Game Journal: Crypt of the Necrodancer

Game Journal review of this week's game:

Plague Inc: Evolved

Chosen design element focus: Music, the games fundamental mechanic

For many games, music/soundtrack is what brings the games to life- often when we play games with no audio it feels almost wrong. This game is no different but utilises this simple concept and makes it its own. When you play the game you are already introduced to this fact from the heartbeat on the screen as pictured above. This heart is synced with the game's soundtrack and only allows the player to move on the beat, dungeon crawling as they go collecting items, to defeat mobs.
To play this game without audio would be very difficult despite the visual guide on screen as the player is forced to really pay attention.
The music also forces the player to complete/leave stages as when the music finishes the player will be forced to go to the next stage costing them their coin multiplier. 
Different mobs have their own movement patterns and without paying attention to this the player will suffer for it, and in fact, ignoring the music as a whole will cause extreme failure.

To add onto this mechanic the game rewards the player for keeping beat streaks. 

- Effects multiplier weapons/torches which will give you higher attack damage or area of sight

- Keeping a continuous streak keeps the coin multiplier high as well, rewarding the player with more loot to spend to buy items at the store on each level. 

The change of soundtrack of each zone/level creates a sense of difficulty as the tempo becomes faster/shorter, introducing new harder mobs unique to each zone.