I'm mindful that I might end up writing something that takes longer to write and/or read than it would take a person to just play the entirety of the game in question, so, short and snappy. Here goes!
ElecHead! It's a puzzle-platformer which establishes a tiny handful of core mechanics in the first, like, 4 minutes, pats you on the back and throws you at a series of challenges which are solved through the clever use of electricity. I really like this style of game design: nothing against the alternatives, of course, but I really enjoy games which hand you a small number of central mechanics at the start and test your growing understanding and mastery of them over time by only changing the environment in which they are challenged, rather than serving you a slowly expanding set of skills.
Nama, the game's developer and designer, clearly established the central mechanics available to the player early on, because it's really impressive how incredibly well designed the challenge in this game is. The game is given a genuinely satisfying and enjoyable difficulty curve through level design alone, gently introducing new environmental hazards and mechanics at a pretty even pace, which all tie in to the central electricity mechanic that the player has direct influence over.
ElecHead is really a masterclass in how to do so, so, so much with so little; I felt like I was still learning more and more about the game right up until the finish, and having an absolutely wonderful time with the process of learning the entire time. Also, it needs mentioning, Nama has a really delightful sense of humour that comes across in the mechanics and some of the smaller details of the game (including one particularly devious puzzle that I won't spoil).
There's some really nice environmental narrative stuff going on, and a particularly entertaining secret ending that's a reward for some fairly enjoyable secret hunting. The soundtrack is really nicely composed, and complements well with the process of thinking your way through some of the trickier puzzles that might have you stumped for a little bit; but it's never a tiresome experience, overall. There's even some leaning into some interesting meta-mechanics which I feel were used sparingly, and really show an interesting lens on game design. It all comes together and, in a sentence, produces a really interesting and compelling gameplay experience with so little chaff and a huge amount to love!
Nama is absolutely a game designer you ought to keep your eye on.
ElecHead! It's a puzzle-platformer which establishes a tiny handful of core mechanics in the first, like, 4 minutes, pats you on the back and throws you at a series of challenges which are solved through the clever use of electricity. I really like this style of game design: nothing against the alternatives, of course, but I really enjoy games which hand you a small number of central mechanics at the start and test your growing understanding and mastery of them over time by only changing the environment in which they are challenged, rather than serving you a slowly expanding set of skills.
Nama, the game's developer and designer, clearly established the central mechanics available to the player early on, because it's really impressive how incredibly well designed the challenge in this game is. The game is given a genuinely satisfying and enjoyable difficulty curve through level design alone, gently introducing new environmental hazards and mechanics at a pretty even pace, which all tie in to the central electricity mechanic that the player has direct influence over.
ElecHead is really a masterclass in how to do so, so, so much with so little; I felt like I was still learning more and more about the game right up until the finish, and having an absolutely wonderful time with the process of learning the entire time. Also, it needs mentioning, Nama has a really delightful sense of humour that comes across in the mechanics and some of the smaller details of the game (including one particularly devious puzzle that I won't spoil).
There's some really nice environmental narrative stuff going on, and a particularly entertaining secret ending that's a reward for some fairly enjoyable secret hunting. The soundtrack is really nicely composed, and complements well with the process of thinking your way through some of the trickier puzzles that might have you stumped for a little bit; but it's never a tiresome experience, overall. There's even some leaning into some interesting meta-mechanics which I feel were used sparingly, and really show an interesting lens on game design. It all comes together and, in a sentence, produces a really interesting and compelling gameplay experience with so little chaff and a huge amount to love!
Nama is absolutely a game designer you ought to keep your eye on.