Overview
In Wind Walker, players take control of a young boy, Kata, as he confronts his fears within a dream world. Presented as a 2D sidescroller, Kata journeys through a variety of dream realms, confronting beasts based on several different elements. Water, Fire, Earth, and Storm are just a few of the several different areas that Kata progresses through.
Core Mechanics
The core mechanic in Wind Walker is Kata's ability to manipulate the wind. The wind provides a number of different abilities to Kata, allowing him to blow enemies around the screen, as well as push objects and pieces of scenery around as well. This allows Kata to activate switches by moving terrain objects onto them, or enemies as well. The core mechanic is further adjusted depending on the elements that Kata has conquered so far. Water and Kata's wind powers can create waterspouts, lifting him to new places and areas that he could otherwise be unable to access. Combinations of these powers are made necessary as Kata progresses through the levels, requiring more problem solving and logic as the game continues. Kata is also able to gather collectibles that increase his powers, granting new effects on top of the combinations that have already been acquired. Because Wind Walker is about Kata confronting his fears, the creatures that represent his fears each represent a different type of fear. As such, these different fears require different tactics to defeat. Some require pure attacking to defeat, while others require use of Kata's unique powers in combinations to whisk them around the level before disposing of them.
Environment
Wind Walker utilizes a hand-drawn art style, attempting to recreate and animated painting of a fantasy realm. The different realms reflect the types of elements they focus on, with a central theme throughout. The fire realm, for instance, is permanently covered in a red sunset, while the Water levels feature a clear blue sky and loud music. The music is as much a part of the environment, and the changing and shifting music between the different elements further differentiates them from each other.Wind Walker uses a japanese-inspired art style.
Overview
Walkabout tells the tale of a modern-day aborigine descendant discovering the story of his ancestors. Told from the first person, players take control of a teenager in the late 1980s, when Aborigine descendants were still ostracised within Australia. After encountering one of the last elders in the region, the player character sets out on their walkabout, to perform their own spiritual journey.
Core Mechanics
Walkabout utilises a number of puzzles and clue-hunting areas in order to lead players along several different paths. As players delve deeper into the stories of their ancestors, they also find more and more equipment that they can use as they journey further into the wilderness. Tools ranging from a rope for swinging across gaps to a compass and map are available for the player to find. Walkabout incorporates puzzles within an open world that the player must manually navigate through the use of an in-game map, navigating via landmarks present within the game world as well. Players also have a camera, a tool which allows them to take images of various places they have been to. These photos are used to give to the elder, who will give the player various locations to visit and tasks to do. The elder rewards the player with insight into the stories of 'those who walked before', a group that the player character has an obsession with. As the player uncovers more and more about their ancestors, more and more of the narrative is uncovered and revealed.
Environment
The environment of the Australian outback is a harsh and unforgiving place. In order to deal with the oppressive temperature and heat, there are certain tools the player has. The water bottle, the first item the player has, rehydrates the player and prevents them from hallucinating. If a player's hydration level gets too low, it eventually leads to death. The environment in Walkabout works as much against the player as it does to entertain the player, and any creatures, dangerous or otherwise, have to be carefully watched and tracked to make sure they don't jump the player.There are numerous places to explore puzzle through in the Australian Outback.
