2D Game Analysis

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StoneAge Sam is a 2D adventure game. The following is a description of the game from the website, “Life's tough in the StoneAge. To make things worse our man Sam isn't really known for his smarts; left to his own devices he probably wouldn't last a day! However, although he may be all brawn, fortunately he's got your brain to help him out! And he'll need it too as he's got to find food, make weapons, survive sabertooth tigers, capture wooly mammoths, evade hungry crocs, drive off enemy tribesmen and to top it all off, keep his girlfriend Lucy happy! So lets get prehistoric and help Sam use his noggin in this crazy point-and-click adventure.”

The player does not control Sam’s movement in real-time. The way Sam moves within a level is by clicking on objects that Sam is able to interact with. Once clicked, Sam will move to the object using a predetermined path and animation.

This is a very linear game where the player must take actions in the correct order to advance and complete the levels. If the player takes the wrong course of action it will result in Sam dying and you will have the option to retry.

Object Inventory
The interactive objects in this game are as follows: rock, feathers, stick, vine, sinew, tinder, flint, flower, and charcoal. All of the objects in this game have some sort of utility that will advance the player (Sam) through the level and storyline of the game. Each level in this game has its own set of objects required to complete the objective of the current level. For this reason, there is no inventory for Sam to store his objects, as he will be using them in the current level.

Being a very casual and linear game, obtaining objects in this game has no cost to the player. For instance, picking up a rock and vine then making a grappling hook out of it will not cost the player any money, nor will it deplete and sort of ‘energy’ bar. This keeps things simple for the player, as they don’t’ have to worry about hording money to buy objects.

Depending on how we look at the objects, they can be considered either single or multi use objects. For example, in one level Sam will use a rock to scare a rabbit away, but in another level he will use a rock in conjunction with a vine to make a grappling hook. Although the objects can be combined in this way, the game does not give the player the interaction options. Depending on the level, when Sam acquires the correct objects, they will automatically combine to create a new object. In addition, the player does not control which item they use when performing an action. For example, when we click on the rabbit, it automatically throws the rock; the player cannot select to throw another object, such as the stick. This simplifies the game, and helps the player complete the level.

Objects are the most crucial aspect of this game; their use is the only way to advance the story and complete the levels. In addition, this is the only component that the player can interact with. Objects in this game are simple, and the levels predetermine their uses. This makes game play extremely easy, and creates a very linear style that is easy for any player to learn.