0:00:00.199,0:00:05.939
In 2008, game designer Derek Yu couldn’t[br]figure out what type of game to make next.

0:00:05.939,0:00:07.830
Perhaps, he should make a platformer.

0:00:07.830,0:00:11.940
But, despite making a few prototypes - nothing[br]seemed right.

0:00:11.940,0:00:16.770
So perhaps he should make a roguelike - you[br]know, a top-down dungeon crawler, with randomly

0:00:16.770,0:00:17.770
generated levels.

0:00:17.770,0:00:19.610
But that didn’t work either.

0:00:19.610,0:00:24.430
His prototypes just didn’t seem to add anything[br]new to their respective genres.

0:00:24.430,0:00:27.260
And that’s when it clicked.

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What if he made a platformer - with tense[br]jumps and scrappy, real-time combat.

0:00:32.580,0:00:37.840
But, like a roguelike, the game would have[br]randomly generated levels, and high stakes

0:00:37.840,0:00:38.840
permadeath.

0:00:38.840,0:00:42.090
And thus, Spelunky was born.

0:00:42.090,0:00:45.580
And about eight million other games that borrow[br]elements from the roguelike genre.

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You see, we like to put games into tidy little[br]boxes.

0:00:50.000,0:00:51.300
Platformers.

0:00:51.300,0:00:52.460
First-person shooters.

0:00:52.460,0:00:53.490
Racing games.

0:00:53.490,0:00:54.490
Puzzlers.

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We neatly categorise games based on things[br]like their mechanics, camera perspective,

0:00:58.970,0:01:01.120
level structure, and rules.

0:01:01.120,0:01:06.280
But, brilliant things can be produced when[br]those lines are blurred, and those genres

0:01:06.280,0:01:07.439
are mushed together.

0:01:07.439,0:01:12.100
Sadly, it’s not at easy as chucking a bunch[br]of things into a pot and hoping something

0:01:12.100,0:01:13.200
good comes out.

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Get the mix wrong, and the result can be disastrous.

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So, in this video let’s look at how games[br]can shove together radically different genres…

0:01:21.490,0:01:22.720
with success.

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I’m Mark Brown, and this is Game Maker’s[br]Toolkit.

0:01:27.240,0:01:31.431
Okay, so I think there are three different[br]ways to combine genres in games.

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And so I’ll start with what I’m calling[br]the “hand-off method”.

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This is when a game jumps back and forth between[br]different genres, at different times.

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So, consider Persona - which is sometimes[br]a dungeon-crawling JRPG, and sometimes a visual

0:01:46.969,0:01:48.599
novel-like life simulator.

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Or Uncharted, which quickly bounces between[br]shooting, platforming, puzzle solving, and

0:01:54.741,0:01:55.741
driving.

0:01:55.741,0:01:59.090
The key advantage to this approach is pacing[br]and variety.

0:01:59.090,0:02:03.899
It can get boring to do the exact same type[br]of gameplay for hours on end, so if you mix

0:02:03.899,0:02:06.850
up the genre, you can keep players engaged[br]for longer.

0:02:06.850,0:02:11.180
It can also be used to make sure the gameplay[br]always fits what’s happening in the narrative

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- because tense RPG battles wouldn’t make[br]sense when you’re doing after-school chores.

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The biggest challenge here is that some players[br]may not like every genre in the mix.

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If you bought God of War for the frantic,[br]ultra violent, button-bashy, combat… then

0:02:26.959,0:02:30.650
you might find the slow-paced puzzles to be[br]a complete drag.

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There are some solutions to this, though.

0:02:33.670,0:02:39.010
Like, Uncharted does have puzzles… but they’re[br]not exactly brain-busting conundrums.

0:02:39.010,0:02:43.230
In this series, the combat seems to be the[br]primary genre - and so that’s where you’ll

0:02:43.230,0:02:45.420
find the most depth and challenge.

0:02:45.420,0:02:49.640
The secondary genres are pretty much just[br]palette cleansing fluff - and so they’re

0:02:49.640,0:02:54.819
kept super simple to ensure they don’t upset[br]players who only want to do the shooty bits.

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Going further, you can make those secondary[br]genres optional.

0:02:58.390,0:03:02.891
In Shovel Knight: King of Cards, you never[br]need to play the card battler if you’d prefer

0:03:02.891,0:03:05.069
to just focus on the platforming.

0:03:05.069,0:03:10.299
In L.A. Noire, if you fail at these dopy third-person[br]shooter bits, you can skip right past them

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to get back to the detective puzzles.

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And in the Yakuza series, you never need to[br]bother with the management side of things,

0:03:16.959,0:03:18.640
after you’ve passed the tutorial.

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You can also try to pick genres with strong[br]similarities, so it’s likely that players

0:03:22.709,0:03:24.989
will enjoy both types of game.

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If you enjoy the turn-based tactical battles[br]in XCOM, then it’s not a huge stretch to

0:03:29.340,0:03:32.209
assume that you’ll also like the strategic[br]layer.

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Consider what sort of skills are required[br]in the primary genre, and be wary of asking

0:03:35.870,0:03:38.230
players to suddenly need entirely different[br]ones.

0:03:38.230,0:03:41.050
I mean, a rhythm-based boss battle.

0:03:41.050,0:03:42.180
Really?

0:03:42.180,0:03:46.310
Another challenge is that players may be confused[br]about how they should be approaching the current

0:03:46.310,0:03:47.310
level.

0:03:47.310,0:03:51.219
I ran into this problem with the first demo[br]for my Untitled Magnet Game.

0:03:51.219,0:03:56.659
I wanted to include both logic-based puzzles,[br]and tricky platforming challenges - but players

0:03:56.659,0:04:00.549
didn’t always know if the level required[br]them to engage their brain… or engage their

0:04:00.549,0:04:01.680
thumbs.

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One solution to this problem is to simply[br]communicate this information to the player.

0:04:05.870,0:04:10.329
In Grapple Dog, there should be no confusion[br]about how to tackle these speed-run, time-attack

0:04:10.329,0:04:15.519
stages - I mean, the door has a fast-forward[br]icon on it, there’s a countdown, Pablo starts

0:04:15.519,0:04:19.370
in a sprinter’s pose, the background is[br]a racing flag, and so on.

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Another solution is to just change the player’s[br]current actions from level to level - or punish

0:04:24.610,0:04:26.960
the player for using the wrong ones.

0:04:26.960,0:04:31.060
In the Batman: Arkham games, if you try to[br]play these stealth sections like a beat ‘em

0:04:31.060,0:04:34.130
up, you’ll very quickly end up full of holes.

0:04:34.130,0:04:38.350
The final challenge is that the different[br]genres can distract from each other, or compete

0:04:38.350,0:04:41.460
for the player’s attention, or break the[br]game’s flow.

0:04:41.460,0:04:46.070
Sid Meier discovered this when making Covert[br]Action - a game where you solve a mystery

0:04:46.070,0:04:48.030
by doing various mini-games.

0:04:48.030,0:04:52.670
Meier says that when players got sucked in[br]to action scenes that were too long, too intense,

0:04:52.670,0:04:54.470
and felt disconnected from everything else...

0:04:54.470,0:04:56.200
they forgot all about the mystery.

0:04:56.200,0:05:00.060
He says “You'd spend ten minutes or so,[br]of real time, in a mission.

0:05:00.060,0:05:04.320
And by the time you got out of [it], you had[br]no idea of what was going on in the world.”

0:05:04.320,0:05:07.810
One solution is to keep the different segments[br]short - so you’re always coming back to

0:05:07.810,0:05:08.810
the main event.

0:05:08.810,0:05:14.440
Or, to always have the different genres feed[br]in to each other - back in XCOM, the advances

0:05:14.440,0:05:18.530
you make in your base will directly impact[br]your chances in the tactical battles.

0:05:18.530,0:05:23.350
And the decisions you make on the battlefield[br]will feed back into your base.

0:05:23.350,0:05:25.980
That way you never forget about the other[br]side of the game.

0:05:25.980,0:05:30.850
But the main solution is to consider the game’s[br]core focus, and to make sure everything is

0:05:30.850,0:05:32.800
pointing in that same direction.

0:05:32.800,0:05:37.490
In Persona, the games are all about your relationship[br]with your core group of friends.

0:05:37.490,0:05:45.830
And that’s a theme that is strongly evoked[br]in both the RPG battles and the regular life

0:05:45.830,0:05:48.860
simulator stuff.

0:05:48.860,0:05:54.560
Okay, so the second way to combine genres[br]is to use the “play style method”.

0:05:54.560,0:05:58.950
This is when you can approach a game in multiple[br]ways, using skills and actions that come from

0:05:58.950,0:06:00.890
different genres of game.

0:06:00.890,0:06:06.971
Deus Ex was designed as a mash-up of first-person[br]shooter, RPG, and stealth game - and so you

0:06:06.971,0:06:09.860
can play the game in whatever mode you prefer.

0:06:09.860,0:06:15.460
And in Skyrim, you can play with magic spells,[br]swords and shields, bow and arrow, and more.

0:06:15.460,0:06:19.880
The advantage to this approach is player choice[br]and agency.

0:06:19.880,0:06:23.680
You get to pick a genre that you like best,[br]and play the game in that style.

0:06:23.680,0:06:27.870
It’s also good for variety, as you can jump[br]between different genres when you feel like

0:06:27.870,0:06:32.120
it - and it gives you a good reason to play[br]through the game multiple times.

0:06:32.120,0:06:35.730
The challenge is that your game is going to[br]be compared to titles that focus on doing

0:06:35.730,0:06:38.280
a single thing really well.

0:06:38.280,0:06:43.860
Deus Ex is brilliant, but the constituent[br]parts just pale in comparison to its contemporaries

0:06:43.860,0:06:47.240
like Half-Life, Baldur’s Gate, and Thief.

0:06:47.240,0:06:51.490
Designer Warren Spector says “if we get[br]judged on the basis of any individual genre,

0:06:51.490,0:06:54.760
we’re doomed because we’re just not going[br]to be as good.”

0:06:54.760,0:06:58.680
So it’s important to really communicate[br]the advantages of letting players decide their

0:06:58.680,0:07:02.470
own play style - through marketing and in-game[br]messages.

0:07:02.470,0:07:06.290
Another challenge is that you’re almost[br]making multiple games at once.

0:07:06.290,0:07:09.170
And that means your resources get spread pretty[br]thin.

0:07:09.170,0:07:13.460
The modern Wolfenstein games are designed[br]to have three play styles - dubbed mayhem,

0:07:13.460,0:07:15.510
tactical, and stealth.

0:07:15.510,0:07:20.230
But Machine Games has admitted that it just[br]didn’t spend as much time on stealth - leading

0:07:20.230,0:07:23.490
to annoying gameplay like guards spotting[br]you too easily.

0:07:23.490,0:07:28.230
In terms of design, another challenge is that[br]when presented with multiple play styles,

0:07:28.230,0:07:33.470
a great deal of players will just choose one[br]and stick with it to the end credits - refusing

0:07:33.470,0:07:35.270
to try anything else.

0:07:35.270,0:07:38.950
We see this when players quick load back to[br]a previous save file when they get spotted

0:07:38.950,0:07:42.750
in Dishonored - instead of switching to a[br]more violent play style.

0:07:42.750,0:07:46.660
Designers should be careful not to compound[br]the problem, by rewarding the actions made

0:07:46.660,0:07:52.170
in a play style… with tools and skills that[br]help that play style.

0:07:52.170,0:07:53.710
Positive feedback loop right there.

0:07:53.710,0:07:58.830
Instead, try giving general skill points that[br]can be spent on any type of action - or allow

0:07:58.830,0:08:02.780
the player to re-spec and try a completely[br]different build.

0:08:02.780,0:08:06.220
Designers can also give players an incentive[br]to try out different styles.

0:08:06.220,0:08:11.010
In Hades, it can be tempting to stick to a[br]single weapon - but the game provides a reward

0:08:11.010,0:08:12.950
for swapping to a new one.

0:08:12.950,0:08:18.090
You can also use the narrative and context[br]to allow for different approaches.

0:08:18.090,0:08:23.030
Perhaps Dishonored’s judgmental chaos system[br]stopped you from killing - but in Deathloop,

0:08:23.030,0:08:24.860
there’s no such system.

0:08:24.860,0:08:29.410
And the entire world resets every morning,[br]so if your actions aren’t gonna have lasting

0:08:29.410,0:08:31.920
consequences, why not try something different?

0:08:31.920,0:08:37.460
What you probably don’t want to do is force[br]players to choose another play style, by suddenly

0:08:37.460,0:08:39.490
making one approach impossible.

0:08:39.490,0:08:45.410
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you can play[br]in both lethal and non-lethal ways - that

0:08:45.410,0:08:49.210
is, until the boss battles which force you[br]to fight.

0:08:49.210,0:08:52.340
Even if you don’t have the skills or items[br]to do so.

0:08:52.340,0:08:57.340
This was such a bone of contention that the[br]bosses were completely redesigned in the game’s

0:08:57.340,0:08:58.340
Director’s Cut.

0:08:58.340,0:09:03.060
The solution here is to ensure that each play[br]style has a valid, and enjoyable route through

0:09:03.060,0:09:04.860
each and every level.

0:09:04.860,0:09:09.380
Then, studios need to thoroughly test the[br]game in every possible play style to ensure

0:09:09.380,0:09:11.140
there are no brick walls.

0:09:11.140,0:09:15.030
Because if you make the promise of “play[br]it your way”, some players are simply going

0:09:15.030,0:09:25.420
to feel betrayed if you suddenly make their[br]preferred approach impossible.

0:09:25.420,0:09:30.180
The third, and final way to mix genres is[br]to use the “blend method”.

0:09:30.180,0:09:35.000
This is when we take aspects from two different[br]genres, and merge them together to make something

0:09:35.000,0:09:36.000
new.

0:09:36.000,0:09:41.020
So Portal has cursor-based aiming and a first-person[br]camera, borrowed from shooters.

0:09:41.020,0:09:45.330
And it pairs that with puzzles from, well,[br]puzzle games.

0:09:45.330,0:09:50.960
Battlechef Brigade has knockabout combat from[br]a brawler, mixed with the puzzles of a match-three

0:09:50.960,0:09:51.960
game.

0:09:51.960,0:09:55.380
Rocket League is FIFA meets Burnout.

0:09:55.380,0:10:01.360
The advantage to this method is the creation[br]of entirely new games, and perhaps even new

0:10:01.360,0:10:02.360
genres.

0:10:02.360,0:10:07.800
And so we get wildly novel and inventive titles[br]like Crypt of the Necrodancer - a rhythm-based

0:10:07.800,0:10:08.890
roguelike.

0:10:08.890,0:10:13.550
And Toodee and Topdee - a puzzle game where[br]you can switch from top-down box-shoving to

0:10:13.550,0:10:16.340
side-on platforming at the press of a button.

0:10:16.340,0:10:22.490
It can also be used to freshen up dusty old[br]genres, by looking outside of current conventions.

0:10:22.490,0:10:27.490
RPGs typically have clunky turn-based battles,[br]but we’ve seen role-playing games borrow

0:10:27.490,0:10:32.820
from brawlers, puzzle games, third-person[br]shooters, bullet hell shmups, and rhythm-action

0:10:32.820,0:10:33.820
titles.

0:10:33.820,0:10:38.150
A potential problem with this approach is[br]that the two genres may end up just being

0:10:38.150,0:10:39.780
incompatible.

0:10:39.780,0:10:42.690
The Metroidvania Chasm is a good example.

0:10:42.690,0:10:49.020
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Metroidvania[br]is a richly detailed, handcrafted world map.

0:10:49.020,0:10:54.260
But Chasm skips that by pairing up with a[br]roguelike, which has the disadvantage of using

0:10:54.260,0:10:59.000
procedural generation to make worlds that[br]feel quite bland and impersonal.

0:10:59.000,0:11:03.920
Another example is how the RPG elements added[br]to Assassin’s Creed subtly undermine the

0:11:03.920,0:11:08.730
assassin fantasy, by removing instant stealth[br]kills on higher-level enemies.

0:11:08.730,0:11:14.000
Or how the loot-based armour system in Marvel’s[br]Avengers awkwardly fits with the superhero

0:11:14.000,0:11:15.000
theme.

0:11:15.000,0:11:17.400
Did I just upgrade The Hulk’s skeleton?!

0:11:17.400,0:11:21.190
So, instead, you should use genres that complement[br]each other.

0:11:21.190,0:11:26.550
Back to Spelunky, Derek Yu liked how platformers[br]were easy to pick up and play, but didn’t

0:11:26.550,0:11:30.150
like how the games relied on players memorising[br]level layouts.

0:11:30.150,0:11:34.820
And as for roguelikes, he loved the variety[br]in the random level generation - but didn’t

0:11:34.820,0:11:37.010
like all the cryptic commands and systems.

0:11:37.010,0:11:42.680
But by combining the two, the positives of[br]one genre managed to actually cancel out the

0:11:42.680,0:11:44.460
negatives of the other.

0:11:44.460,0:11:48.630
Derek Yu says “Nothing was compromised to[br]make something else fit and each part only

0:11:48.630,0:11:51.060
boosted the signal of the other parts.”

0:11:51.060,0:11:55.030
You can also look for genres with a lot of[br]similarities, so that they’ll gel together

0:11:55.030,0:11:56.330
more easily.

0:11:56.330,0:12:01.160
When Yacht Club Games mashed up a roguelike[br]with an action puzzler in Shovel Knight: Pocket

0:12:01.160,0:12:04.870
Dungeon, the studio realised that the two[br]genres have a lot of similarities.

0:12:04.870,0:12:11.130
They both operate on grids, have simple controls,[br]involve a lot of randomness, feature long

0:12:11.130,0:12:14.980
runs that start from scratch, and require[br]thinking several moves ahead.

0:12:14.980,0:12:20.430
It was easy, and natural, to put them together.

0:12:20.430,0:12:23.790
So, there we have it.

0:12:23.790,0:12:27.490
You can combine genres by switching back and[br]forth at different times.

0:12:27.490,0:12:29.980
By letting players choose their own playstyle.

0:12:29.980,0:12:33.830
Or by blending together different genres to[br]make something new.

0:12:33.830,0:12:36.550
But whatever route you take, there are challenges[br]to overcome.

0:12:36.550,0:12:41.230
The games in this video show that the problems[br]aren’t unsolvable - you just need to be

0:12:41.230,0:12:43.060
smart about your design.

0:12:43.060,0:12:47.050
Let me know your favourite genre mash-ups,[br]in the comments down below.

0:12:47.050,0:12:48.930
Hey, thanks for watching!

0:12:48.930,0:12:52.500
Did you know that I made a video essay that[br]you can play?

0:12:52.500,0:12:57.410
Platformer Toolkit, now available on Itch.io,[br]is a free game that lets you see what it’s

0:12:57.410,0:13:01.730
like to make your own platformer - giving[br]you access to dozens of sliders, checkboxes

0:13:01.730,0:13:06.150
and graphs that drive the main character’s[br]movement.

0:13:06.150,0:13:06.570
Check it out!