Bastion
LQ: 9.15
Recommended Age: 10+
Skills Used: Planning, Working Memory, Mathematics, Reading
In this game, the player explores the world of cyberspace, racing against others on a futuristic light bike. As he travels, a light path is created behind him. The player is challenged with avoiding crashing into other players’ light paths while trying to get them to crash into his. As the game progresses, new upgrades and abilities can be unlocked to help him better defeat his opponents. The game can be played competitively online or against others in real-time by sharing the same device simultaneously. The game even offers Bluetooth capability, allowing up to 3 local players to connect their devices and compete. Due to the lack of violence and ease of play, LightBike 2 is recommended to players ages 6 and up.
Understanding our own actions, thoughts, and feelings.
LightBike 2 offers the ability for the player to engage in a two-player mode, in addition to playing against opponents via internet or Bluetooth. While playing in two-player mode, the players face each other and hold opposite ends of the device. This requires some cooperation and collaboration between the players. Firstly, both players must be respectful of each other and avoid pushing or pulling the device during gameplay. Furthermore, one player might be better at the game, or is simply more experienced, so he can recognize himself as a resource and offer tips or hints to help the other player. On the other hand, if a player has trouble with the game, he will be able to identify his weaknesses, and ask for help. When playing online or with bluetooth, the player should also realize it would be rude to leave a game mid-round, and avoid ending everyone else's game by quitting.
Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.
The player is traveling at "light speed," which leaves no room for distraction and thus requires solid and committed attention to the game. At any second, opponents can take a quick turn to create a pathway that the player must quickly react to in order to avoid collision. Also, it's important to pay attention to the map displaying the direction his opponents are traveling. This serves two purposes; 1) to avoid crashing into other player's paths, and 2) to find opportunities that will cause their opponents to crash. It is very easy to crash into another bike if the player looses focus on the game, even for just a second. Winning is critical to unlocking upgrades and achievements, so the more he can sustain his efforts exclusively on the game, the better he will become and the faster he will advance in the game.
Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals.
In LightBike 2, the player may find it helpful to develop some general strategies for surviving and beating opponents. For example, players often plan to travel around the perimeter in an effort to better avoid collisions with other players. Also, the player should create a game plan concerning how to cause opponents to crash. This involves paying attention to where their opponents are going, creating paths that corner them, and boosting at the right time to quickly speed up causing opponents to crash into your pathway.
Furthermore, LightBike 2 is filled with upgrades and abilities that are earned through accomplishing achievements. It is important for the player to know what some of these goals are before starting a level, so that he can intentionally work towards them. For example, one goal is to boost 10 times in one level. He can easily and quickly accomplish this if he plans out his strategy, as opposed to simply playing until he eventually achieves his goal.
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