| Formal Elements | |
| The Basics | |
| Name of the game | Onward |
| The platform | VR headset |
| Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | 2 hours |
| If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | Give players more options on insertion points |
| Players | NOTES |
| How many players are supported? | 16 |
| Does it need to be an exact number? | no |
| How does this affect play? | the larger the teams the longer the fight and more cordination that is needed |
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| Objectives/Goals | NOTES |
| What are the players trying to do? | Depending on the mission, some require a team to work together to eliminate a set amount of AI (4 or 120) other involve PvP and team objective missions |
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| Rules/Mechanics | For a AI mission a team of 4 has a prep faze to ready their loud outs and to look at a map of the area, they can then decide on how to clear out the enemy or secure the objective, once they complete the objective at hand they will win and move on to the next challange |
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| Controls | NOTES |
| What controls are used? | VR hand controllers |
| Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | yes |
| Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | I found them easy but others have trouble |
| Resources & Resource Management | NOTES |
| What kinds of resources do players control? | Ammunition, health, healing supplies, grenades of may types |
| How are they maintained during play? | The players loose ammo when they engage any hostiles if one player is out he can ask another player to pass a mag or any other supply |
| What is their role? | to assist the player in completing their task |
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| Game State | NOTES |
| How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | During game play a player will see a map before they load in, after that they only see what is in front of them, the players have many tools to help them like drones they can launch to assist in finding their objective or task |
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| Sequencing | NOTES |
| In what order do players take their actions? | any order they want |
| How does play flow from one action to another? | depending on the choice of the player if the squad moved into a building they could have been spotted by a sniper AI then the AI alerts the other AI to their location after that a simple area to recon the enemy becomes a location the players need to fortify or they will die |
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| Player Interaction | the players need to work together to win no matter what, as such if one runs out of ammo another gives them their spare, the game has VOIP (voice in proximity) so if 2 players got to far away they could’t hear each other but the game has a comms system for them to talk over a radio by pushing their talk button on their left shoulder |
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| Theme & Narrative | NOTES |
| Does it have an actual story structure? | No, players can make their own story in a mission maker but a campaign has not been added yet the game is still in a BETA build |
| Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | No |
| Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | No |
| Does it have emotional impacts? | No |
| Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | No |
| The Elements in Motion | NOTES |
| How do the different elements interact? | Depending on the situation at hand they can be useful if used right or fail if used wrong |
| What is the gameplay like? | Very exciting and realistic |
| Is it effective? | yes |
| Are there any points where the design choices break down? | The team on all maps is randomly placed it would be better if a team could choose a insertion point instead of a random zone |
| Design Critique | NOTES |
| Why did the designer make these particular choices? | To add more replay ability to the game |
| Why this set of resources? | So players will come back |
| What if they made different decisions? | it would have had the same effect |
| Does the design break down at any point? | no |
| Graphics & Sound | NOTES |
| Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | yes |
| Did you find any bugs or glitches? | no the team building the game is doing a very good job |
| What about sound? | amazing |
| Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | no |
| Various Stages of the Game | NOTES |
| To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play: | You will need to adapt and over come to any situation that you are placed in and how you decide is your choice no voice actor is telling you to get behind a rock or run to another place its your choice |
| What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them? | You may find a building full of AI its your choice how to clear it, blow it up, go inside and move floor to floor, or engage from another building beside it, or something I cant even think of right now |
| Is the game fair? | No its learning curve is more of a mountain |
| Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | Yes each mission is randomized and locations change |
| What is the intended audience? | A tactical realism community that understands basic firearms manipulation and how to solve problems |
| What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? | All of it, i spent a full hour at the shooting range in game understanding its process of weapons and locations, the guns in game are almost the same as irl except no recoil because its a VR game and a hand controller cant shake your whole body |