htrapidprototyping

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Endless Runner Summary

Most of the endless runners had the same core gameplay loop of running forwards endlessly building up speed until the player eventually dies. All the endless runners had quite varying USPs such how the game is played in jetpack joyride with the player having a jetpack. I think some of the games were successful due to how unique they were but a lot of them were the same making quite a few of them unoriginal and boring. I think in sonic dash the trick system is quite useless as coins don't do a whole lot for the player or don't give enough coins to be useful so I think they could either give the player more coins or make more things buyable with coins for cheaper.

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Block Breaker Summary

A lot of the block breakers were very similar in their core gameplay loops which is simple deflecting a ball towards blocks to break / damage the bricks. Most of the games had unique abilities / power ups the player could use as well as different art styles. A lot of the game were quite satisfying make them quite successful especially in an arcade due to their simplicity and short play times. I think a lot more could be done with the block breaker genre as a lot of the game as the same thing just reskinned to be unique one improvement i could think of is more unique abilities such as bombs or a life system.

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Bullet Hell Summary

Most of the bullet hells have fast paced gameplay with lots of enemies fighting at once or lots of projectiles being shot at once as well. Most of the bullet hells also had quite varying USPs with some being rogue like, some being story based or rhythm based. I think most of the game are successful due to how unique the are but a lot of them are fairly similar such as rogue like being very common in the bullet hell genre. I think a few things that don't work in include Binding of Isaacs large player selection as the game is so long that you most likely wont even play half the characters.

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Holedown (Block Breaker)

Holedown is a simplistic modern styled block breaker. The player simply has to aim their balls where they want them to go to try and make the walls break before they reach the player as well as some of the walls having power ups tied to them which usually gives the player more balls to shoot or different ball types buyable with crystals after a run as the core gameplay loop. Holedown is unique in its gameplay style as the player moves up instead of down as well as the player not having to catch the balls and being able to throw them freely is quite original as well

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Idle Brick Breaker (Block Breaker)

Idle Brick Breaker (IBB) is a unique spin on the brick breaker genre with the player being able to buy multiple balls and upgrade the balls to deal more damage to the bricks. The player has to simply break all the bricks on the screen then a new level will generate with more health / more bricks which is the core gameplay loop. IBB is unique through it being an idle game as well as the player having the ability to break the blocks themselves through clicking on them which i haven't seen in any other block breaker

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Ikaruga (Bullet Hell)

Ikaruga is a traditional bullet hell with it being the player cintrolling a ship with a small hitbox avoiding lots of enemies shooting at them while constantly shooting back as the core gameplay loop. The 2 unique features are how the player can absorb the enemies bullets if they are the same type as the player can have 2 types of shields switching occasionally which block different types of bullets as well the player having access to an ultimate ability which lows charges with the kills the player gets

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The Binding Of Isaac (Bullet Hell)

Binding Of Isaac (BOI) is a dungeon crawler crossed with a bullet hell with a cartoony style. In BOI you travel through a large map with varying rooms with various enemy types. The player can collect lots of different item such as bombs or upgrades for the player adding a rogue like element as core gameplay loop. BOI is unique in its gameplay style since the player can move in all directions but can only shoot / attack in 4 as well as its mass of character selection as there is tons of different classes the player can use

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Crossy Road (Endless Runner)

Crossy road is a iconic endless runner in which you play as a chicken which hops across a simple voxel environment avoid cars, trains and jumping on logs across rivers. The player can also jump in 4 directions as well as having the player being chased by eagles which if the player is too slow they will die. Crossy Road's unique essence is the gameplay style with the player being able to move wherever they'd like as well as the voxel style being quite unseen in the endless runner genre.

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Sonic Dash (Endless Runner)

Sonic Dash is a simplistic endless runner in which you run through killing or avoiding the classic sonic enemy robots as well as avoiding the various obstacles such as the mines or fallen over objects in the environment while collecting coins and going as far as you can as you slowly increase in speed as the core gameplay loop. Sonic Dash is unique through its style of Sonic The Hedgehog as well as in one gameplay element where while the player changes ones they can do tricks for extra coins which i think is a cool and unique idea

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Woody Pop (Block Breaker)

Woody Pop is a traditional block breaker with the player bouncing an orb or bubble up onto some different types of blocks with varying strengths or weaknesses as well as having a large array of abilities for the player to utilise such as lighting the orb on fire as the core gameplay loop. Woody Pop is unique in the sense of the different weaknesses of certain blocks such as the wood being burnable with a fire power up etc.

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Space Invaders (Block Breaker)

Space Invader's core gameplay loop consists of the player having to shoot the enemies (which vary in health and attacks such as projectiles) that move down horizontally row by row where if enough enemies hit the player 3 times then the player the player loses. Space Invaders is unique with its pixelated art-style as its so memorable and unique and general gameplay as it was the first game to be of this type back in 1978

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Just Shapes & Beats (Bullet Hell)

Just Shapes & Beats (JSAB) is a rhythm based bullet hell with the projectiles or obstacles syncing to the music for a set amount of time before reaching the end zone while having progressive difficulty as the game continues through its story which I think is the core gameplay loop. JSAB is highly unique in terms of it being rhythm based instead of constant projectiles as I think this brings a different feel and way to think of the bullet hell genre.

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Brotato (Bullet Hell)

Brotato is a simple wave based bullet hell with the player having the ability to be different classes with different buffs as well as there being a mass selection of weapons to choose from in a rogue like style upon the player levelling up as the core gameplay loop. I think Brotato's general cartoony art style and rogue like elements makes the game quite unique compared to the stereotypical bullet hell game.

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Jetpack Joyride (Endless Runner)

Jetpack Joyride is a well-known endless runner with it being the character running through a science facility while having to avoid obstacles for as long as they can while collecting different power ups and coins for the core gameplay loop. Jetpack Joyride is very iconic with its general style of gameplay as it is unseen in any other games in terms of the player having a jetpack in an endless runner.

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Subway Surfers (Endless Runner)

Subway Surfers is a simple endless runner through train tracks in which the player is being chased by a police officer and collect different coins and power ups throughout which is the core gameplay loop. The main difference for subway surfers is due to its general art-style and environment as they both are quite unique with minimal games being similar in either aspect.

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Undertale (Bullet Hell)

Undertale is a bullet hell with story elements which has a simple turned based system for combat as the main loop since the player can either attack, talk or use an item, on the enemies turn they shoot a few projectiles at the player in an enclosed box. Undertale is unique due to its story elements and different outcomes as it creates an interesting dynamic on the bullet hell genre creating a more memorable experience.

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Arkanoid (Block Breaker)

Arkanoid is extremely simple with it being like pong where you bounce the ball towards different bricks / blocks which break either on first hit or 3rd which is the gameplay loop. Arkanoid's unique aspect is the high range in abilities you can have with their being a laser shooter, making the player larger for easier gameplay or a stickier player so that the ball stays for a moment.