Pid's hard mode transforms "cheery learning curve" into a "nightmare"
New video shows why.
Might and Delight, the developer behind eye-catching 2D platformer Pid, has released a new video for the game showcasing the difference between normal and hard modes.
Normal involves some nice jumping and what not. It looks like fun. Hard mode involves more, and it changes the fundamentals of the game, one of its creators has revealed.
"The difficulty level became a much debated subject internally," Might and Delight co-founder Jakob Tuchten wrote on the PlayStation Blog.
"Being a platformer with strong influences in precision-based retro games, it had to be. However, with our adventure aspect, the difficulty naturally had to follow the same recipe. An adventure is something that happens once and it was therefore decided that you should have infinite lives. It all fell into place neatly. The game felt like a journey and the gameplay was difficult in the right way. Even to date, that defines Pid: a challenging adventure through a world where ideas and creativity rule both presentation and game design.
"Or so we thought. Two of our team members had an ambition to take the game further; especially the core mechanic. The light beams were considered to have more depth than what had been seen in the game. A new game difficulty setting was created to explore the idea: Pid's Hard Mode."
According to Tuchten, hard mode transforms Pid's "cheery learning curve" into a "nightmare".
"The game was no longer a tasteful balance between the different elements," he explained. "It was now primarily about the interaction and that alone. It was quickly evident how the priorities in-game changed. The richly detailed backgrounds became superfluous; the charming cast of characters simply mocks you by their very existence. You no longer care about the little boy on his way home: you are far too busy memorising the enemy patterns in front of you."
Pid is due out on PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade some time this year. Might and Delight was formed in early 2000 by former developers of Capcom's Bionic Commando: Rearmed.