Monday, 23 March 2015

Video Game Architecture: my experiences from the past

A couple days ago, I was watching a couple twitch streamers when I took notice of what music was being played.  It was a collection of OCremix tracks featuring reinterpreted music from titles such as Sonic, Megaman and Jet-set Radio amongst other things which very quickly embedded classic melodies into my head for the remainder of the day.  While this was going on, it got me thinking about how much music, licensed or otherwise, I got into from the medium of video games which still holds a strong point of influence to this day.  Originally, I was going to talk about it this week, but as a means to keep the subject of architecture in context, I thought I would talk about a couple architectural pieces from games during my childhood / early teenage years that I particular find great.  There may be some crossover with level design, but the primary subject matter is that of architecture. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Metropolis Zone

Sonic and Tails come up against a foe in the Metropolis Zone.  Image from the Sonic wiki (http://sonic.wikia.com/)

For many people, the Casino Night levels aesthetic or Chemical Plants soundtrack will hold a special place in their heart.  But for me, from an architectural point of view the way Metropolis creates a feeling from its design of ‘overcoming the odds’ and ‘getting through the machine’ is perfect for its placement within Sonic 2.  As a child I never owned a Sega Megadrive, so playing Sonic 2 was always on a time limit having to leave the communal gaming space or a friend’s house.  Usually, I’d end up getting to Oil Ocean and getting stuck on Act 2, but every so often the moons would align and Metropolis Act 1 would appear to greet me. 
Its heavy industrial feeling and challenging enemies (for me at the time) was quite appropriate as it tried to ‘keep me down’ and slow my progress.  The series of ups and downs through pipes, screws and cogs diffused the idea of progress as I tried to figure out whether I was taking the right path.  A particular moment I can remember is at Act 2, where the play needs to make a series of drops at the right sections to continue moving forward a little bit like the later bowser castles of Super Mario Bros. 
Looking back at it now, there are a new set of little touches that I feel make it great.  The way in which the levels physical ground is green makes me think of oxidised copper that originally shone greatly against its backdrop.  The feeling of the level feels like the industrial machine keeping you from achieving a goal, which of course has seen a number of iterations in social history with the working class being kept moving along by the factories they work in.  I do mention this often but Metropolis the film (1927) has some similarities that go beyond the naming. 
Metropolis holds this place because of its way in which it defined overcoming a challenge in my early childhood, but nowadays makes me think of my interest in engineering.  In particular my view of ‘Function over Form’ and that defined engineering can create great pieces of architecture that hold a unique form in their own way. 


MediEvil 1: Entrance Hall / The Time Device (City of Madness)

Clocks with a magical symbols bestow upon them.  Image From the MediEvil Wiki (http://gallowmere.wikia.com/)

The MediEvil series will always hold a special place for me as a game that made my time while having a Playstation One.  I never owned a Nintendo console (outside of the Gameboy colour) so where Zelda or Banjo Kazooee are fond memories of Nintendo 64 owners, MediEvil 1 and 2 occupies that spot.  Anyway, onto the levels…
Zarok’s domain features 3 levels at the climax of the game being ‘Entrance Hall’; Time Device’ and ‘Zaroks Lair’.  All three come under the umbrella title ‘City of Madness’ which one could draw a couple different conclusions from like the madness of the population enslaved by Zarok, his tiresome work to rule the land of Gallowmere or something in-between it all.  The ‘Entrance Hall’ has this rather typical magister / warlock tower feel to it with its spiral staircases and large library rooms, but the ‘Time Device’ contrasts this completely with industrial era mechanisms and multiple references to time.  The way in which runes (the game’s keys) are linked in with the clock-face near the beginning of the level is enjoyable to solve alongside the later time-based mechanics.  While doing this, the industrial vibe of the gears and railway system don’t feel out of place, but have their own ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ aesthetic that the game is somewhat influenced by.  

Zarok's railway system and personal train in the shape of a skull.  Image from the MediEvil wiki (http://gallowmere.wikia.com/)

For example, the train it’s a steam engine in the shape of a skull that clicks its bones as it moves along the track. 
Like with the Sonic example, the industrial feeling of the area has something special that has influenced my design preference of engineering, but where MediEvil differs is through its application.  The mythical setting gives a nice twist on the industrial feel which shows we can play with the visuals but still keep the concept of the function at hand. 


Crash Bandicoot 2: Sewer Tunnel levels (multiple versions)

Crash being welcome into the sewers.  Image from Crash Bandicoot wiki (http://crashbandicoot.wikia.com/)

After the first warp room of Crash 2, you’ll find yourself a level that features a mixture of pipes, ducting, fans and wires that make up the sewer tile set.  The hollow sounds of Crash moving, the metallic soundtrack (as in the material not genre) and the aesthetics did much for these levels to remain my favourite in the game; bringing together a nice mix of challenge and pace that I didn’t feel in other tile sets.  One particular item I feel makes this possible are the circular doors that define each room, giving the player a mild sense of interest for what could be on the other side. 
As well as its industrial feel, the theme of it being a sewer opens the level up to some nice additions.  Much like MediEvil and its magical / mythical touches; Crash 2 adds water with electric eels shocking the ground intermittently, toxic waste in the style of rolling barrels and nitro boxes littered around to give that impression of a sewer system being hazardous.  The way in which I tried to avoid sewer water for being bad was as much the obstacle of electrified eels as was the fact that it was sewer water.  That being said, having an aversion to water maybe down to the infamous section of Chemical Plant Act2 in Sonic 2 which saw many people panic at the rise of the water level and subsequent frantic music. 


Timesplitters: Spaceport level (SP and MP)

Spaceways from a central atrium.  Image from Timesplitters wiki (http://timesplitters.wikia.com/)

Multiplayer shooters are nothing without its ability to create a diverse range of levels that accommodate a varied mixture of game modes and weapon types.  Keeping with my Playstation1 => 2 childhood, one such game that lived in my console at the time was Timesplitters; a fast-paced fps with a great cast of interesting characters, varied weapons and unique settings across a number of different eras and potential timelines.  To give an example of this, Cyberden and Spaceways both depict a futuristic setting but go for different interpretations of what that may incur.  Cyberden goes for a more industrial, dystopian feel while Spaceways goes for a cleaner, more technologically advanced aesthetic that one may consider utopian. 
If you’ve been reading through my influences, you may think why I went for the cleaner Spaceways over the industrial Cyberden?  I did consider this at first but on reflection it’s probably as simple as Cyberden feeling like not much was going on / a bit bland while Spaceways has a spectrum of colour injected into it.  Thinking about Spaceways a bit more, I feel that’s down to the concept of Futurism and our perception of what the future will look like with our ever expanded access to information and technology.  The way in designers construct these ideas of the future are a fascinating piece of our cultural history and for me, the way in which they use our modern times as a benchmark for the future brings out some nice results.  For this example, at the time I had recently gone on my first holiday outside of the UK to Gran Canarias (an isle of the west /north-west coast of Africa) and experienced air travel for the first time.  The process of the airport and its checks though its layout and aesthetics felt similar to the way in which Spaceways presented itself, be it with stronger contrasting colours.  I’m not one for sci-fi really, but the potential for what could be has always been a thing I enjoy. 


Reading through these examples, to which I could probably add quite a few more, you may notice a strong presence of industrial / mechanical aesthetics creating an environment to interact with.  Looking back at my foray through the world of architecture (in particular my interests in Brutalism, Futurism and Deconstructionism) it’s surprising to see how much of my interests have potentially come from the medium of video games.  Even nowadays when I look at the games I play places that have interesting uses of engineering stay with my memory the best.  The Black Citadel of the Charr in Guild Wars 2 is a mix of fire, metal and harsh mechanical workings that feels special amongst the more traditional settlements of the Human or Norn races to name such an example.  Having time to look back at this has surprised me as much as it’s made me smile and I know it’s going to be a similar feeling when it comes to my upcoming retrospectives.  I hope you found this interesting and possibly find the little pieces of your history that may have influenced you more than you know.  

*Images from relevant wiki sites of games relating to this post for non-profit use as a means to discuss the subject matter*

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