I have been reading more about the new Metroid Prime: Echoes game for the Nintendo Gamecube. The game is a first person shooter but it has an element that is cross-genre and appears in many other games. Metroid Prime: Echoes will allow the player to travel between two worlds a light and a dark. The idea of shifting between worlds or polarity of any sort is not new but a very, very ingenious idea. Ikaruga a 2D shooter for the Gamecube allowed the player to switch between a dark fighter and a light fighter at the push of a button. The enemies were of either light or dark origin and the player could absorb the bullets of the same polarity fighters and do double damage to enemies of the opposite polarity. This allows for a much broader play-style and game play dynamic. Players could choose to stay one polarity and avoid the fire from enemies while inflicting double damage or switch between to use both that colors advantages and disadvantages. Another game that uses two worlds is actually a series. The Legacy of Kain series has spanned many years and a few consoles. The game Soulreaver in the series shares the two-world feature. The main character Raziel can switch between the spectral realm and the material realm. This generates awesome possibilities for the player and developer. Puzzles can span both worlds making them new and fresh while keeping the player entertained. Also this allows for the developer to make level designs more interesting because the levels have two layers with different properties, enemies and obstacles. In the spectral realm water is like air and Raziel can also pass through gates and other semi-solid passages. The entire game changes because of this one feature. I think that is a very solid game play addition when it can be worked into the story effectively as it can elevate simple or overused game play to fresh, new and innovative. Few other game play features can have the impact of the two-world feature that these and many other fine games share.

-Mark (04-Oct-2004)

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