🟡Valentijn’s Analyses

Introduction

The research below explores two popular games, Diep.io and Cuphead, highlighting their unique features and appeal. Diep.io is a “Bullet Hell” MMO game where players control tanks and navigate a field filled with bullets, while Cuphead is a challenging run-and-gun game with intense levels and a distinctive 1930s cartoon-inspired visual style. The research provides insights into the mechanics, abilities, enemies, and boss fights of both games, as well as what makes them appealing to casual gamers. The aim of the research is to offer a comprehensive understanding of Diep.io and Cuphead, shedding light on their gameplay elements and factors contributing to their popularity in the gaming community.

Diep.io

ℹ️ What makes this game a “Bullet Hell’?

Diep.io is a 2D MMO game. The player controls a simple Tank, which can be upgraded at Levels 15, 30, and 45, that can shoot bullets, drones, or traps (depending on the tank used) at polygons and other tanks to level up and upgrade their tank.

The player starts as a normal ‘tank’ with a single cannon which shoots a single bullet and begins to work their way up from there. Every 15 levels, they may choose to step up to the next available tier, which is an organization of classes. Tiers, in turn, are sorted in the class tree, shown on the right. Depending on the choice of tank upgrade, you can adjust your playstyle. For instance as a sniper you want to keep your distance, but as a minigunner you want to put pressure on your enemies to eventually be able to defeat them.
There are many tank options you can choose from that will affect your playstyle, so it’s best to upgrade your tank to your desired playstyle.

Apart from the fact you make progression and make your tank better at keeping enemies at a distance, Diep.io is a Bullet Hell game, since there are tons of bullets shot on the field at once, which you have to dodge in order to stay alive and gather more resources to upgrade your tank and shoot even better, faster, bigger and more bullets.

What makes diepio so appealing to casual gamers?

Diep.io is a popular online multiplayer game that is simple and easy to play, making it appealing to casual gamers. The gameplay of Diep.io is straightforward, and players can learn how to play quickly. The game requires players to control a tank and destroy other tanks, obstacles, and shapes. The objective is to level up and upgrade the tank’s abilities and weapons to gain more points which displays you on the rankings.

Players can customize their tank to suit their playing style, which makes the game more appealing to casual gamers. Players can choose different types of tanks and upgrade their tank’s abilities and weapons based on their preferences, which brings exploration with the game as well.

The game is fast-paced, and players need to think quickly to avoid being destroyed. The game’s fast-paced action is exciting and keeps players engaged. You can also level up at a significant rate by trying to take down other tanks which have gathered lots of points. So this is also challenging, since it’s not easy to defeat a fully upgraded tank.

Diep.io is an online multiplayer game that allows players to compete against other players from around the world. The game’s social aspect is appealing to casual gamers who enjoy playing with friends or making new ones. Diep.io is free to play, which makes it accessible to everyone. Players can play the game without spending any money, which is a significant factor for casual gamers who do not want to invest money in a game they play for a certain amout of time.

Diep.io’s Mechanics, abilities, enemies and boss fight

Diep.io is an online multiplayer game that features a tank that players control to destroy other tanks, obstacles, and shapes.

Mechanics:

• Players control a tank and move it around using the ‘WASD’ keys or arrow keys.
• The tank can shoot bullets and destroy other tanks, obstacles, and shapes.
• Destroying obstacles and shapes give the player experience points, which can level up the tank.
• Players can upgrade their tank’s abilities and weapons using experience points.

Abilities:

• Players can choose from different types of tanks, each with unique abilities.
• Abilities include faster movement speed, increased bullet penetration, increased bullet damage, and increased reload speed.
• Players can upgrade their tank’s abilities and weapons based on their preferences.

Enemies:

• Other tanks controlled by players are the primary enemies in Diep.io.
• Tanks can shoot bullets at each other and use their abilities to gain an advantage.
• AI-controlled shapes and obstacles also appear and must be destroyed for experience points.

Boss Fight:

• Bosses are AI-controlled tanks that appear after a player reaches level 30.
• Bosses have high health and strong weapons, making them difficult to defeat.
• Players can team up with other players to defeat the boss, or they can try to defeat it on their own.
• Defeating the boss grants the player a lot of experience points and allows them to level up quickly.

Conlusion

In conclusion, Diep.io features simple mechanics, customizable abilities, and challenging enemies, including AI-controlled bosses. The game’s leveling system and variety of tanks and abilities provide players with many options for customization and strategy. What makes the game so appealing to casual gamers is that there are no in-game purchases. The game is fast paced. Diepio is a multiplayer game where players can find new friends or play with their existing ones.

🟩Upsides

• Multiple game modes
• Unique progression system
• Difficulty (tank can’t be too overpowered)
• strategic playstyle

🟥Downsides

• One level
• Sometimes frame rate drops
• No progression saved
• Not all tanks are balanced
• Match can run for hours

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Cuphead

ℹ️ What makes this game a “Bullet Hell”?

Cuphead is a side-scrolling run-and-gun game developed by StudioMDHR and released in 2017.
The game is known for its challenging gameplay and its unique visual style, inspired by the cartoons of the 1930’s.

Cuphead is considered a Bullet Hell game, because it features intense and overwhelming levels of bullet patterns, enemy projectiles, and obstacles that require precise timing, quick reflexes, and careful maneuvering to avoid. The game features a wide variety of enemies, each with their own unique bullet patterns, attacks, movements etc.

The player controls ‘Cuphead’, a cartoon character with a cup for a head, as he battles a series of bosses and levels in a world existing of strange and unreal creatures. Cuphead has a variety of attacks and abilities, including a basic shot, charged shot, dash move, and limited invincibility.

The gameplay of Cuphead is mainly focused on dodging a barrage of enemy projectiles, while trying to deal damage to the boss.
The player must carefully time their movement and attacks to avoid taking damage and to survive until the end of the level.
The game features a variety of power-ups and upgrades that can be obtained by defeating bosses and completing levels, which can help the ‘Cuphead’ survive longer and deal more damage.

What makes Cuphead so appealing to casual gamers?

Despite it’s challenging aspects, Cuphead has become a hit with casual gamers. Because of a combination between classic cartoon visuals and intense gameplay the game offers a unique experience. Cuphead’s levels are designed to be short and sweet, which make the game easy to pick and play for short amounts of time. Apart from all this, the game has a lot of replay value, with players constantly trying to beat their best times or complete the game on the “hardest difficulty” setting.

Cuphead’s Mechanics, abilities, enemies and boss fight

Cuphead’s mechanics are simple but also challenging. Players can jump, dash & shoot bullets, however the player must also master the game’s parry system, which allows them to jump off certain objects and carefully maneuver around bullets and obstacles to avoid taking damage. The game’s abilities are earned by purchasing them with collected coins throughout levels. These abilities include aditional health points, a bullet which deals more damage & a charged attack.

Cuphead’s enemies are unique and vary, ranging from flowers that shoot bees towards a living stack of poker chips. Each enemy requires different strategies in order to defeat.

I believe that Cuphead’s boss fights are the maijn attraction of the game. Each boss is provided and designed to be challenging and having unique attacks/abilities. With these varied bosses, the player is required to learn and adapt quickly in order to defeat them. In game bosses vary from giant carrots to boxing frogs. As well as each boss fight having their own unique soundtrack which adds to the game’s charm.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Cuphead is considered a Bullet Hell game because of it’s intense and challenging gameplay that requires the player to dodge a barrage of enemy projectiles, while trying to deal damage to the boss. Cuphead’s unique visual style and it’s focus on precision and timing, have made it a beloved and iconic game in the gaming community.

🟩Upsides

• High level of difficulty can be rewarding and also satisfying for players who enjoy a challenge, providing a sense of accomplishment and mastery.
• Cuphea’s focus on precise timing and movement can enhance players’ reflexes and hand-eye coordination, improving their overall gaming skills.
• The constant barrage of enemy projectiles and bullet patterns can create an immersive and intense gameplay experience, keeping players engaged and on the edge of their seat.

🟥Downsides

• High level of difficulty may be frustrating or discouraging for some players, causing feelings of inadequacy or stress.
• The game’s focus on precise timing and movement may require a steep learning curve, making it less accessible to casual or inexperienced players.
• The constant barrage of enemy projectiles and bullet patterns may feel overwhelming or chaotic to some players, making it difficult to keep track of the action on screen.
• The game’s retro inspired aesthetic and challenging gameplay may not be to everyone’s taste.

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Sources

Diepio sources
- Diepio the game diep.io
- diep.ioWikiFandom
- Best IO games
- Diepio overview

Cuphead sources
- CupheadWikiFandom
- IGN Review Cuphead
- DLC expanion pack
- Digital Trends featuring Cuphead

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Heuristic Evaluations

Diep.io

1. Visibility of system status

• Due to use of brighter color it’s easy to define which features are still upgradeable and which are not.
• The upgrade system is easily noticed since it’s locked in the bottom left of your screen.

2. Match between system and the real world

• Use of language is clear (different upgradeable features such as health regen, max health, bullet damage etc).
• Different colors used for the upgrade system are not reflecting the upgrades. Example: Why use green for reload instead of max health or health regen.

3. User control and freedom

• Player can choose which skill they want to upgrade (bullet speed, movement speed, max health)
• Player can’t upgrade a skill when the skilltree is gray.
• Player can easily upgrade a skill by typing a number on the screen. (1-8)
• Available upgrade points are displayed right next to the skilltree as an indicator how many skills the player can upgrade.

4. Consistency and standards

• Mouse pointer as aiming point and shooting in the mouse’s direction.
• Use of colors (Upgraded skills are highlighted in their color. Still upgradable skills are highlighted gray)

5. Error prevention

• Whenever an upgrade point is earned it will be shown next to the skill tree to indicate how many skill points can be used on the skilltree.

6. Recognition rather then recall

• Skill tree indicates how many skills you’ve spent on movement speed for example, the obtained skills will have a static color.
• Indication of skill tree being upgradeable by pressing numbers 1-9 is shown on the screen.

7. Conclusion

Elements that are fixed, such as having a static color on an upgrade will most likely be used for my game to indicate the player they have obtained a skill. In our game ammo is displayed on how many bullets are left for a weapon before it will break. Health will be visable in the game as well as damage.

Diep.io Battle Screen

1. Visibility of system status

• Due to use of brighter color it’s easy to define which features are still upgradeable and which are not.
• The upgrade system is easily noticed since it’s locked in the bottom left of your screen.

2. Match between system and the real world

• Use of language is clear (different upgradeable features such as health regen, max health, bullet damage & also the choice of tank located on the left side of the screen).
• Different colors used for destroyable objects are off (yellow for lowest hp, red for middle hp and purple for most amount of hp)

3. User control and freedom

• Player can choose which skill they want to upgrade (bullet speed, movement speed, max health as well as choice in upgradable tank)
• Player can’t upgrade a skill when the skilltree is gray.
• Available upgrade points are displayed right next to the skilltree as an indicator how many skills the player can upgrade. (in this case “5X”).
• Name and hp bar being displayed on the bottom of the screen.

4. Consistency and standards

• Mouse pointer as aiming point and shooting in the mouse’s direction.
• Use of colors (Upgraded skills are highlighted in their color. Still upgradable skills are not highlighted)
• Leaderboard shown in top right with top 10 players with the most gathered points.

5. Error prevention

• Whenever an upgrade point is earned it will be shown next to the skill tree to indicate how many skill points can be used on the skilltree. (in this case “5X”).

6. Recognition rather then recall

• Skill tree indicates how many skills you’ve spent on movement speed for example, the obtained skills will have a static color.
• Name and HP bar being displayed at the bottom of the screen.

7. Conclusion

Indications such as player name and upgraded skills will be used in our game. As well as HP bar and skill bar to indicate how many points the play has to gather to obtain a skill.

Cuphead

1. Visibility of system status

• Indication of remaining health displayed with a health bar.
• Amount of boss health being displayed.
• Amount of points gathered being displayed.

2. Match between system and the real world

• Not much use of language other than the name of the boss.

3. User control and freedom

• Player can choose from a range of different attacks/weapons.
• Player HP bar being displayed.

4. Consistency and standards

• Indication of which weapon you’re using shown in top right.
• Use of colors for the boss. Boss had more colors than Cuphead which makes the boss stand out more.
• Score displayed on screen.

5. Error prevention

• Indication of dropping ballons exploding which tells the player they will do damage.

6. Recognition rather then recall

• Indication of which weapon you’re using shown in the top right of the screen.
• Health bar being displayed of player and boss on the screen (top rught top left).

7. Conclusion

Indications such as health bar and colors for enemy projectiles will be used for our game. As well as boss size which indicates it dealing more damage the bigger the boss is. Score display will also be used as well as boss heatl bar to indicate how much health there is left. Indications of which weapon player is using will also be used in our game (giving player based on which weapon they picked up/use).

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Last update: June 9, 2023