I've been taking an in-depth look at the game
Tick Tock Toys.
Part 1 detailed the
people &
project management;
part 2 examined some of the
aesthetics.
This third part explores the
mechanics &
narrative of this real-time, reaction-based puzzle game.
I'm a big fan of
intrinsic narrative (i.e. the story comes from gameplay) as opposed to
extrinsic narrative (i.e. the story is told to you).
One way to reduce extrinsic narrative is to employ game mechanics which are either
intuitive or
revealed, and this is especially powerful in a game like this, when linked to the aesthetics. For this reason, I've analysed the mechanics & narrative side-by-side.
Intuitive mechanic
The main character,
Tic Toc, follows a predetermined
path -- indicated by a dotted line -- at
constant speed across a flat surface to reach a
frisbee (the
goal). Clockwork robots tend to follow a continuous path (whether straight or curved) so this is quite consistent with the characterisation; although clockwork toys also slow down, it's quite feasible that this one doesn't walk for long enough for this to happen.
 |
| The robot walks along the path to the goal. |
Along this path there will be
obstacles which the player must remove. If
Tic Toc hits an obstacle then play re-starts at the beginning of the path.
Simple
loose obstacles (usually building blocks) can be dragged out of the way. Again, from a narrative perspective this is quite natural within a toybox.
 |
| Select & drag obstacle away from path. |
Sliding obstacles are similar to loose ones, but are usually constrained to move in one axis only (e.g. toy train on rails).
Floating obstacles (such as the butterfly, origami crane, or parrot) will fly upwards when tapped, away from the game area, but will return after a set period of time.
Moving obstacles (such as toy cars, swimming fish, or projectiles fired at intervals) will intersect with the path at particular points in time. To stop this, the player must impede the moving object with a block.
 |
| A moving object, such as a car, can be impeded by other obstacles dragged by the player. |
So far, the obstacles have behaved like their counterparts in real life. (We
expect a toy car to be impeded by a wooden block -- that's the aesthetics & mechanics working hand-in-hand.)
Revealed mechanic
Some obstacles, however, do not behave in a real-life manner. Their mechanic is
revealed during gameplay, which means that the player is likely to fail in their goal until they have
learned to recognise the mechanic. This is a major concept in puzzle games, and something I'll look at later.
Toggle obstacles are flicked from one state to another and then back again. The first example of this is the knight, which alternates between two angles when tapped.
 |
| "You shall not pass!" |
The second example is the frog. When tapped, the tongue toggles in or out at the same time.
 |
| All frogs toggle state simultaneously. |
Knights and frogs are also examples of
linked obstacles. When one frog is tapped,
all frogs toggle. When one knight is tapped,
all knights toggle. This adds an extra layer to the mechanics, requiring the player to become aware that their action in one place will change the obstacles in other places.
These revealed mechanics are
unnatural but they are revealed within the game world and are consistent, so the player learns to adapt to them. The intrinsic narrative is maintained.
Time
Many puzzle games require two phases: the set-up (player sets sets the solution in place) and then the test (where the solution is applied to see if it works).
This game is
reactive, which means it's played in real time. The player carries out their set-up at the same time as the solution is applied. It's also a
race-against-time, caused by the motion of
Tic Toc as he trundles along the path.
This is a long-established double-mechanic -- historical examples include MB Games' shape-sorting puzzle
Perfection or LucasArts' problem-solving puzzle
Pipe Mania.
It's notable that the design of
Tick Tock Toys has a built-in time delay before
Tic Toc reaches the first obstacle, allowing the player an initial glance and a little time to start moving objects before the pressure really starts. This is, again, nicely intrinsic because it is dictated by
Tic Toc starting position rather than any artificial means.
Sometimes a player will get stuck in a puzzle game. They may just fail to see a solution, or the game may have just been badly paced.
Tick Tock Toys includes a useful "magic wand" feature whereby players can (for a small payment) nullify difficult objects. As noted by the designers, this type of option can ruin puzzle games but it's not prominent and is also reasonably priced.
Casual gaming & Gender
Casual games usually have short rounds, to allow players to pick up and put down the game at their convenience. With casual games having a
large female market (75%) it makes sense to build in aspects that will appeal more to female players.
One example of this is
forgiveness for error. As
noted by Jesse Schell, male players tend to prefer competition but female players get demoralised by it. This is evident in the idea of having a fixed number of 'lives' in a game.
Tick Tock Toys gives the player an unlimited number of attempts to solve the puzzle.
Another example is the idea of
nurture. As mentioned in the
aesthetics post,
Tic Toc is modelled on a child and this game plays on the parental need to protect and guide.
Conclusion
There's a whole shedload of game design analysis that I've not even touched upon, such as the strongly-crafted
flow within levels. However, I hope that I've shown that this game design is pretty clever in achieving a great deal, technically, with something that looks very simple on the surface.
I'd like to finish with a
quote from Sophia George regarding the voting at the BAFTA awards, in a room full of game designers and industry specialists:
"When Keith took a hands-up poll of everyone in the room asking who'd given the best pitch, Joust took it by a mile - they'd been up on stage, jumping up and down, using their arms as lances just like in their game.
"But when asked which of the three was the best game, a huge majority put their hands up for us. We were stunned, really surprised."
-- a fitting tribute to the elegance and subtleties of this design.
