Arcade Game: Swordmaster
A multi-sensory arcade fighting game
Swordmaster is inspired by the iconic arcade game Street Fighter. When making it I considered the aesthetics and stereotypes of Japanese arcade fighting games and how much they have influenced the global game and gaming culture.
The full title of the game, Swordmaster II: Clash of Legends, is satirical and stereotypical compared to arcade fighting games, and I matched the game design to that comedic aspect. It is very fast paced and difficult to master - the game calls for the players to choose a combination of attacks, and to combat them the opposing player is required to mirror the incoming attacks, with their counter-attack playing out afterwards. The pace of the game increases with each fight.
Illustration
Animation
Overview
The game begins when both players insert coins and pick their names. The players take turns to attack and defend, where they have to track the actions of their opponent either by watching the animations, listening to the sound effects as each attack has a different pitch, or simply watch the buttons that their opponent is pressing. To defend, the player has to mirror the opponent’s attacks. With each turn the number of attacks that each player can make increases, and the game is lost when one player fails to defend themselves correctly twice or runs out of time to defend. The player in the lead is displayed during the game as well. I played into the change in arcade game culture when players had the possibility to extend game play by inserting more coins, and this way my game can be played forever. The player has to insert a coin under time pressure, and once time runs out their high score is recorded. The highest score played across all players is displayed on the bottom left.
01. Gameplay
Recording of the gameplay of Swordmaster on an arcade machine.
02. Exhibition
Swordmaster on an arcade machine in the UCLA DMA Undergraduate Arcade Game Exhibition