Written by Joe McLoughlin
Introduction
In my role as a game tester, I was recently asked to play and review a multi-platform game called Gems of War, developed by Infinity Plus 2. The major area I seemed to be questioned on by the developers was comprehension of the game. The depth and complexity of this game was quickly realised and thus understandable that this was their main concern, as such the first section of this blog will primarily regard understanding of the game as a brand new player first picking it up.
The game very much felt like a mobile game and is therefore the platform on which I have played it the most. However, for testing completeness, I also played it on Xbox One X to compare to its console counterpart. I have played the game for coming up to 10 hours now and this is my game design review...
Game Summary
Fundamentally a classic 'Match Three' game, Gems of War takes the well known format and creates a world set within a medieval fantasy setting.
Questions I Was Asked... and My Answers
Q) What did you find confusing or difficult to understand in the game?
A) The game became much clearer as it went on and even by the end of the tutorial I generally knew what to do. However:
1) Straight off the bat there is a lot going on without explanation.
Perhaps if each level of the tutorial only introduced one or two new aspects and they were explained first, that would have been good. However I made a combination of 5 to get a 'Mana Surge' in the second level and it didn't tell me what that was until the following level. It would be beneficial if it was scripted to not allow a Mana Surge until its been explained in the following level.
2) There were a lot of numbers and icons on screen during the battles in the tutorial that are not explained and it was a bit overwhelming. I appreciate it'd be tedious to explain all of that before playing, but my immediate enjoyment was hindered by this and I was kinda just guessing what to do to win. Each turn happens very quickly and I couldn't see what the effects of different turns were. I could track it later, especially after the armour and life was explained, but again, i think things should be explained before they happen to prevent confusion. Many elements were allowed to occur before explanation, a more step by step strategy I think would be beneficial. It was only until a couple levels into the main game did I start to enjoy it and this may put off some of the more short attention span players.
3) I like the depth of the game, there's obviously a lot to it and I like that, but a lot of it is thrown at you straight away, which is again a bit overwhelming. Perhaps easing new elements in would help.
For example, I was able to access the 'More Upgrades' panel after a few battles, which then opened up tabs on Ascension, Orbs, Disenchant etc. all of which I have no idea what they're about and it makes it feel like theres too much going on for me to get to grips with it. I like that classes are locked until level 30, perhaps this locked element should be used for more areas of the game to allow the player to slowly gain access to new features as they delve deeper into the game, rather than have access to a load of stuff that isn't relevant and causes them to feel overwhelmed.
4) I like how later, the knight overlays the game and explains what to do before you do it. For example when upgrading a character. This should be done before each new move during the game, for example the Mana Surge as explained earlier.
Q) Did you find any bug(s) whilst playing the game?
A) Yes, but only a couple. (it was obvious this game was far beyond development stage)
Q) Please give as much detail as you can to describe the bug.
A) The only two issues I really noticed were:
1) The game screen doesn't span the entirety of my phone screen (Samsung Galaxy S20+), there is an empty black space on the right of the screen. The fact it doesn't do this on both sides of the screen makes it seem more like a screen fill error than a design choice.
2) On the screen where you learn the battle basics, the image of the female character is present to the left side. However the left of her is cut off in a straight line, as if she's at the edge of the phone screen, despite the game screen still extending further past her.
The attached screenshot shows both the female character being cut off and the black space to the right of the screen.
What would you change or improve?
A) 1) I feel like slightly more explanation could be done during the first battle with the stranger. I didn't know what a Mana surge was or did. It should be slightly more guided earlier on. Perhaps the game is paused before a Mana surge move is made to explain what will happen when you make the move, as is done later on with the Knight appearing to explain what Barrier is when first used etc. Likewise for matching 4 giving you another turn and the fact that matching certain colours builds up certain character's Mana. This was not clear until later explained.
2) I appreciate the dragon should be easy as part of the tutorial rounds, but it didn't do anything at all to us; no damage at all. The tutorial should also show the threat posed by enemies too, so it would be good to see what it can do in that final tutorial battle to get a sense of future challenges.
3) The storyline is a great element and is the main part that kept me invested and wanting to keep playing, however it was a bit sudden and random. I didn't know what the final destination was, I just met this woman in a tavern and then suddenly we were jumping from finding this character, to then finding that character for some unknown reason. Perhaps setting out a grander plan at the beginning would improve engagement.
The Other Bits I Liked
1. I like the loading screen images of locations plus the music
2. Feel like slightly more explanation could be done during the first battle with the stranger. I didn't know what a Mana surge did. For example, stepped through the main elements a bit more. Perhaps the game is paused before a Mana surge move to explain what will happen when you make the move. Likewise for matching 4 giving you another turn. EDIT: These are explained more in the second battle, however I feel they are very basic elements and should be explained sooner. Also perhaps what Mana is and why I need it.
3. I like the comic book style of storytelling. The timing of each new panel is good as well as the animation.
4. I like the voice over of 'Mana surge', very satisfying.
5. I like the design of transitioning between the spell cards.
6. Very satisfying animation when you make 4 or 5 combos.
7. Like when I use Barrier the first time. The game pauses and the character explains what will happen with that. I think the game could do with more of that earlier on.
8. I like the story leading you to remove a hood and reveal your character.
9. Confirming weapon choice menu is nice with blurring out the background.
10. Like what happens when you first equip your new weapon, you are guided through each move. That should happen for the first level playing too.
11. New quest transition is nice, moving on from the completed one and bringing in a future one.
12. I like the hints given when a new team mate is added, sharing their powers.
13. Nice and clear what stats have been increased upon upgrading a character.
14. Victory music is good.
15. Storyline very much keeps me invested and wanting to continue on.
... And The Bits I Didn't Like So Much
1. Unsure what all the numbers are on the player cards.
2. Turns go very quickly, takes a bit to work out what's going on.
3. Very much learn as you play, which is good, but a bit more explanation may help.
4. I did have a much clearer idea of the game by the end of the tutorial, but I think the game should be somewhat scripted to ensure new elements you don't know about don't happen until you've been explained to about them.
5. In terms of storyline, I don't know an end goal. Where are we heading? Seems a bit random, but otherwise fun.
6. Could have accidentally pressed an ultra rare upgrade when I wanted to save up. Perhaps a confirmation of upgrade menu first.