Page Commentary No. 315

Psu: Oh man, are we already at this page?

Gunwild: Psu, you seem like you might want to explain what a rhythm game is and your thoughts on them.

Psu: Well... if I remember correctly it was a game where targets would move across the screen sort of like how Dance Dance Revolution arrows will fly around except you shoot them instead of dancing on them. The "switch" part would happen every fourth beat and you'd have to shoot the opposite color target with your gun. Buuut in retrospect that "switch" mechanic wouldn't really add to the fun or difficulty all that much.

Psu: Instead, I think I'd take some more inspiration from current game crush "Hi-Fi Rush" where you have the targets all up on stage but you shoot them in sync with the music for extra points. So it's not just about how quickly you shoot every target, but how well you can string them together to build a rhythmic combo.

Gunwild: And my excuse for it not making sense from a player incentive perspective is that, uh... it... does in the dimension the game is originally from? Yeah sorry, I've got nothing, I'm not a game-maker. I'm pretty sure I wrote in that 'mechanic' because I thought it would be a fun way to introduce the silly but cool-looking amusement of the future they're enjoying. And Psu, you did make it cool-looking!

Psu: I can elaborate on that a bit, I think.

Psu: So I remember first reading the script and thinking, oh this could be really hard to do. Cause my usual instinct is to overthink the design of the game. It's just a thing I like to do. But then I realized, "Wait a minute, I don't want to focus on the game. Duh. We're here to focus on Kettering, Theira, and Talps. I just need something that gives me a nice colorful background." So to that effect, I wanted to take inspiration from music games that are all flashing lights and I reduced them down to two colors that wouldn't interfere with Talps' color scheme.

Gunwild: I think this whole arcade's theme draws on the actual video game arcades of the 80s and 90s, which were price-gouging schemes where you could be taunted with enjoying video game experiences you couldn't have at home. Just for a little bit. They were a lot of fun! But now people mostly do their gaming at home, and over the internet.

Gunwild: One of their distinguishing features was the darkness, which of course let the screens be more visible to players. And hid how rarely the carpets were properly cleaned.

Psu: But another thing they had was attractive screens and noises! You might consider it visual overstimulation nowadays but there is something I miss about the atmosphere. Old school arcades are worlds in of themselves, with so many inviting things to try. The tactile feel of the arcade sticks and the cool art and games, there's still a charm to it. It's why you have adults visiting bars with arcade game themes now.

Gunwild: Oh definitely. Nostalgia is dangerous, but y'know, playing with other people while actually being with them is that arcade thing that isn't so easy to replicate with our modern online gaming.

Psu: I had a wonderful time in an arcade museum with a friend last year. Anyway, I don't think these guys came to hear us just talk about games. How did Talps show up here!?! I kinda forgot how we set that up. I bet Theira knew something ahead of time and picked the venue...

Gunwild: Oh, I'm sure his ship's location isn't a secret during leave, and she says in a couple pages that she managed to be in the same place at the same time, because of her job. I'm sure she didn't go wasting aid resources to accomplish it, she's a civilian and she can visit a space station when she has a moment.

Psu: Ah yeah, and ya know I forgot about the little touch where Theira's antennae pick up a familiar presence before she sees Talps. And Talps could maybe guess that Kettering might be gaming at the best arcade on the station.

Gunwild: She's being good to encourage him, and it stands to reason he'll resume being openly fun once he works through his emotional entanglement.

Psu: Meanwhile Theira can work through this particularly difficult combo stanza token eating boss battle.

Gunwild: She was playing with him because it's fun to play with friends, not because she needed him to win!