Playtest: Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Intro:

In UX, Extreme users can be understood as the people on either end of the spectrum of users of a product/service. Unlike the average users, extreme users will find workarounds to existing problems. Learning about how they use a product can be a valuable source of insights that can improve the game experience for a larger audience.

For this playtest, I used my mom as an example of an extreme user. She has a Nintendo Wii and loves to play 'My Fitness-Coach' on it. It was her very first time playing a turn-based tactics action-adventure video game like Mario+Rabbids. So that means she didn't have the same understanding of games as a regular gamer.

My mother first did the playtest without interruptions. During the playsession she was supposed to think aloud. I just watched her and helped with the general controls from time to time. After about 45 minutes of playing, we stoped the playsession and I asked her questions about the mechanics, controls, graphics, animations, jokes and more. The answers and the results are seen here.

Playtest Time:  00:45:00 | Overall Video Time: 01:28:57 

Player Profile:  Age: 60 | Weekly Play Hours: 3-5 | Games: My Fitness-Coach, Mario Kart Wii, Spiders Solitär | Plattform: Nintendo Wii, PC

My Mum could be considers a part of the target group of the game, because she watched and play mario games herself.

Playtest Results - Questions after the Play:

Mechanics

General control

Observation:

She often ran into objects, propertly cause to input delay with the console and controller (switch and switch pro controller). Also she Did not know how to use the action button. Obvious information overload due to lack of game experience. But it is normal for everyone to learn the overall controls at the beginning of a new game and a new game console.

Nintendo likes to teach new players and old ones with the style of 'learning-by-doing'. Means the player will be thrown in the game in the first second.

Response:

UX Researcher: Let's move on to the controls. How do you find the controls? Do you find it easy to move the characters? 

Player : Yes. They run one after the other.

Player : I also find it very nice that I didn't fall down while running. because in some games i fall down. (mechanics / controls)

The Player refers to Mario Kart Wii, where the Player / driver can fall off the course. In Mario+Rabbids it is prevented by Colliders.

Combat Control

Observation:

She asked me often what she should do now and often if the character should stand here, walk etc. 

In Combat the player should think and move with a strategy. Also it is for the best of the player to use very obstacle (boxes) to hide and use to their adventage. My mum was not told this by the game, via tutorial or text.

Hiding and using the environment (boxes and blocks in Mario Games)

Observation:

Obstacles can be used to take cover - this is not explained clearly enough. She did not hide with the characters and stood openly in the field.

The game did not explain this directly. It explained it by nintendos learning phylosophy 'learning-by-doing' and positive/negative feedback in and outside of combat. For example by K-O of a playable character.

Response:

UX Researcher: You can't get to the crates (blocks/obstacles) like that. They are more like obstacles. you can use them, and so can the enemies. The opponents hid behind them, you could have done that too.

Player : Ah yes. ah well. maybe I should have done that.

KO of characters

Observation:

Rabbid Luigi was KO and could not take part in the last battle. She did not understand what happens if a character is knocked out and cannot fight anymore. After the KO of rabbid Luigi, he got a spiral adobe his head and was not controllable anymore. My Mum did not see or understood this.

Response:

UX Researcher: Maybe then all the characters would have come through ( stayed alive), but otherwise: very well done. Battle won

Player : All of them got through. 

( UX Researcher explain the KO of Rabbid Luigi in the video )

Learning the controls

Observation:

The Control is not explained anywhere at the beginning. Knowledge of control in general is assumed. So she asked me about general controls on the map and during the fights. She used a pro-controller for the playsession. She would not be able to understood the general controls (moving the characters), but I think after some time, she would have guessed it and could have been using it on her own.

Response:

UX Researcher: What do you mean: Now especially in the beginner area, is it easy for now to understand? 

Player : Yes.

UX Researcher: Would you have been able to control it all if I hadn't said anything before?

Player: Probably not. Because I'm not very good at that with the controller. I've played games before, but I'm not very good at it.

Other controllers and control options

Observation:

She looked at the pro-controller a lot, which is normal behavior for someone who is not familiar with the controller, controls, the console and the game genre and type. The Player was not familiar with the controls of this console (switch). We talked after the questions about it, and maybe another type of control would be better and more fitting for her. I showed her the other switch controllers, and she said, she would have been better with these (switch joy cons).

Coins, Weapon and currency

Observation:

She collected Coins, even not knowing for what excatly. In the battle HQ the player wanted to buy more weapons but did not had enough coins for it. This happened also in my playsessions in Mario+Rabbids. When the player is getting to much negative response from the game and do not get to the point of explaination, it is likely the player will stop playing the game in the future. 

Hypothesis of the UX Researchers on the 'Coins' in Mario+Rabbids:

It was a bit confusing at first what to do with the coins as a player. We only collected them out of nostalgia and only knew what they were used for in Battle HQ. Sometimes we thought the coins were just decoration, like in Animal Crossing. It only became clear much later that you should use the coins to buy weapons. 

We also didn't understand at the beginning why we couldn't use the weapons immediately after opening the boxes. The weapons were found as BluePrints in the boxes. We only understood this after some time. Katharina only understood this after a complete run-through of the game and with a comparison with Genshin Impact and the weapon BluePrints there.

Visuals 

General

Observation:

The Player did not have the knowledge, which players, developers or people of the industry normally have. So she did not understand the question about the graphics.

Response:

UX Researcher: What do you think about the graphics? i.e. the look?

Player: Nice and colorful and very clear. If you get stuck, you have to solve a puzzle or something similar. I think it's very nice. 

Menus / Pause menu 

Observation:

We looked at the Pause Menu. I asked her what was her opinion about the menu visuals. She said that the Menu is very beautiful and asked me, if she could fell into the funnels of the flowers. 

The answers about the visuals were short, because she was not familiar with the game and genre. It was necessary to lead the participant and give her examples (E.g: I asked her what was the current selected menu Button and, after a few tries she gave the correct answer).

You can watch the whole conversation about the Pause-Menu in the video below.

Character Design

Observation:

The player was asked about the character visuals. She asked me back if I was referring to the party member Characters (Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi and Mario). The participant also remembered Rabbid Peach from the intro cutscene and the cutscene at mushroom palace (Rabbid Peach was jealous about princess peach). 

Thoughts of the UX Researchers on the Characters:

No Punishment for not playing with a character in Mario+Rabbids

• In some games you will be punisched for not playing with the characters, for example: 
• Persona 4: the characters that are not part of the team does not level up
• Pokemon: not active pokemon did not get that much EP from the fights

We got some assumptions about not punishing the players for not playing with a specific character

• make game more casual, like normally in turn-based game like Mutant Year Zero - Road to Eden
• more emotions, jokes etc
• all characters have the same level, same rewards (gems to improve the skills of the characters)
• gain more freedom for playing a character: playing the character you are more attracted to for emotional resaon (jokes, designs, animations, character treats, story etc.)

Story: Intro sequence 

Observation:

With some help the player was able to recall and describe the intro scene in her own words. She told me about the rabbids that fall out of the washing mashine and how the chaos began.

Music / SFX

Background Music

Observation:

The player was not familiar with the terms Sound and Effects but she was able to understand the topic of music and backgroundmusic. She was able to connected the term music / backgroundmusic with the tems sound and effects. While playing there was no negative reaction or emotion observed.

Katharina's Lessons learned: 

I had an Interest how a actual playtest would work and I know my Mum pretty well, so I can realize soon if she gets in trouble with anything. I did not know that she could have been seen as someone who we call 'extreme player' (with no experience in this type of games).

As a Researcher (and someone who plays reguarly), I had alot of fun while moderating my first playtest session. It still sparks my interest how an actual playtest at an actual company, e.g Ubisoft or EPIC Games, would work and go with me as a participant.

I learned a lot and I still want to learn more.

Extreme Playtest and Thoughts by Katharina Kasprzak & Juan Oliveira