Unity Development — Powerups Time

Today we are going to break away from code a bit and talk about some game design. For decades a great trick to spice up games has been powerups. Pac-Man’s pellets and Mario’s Star are perfect early examples. What is something they have in common? They are both temporary.

How long these powerups last is something that designers, developers, and playtesters all must work on to figure out. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind. Say your powerup is very strong and makes you nearly invincible, like Mario’s Star. It has to be fairly rare or fairly short lived. If there was a new one every screen of your level and it lasted 10 seconds, then the player could potentially be unstoppable the entire time. That diminish any challenge at all.

The level design itself is also a factor here. Say you did have a level where it was possible to keep that Star power going throughout. That would work if the level was so filled with enemies and obstacles that without the star the player couldn’t make it at all. Then the real challenge would be to move fast enough with no mistakes to make sure to have a perpetual star.

You could also have powerups that make your character just a bit stronger, but not completely invulnerable. You could give one of these to the player right before a tough boss as a little boost. Give it to them at the beginning of a level. The longer they manage to hold on to it, the better.

There are plenty of ways to design your game and powerups to mold well with each other. Make sure it is challenging. Make sure it is fun.