience since 2D side-scrolling games generally does not have a wide variety of actions that player can do which means good sprites and animations are key in creating a more versatile and lively 3D world on a 2D plane. The shadings and colors used also matches the military and war theme that Metal Slug encompasses which helps players to be better immersed in the game. Coupled with great background music and catchy blast sound effects made the overall aesthetics of the game a pleasing one indeed.

Story: Bringing back the Martians and Rebels found in Metal Slugs 2, X and 3,  instead of teaming up against the Rebels to fight against the Martians, we formed an alliance with both of them in order to bring down an even greater threat in a nostalgic yet refreshing storyline.

Technology: Player tracking projectiles and AI baked boss attack patterns were used to kill the player. The game was initially built for arcade machine Atomiswave platform but has expanded to be compatible with playstation2 as well as PC with the aid of an emulator.

Lens 4: Curiosity

A Donkey Slug which is one of the many other Slugs that player can take control  

Although the world of Metal Slug is linear, there are branching paths available for the player to take for them to experience different enemies and mount different Slugs. This gives the player the option to explore the beautiful worlds that are populated and designed with the iconic Metal Slugs art style. There are also several Slugs with different gun patterns available for the player to control, together with various gun drops that make player anticipate the type of power that they can obtain to take down the enemies. All these new contents that can be found as the game progresses makes the game refreshing and exciting which motivates them to carry on to the next level and clear the game.

Lens 27: Skill

The controls are very simple, basic movements up, down, left and right, jump, attack, and bombs. However to master the game is not as simple as it seems. Although one can argue that the game does not really need skill to complete as long as you have sufficient credit to top up your lives to mow down the game, the true skill comes from being able to dodge every single incoming bullets and lasers while gunning down all enemies and not utilizing a single life. This requires practice in accurately identifying enemy attack patterns and weak spots which gives the game a more rewarding sense of accomplishment for the player if they managed to run through the game while losing as little lives as possible.

Lens 37: Cooperation

2 player Cooperation gameplay to take down the first mission boss in Metal Slug 6

Although the game can be cleared in a single player, it is always more fun in my opinion if it is played together with others. Cooperating with another player to kill enemies not only makes it easier to clear the levels and bosses, but also helps us forge better relationships as we share resources and slugs to take down the common enemy programmed by the game. As the total gameplay of Metal Slug 6 and other Metal Slugs series rarely exceeds an hour, it also serves as a good casual game that can be introduced in a party to break the ice amongst strangers.

Lens 3: Fun

What makes Metal Slug a fun game is probably the simple mechanics wrapped up in a beautiful art style that has a slight animation to every detail from the minor vibration of the vehicle to the expressions and actions of the players and enemies which really brings the flat 2D world to life. The sounds made by the enemies when they are hit or killed are also very catchy and pleasing to the ear that makes you feel a slight rush every time you manage to hit or kill your enemy. The boss battles are also epic and challenging which gives a sense of achievements after every battle.

Conclusion

Overall the game is a fast-paced and exciting game that I would recommend to others as it is easy to pick up and does not take up much time to finish all missions. The art Style of Metal Slug is also very iconic and the way shadings and highlights were used in the game really brings forth a semi-realistic world that cannot be found elsewhere.

Game Trailer

Official website: https://www.pathofexile.com

Path of Exile (PoE) is an online free-to-play action role-playing game (ARPG) developed and published by Grinding Gear Games (GGG). The game was released for Microsoft Windows in 2013 and Xbox One in 2017. It was named 2013 PC Game of the Year by GameSpot and best PC role-playing game of 2013 by IGN. PoE took inspiration from the Diablo series but by all means, they are two completely different games.

Lens of the Elemental Tetrad

Story

PoE is set in a dark fantasy world where the once mighty empire has crumbled and become a cursed land due to powerful beings fighting each other and trying to take control of the world. The land is now ruled by disorganized descendants of the empire and the wilderness is filled with hostile undead creatures, monsters and rouge exiles.

At the start of the game, the player is exiled from the island of Oriath for some unmentioned reasons and shipwrecked on the coast of Wraeclast. The player must not only fight for his or her own survival in this chaotic world but also restore the order of the world by defeating the powerful beings.

Mechanics

Similar to traditional RPG games, players slay monsters to gain experience points to level up so that they can use more powerful skills and equipment. With myriads of items, skills and passive points available, players are encouraged to create vastly different but equally powerful builds capable of clearing all the contents of the game.

Aesthetics

Since PoE is set in a dark fantasy world, the art style is dark, gritty and realistic. The game levels are often castle ruins, cities on fire, dark caves, forests infested by mutated beasts etc., depicting a world plunged into chaos. The slow and mournful music also paints a bleak picture of the world.

Technology

PoE is built using in-house game engine developed by Grinding Gear Games (GGG), which is capable of rendering 3D graphics and particle effects. Performance improvements are introduced along with game updates from time to time.

Lens of Essential Experience

Players spend most of the time in PoE slaying monsters and slaying lots of them, ranging from small hostile animals to end-game bosses. Being able to slay an entire monster pack after monster pack and blazing through game levels fast and efficiently let players experience wielding god-like powers. As players venture into higher-level areas, the number of monsters that can be slain increases, further reinforcing the sense of power. Fallen enemies drop loot, allowing players to amass currency and items, which in turn empowers them to fight even stronger foes.

Lens of Problem Solving

PoE presents a large number of options for players to create different builds, i.e. combinations of skills, passive points, and items. Players must plan their build carefully in order to overcome all the challenges that the game can throw at them, otherwise, they will end up with an underpowered character. Some builds are relatively easy to achieve while the others may require certain rare items to function properly. In each playthrough, players must consider how to acquire the rare items, either trading with other players or farming certain areas. As expansions are introduced to the game, the new content opens up new creative builds, waiting for players to discover.

Lens of Endogenous Value

In PoE, powerful builds often require certain rare items or items with very good stats. These valuable items may result in the difference between a deathless boss fight and a long dreadful fight with many retries. Due to randomized item drops and a wide spectrum of stats, valuable items are difficult to obtain. The demand for these valuable items is reflected in their prices. Players are willing to pay large amounts of in-game currency to acquire said items to fit into their builds. However, some valuable items are better suited for certain builds than the others, so players can trade with one another to turn less useful items into items they need.

Lens of Challenge

Every 3-4 months, a challenge league is introduced to PoE, replacing the previous challenge league. Each challenge league provides some additional content to the core game and creates a fresh start for the players. As the name implies, challenge league also provides a list of challenges for players to complete. The challenges include simple tasks like crafting items, killing certain monsters, finding new items etc. as well as very difficult encounters such as slaying certain bosses without being hit or defeating the end-game bosses multiple times. Completion of the challenges awards players with magnificent decorations in their hideout to show off to other players.

World of Tanks is a multiplayer third person shooting game developed by Wargaming, first realease in Russia on 12 August 2010. The game features combat vehicles from pre-WWII (around 1930) to post-WWII (around 1960), players will control these combat vehicles in a 15 vs 15 set up. There are currently 5 types of vehicles, which are the light tank, medium tank, heavy tank, tank destroyer and self-propelled gun, each type of vehicles has it’s own role to play. To win the game, either destroy all the opponent vehicles or complete the objective faster than the other team.

Gameplay Trailer of the big upcoming graphic and mechanic update to the game.

Gameplay showcase

Lens of  Elemental Tetrad

Aesthtics

The tank models are very well made, the rust on the steel, the scratches on the paints and a bit of deformation on the armor plates to show the battle hardened vehicles. The battlefield comes in all kinds of environment, forest, city, desert and snowy terrain. The game’s graphic has serveral major updates throughout the years to stay on par with the raising standard of the game industry. Such updates include HD tank models, better lighting effect, rework of the sound effect and improvement of the tank movement physics.

World of Tanks in 2010

World of Tanks in upcoming 2018 updates.

Story

On the console platform of World of Tanks, there is a mode called War Stories which come with a story set up during the WWII era. Player has to complete the campaign mission in order for the story to progress.

Mechanics

The game come with different types of vehicles mentioned previously, each type has its own specialized area. For example, light tanks have very high mobility, they often play the role of scouting, making the enemy visible to teammates. Heavy tanks have strong armor and a powerful gun, they are the main force that lead the team’s attack. Tank destroyer usually equip with the most powerful gun with highest penetration among its tier, but most tank destroyer do not have a turrest and the gun is fix at the front of the vehicle, which make it vulnerable to flanking.

Penetrating the enemy armor involves some physics. Depending on the angle of incident of the shell, the effectiveness of the armor could vary. Besides that, different types of shell have different penetration capability, velocity and potential damage.

Technology:

World of Tanks is currently changing its game engine from BigWorld to Core, where the new engine allow wind effect on grass and plants and wave effect on water when the tank gun fires. The lighting and shadow effect is also becoming more realistic, and destoryed objects such as walls and houses will now stay on the battlefield without disappearing, some parts of these objects may even stay on the tanks.

Lens of Surprise

World of Tanks also involve the game of probability, shell damage and penetration value fluctuate around the average value. Thus, you have the chance to destory a enemy tank when its remaining hit point is actually higher than your shell damage.

When penetrating the ammo compartment of a tank, there is a probability of ignite its ammo and kill it instantly. Just like performing a headshot in some other shooting games.

Ammo explosion of a tank in the game

A shell that ricochet from one tank may penetrate another tank nearby too.

Lens of Time

All players starts with tier 1 vehicles from different nations. Through battles with other players, we gain credits, research points and crew experience. Research points can be use to unlock upgrades and vehicles from next tier. Crew experience improve the tank crew’s overall performance and also allow them to learn useful skills. Credits are used to buy upgrades and vehicles.

So the tier become higher and higher, the research points and credits needed for each upgrade and new vehicles become more and more. Thus the play time at each tier also become longer and longer.

Lens of Challenge

Besides winning the game, players may also earn different medals if they meet the requirement. For example, a Top Gun medal for player who kills the most enemy in a battle, a Pool’s medal for destroying 10 to 13 enemy in a battle, a Fadin’s medal for killing the last enemy with your last remaining ammo.

Some of the medal are really hard to get as you need to be really skillful and also at the right occasion.

Lens of Fairness

World of Tanks has a fair match up system. When battle is across three tiers of vehicles, there will 3 highest tier vehicles, 5 mid-tier and 7 low-tier on each team. High tier and low tier is at most 2 tiers apart. Most occasions, both team have equal types of vehicles. Sometime, the system would allow one side to have more of one type and the other have more of another type of vehicle for faster match up, but the difference is kept within +-1.

The matchmaker also take into account of the players skill and win ratio, so to ensure each team’s average skill and win ratio are balanced.