Creating a cohesive mobile game story can be challenging, especially when you have to consider the limitations and expectations of the platform, the genre, and the audience. However, with some planning, creativity, and testing, you can craft a compelling narrative that engages and entertains your players. Here are some tips to help you design a mobile game story that works.
Before you start writing your story, you need to define what you want to achieve with it. What is the main theme, message, or emotion you want to convey? How do you want your players to feel and react? How does your story fit with the gameplay, mechanics, and aesthetics of your game? Having a clear vision of your goals will help you create a consistent and focused story that supports your game design.
Mobile games offer different formats for telling stories, such as cutscenes, dialogue, text, audio, images, animations, or a combination of them. Each format has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type, length, and complexity of your story. For example, cutscenes can be immersive and cinematic, but they can also interrupt the flow and control of the game. Dialogue can be interactive and expressive, but it can also be tedious and distracting. Text can be descriptive and flexible, but it can also be hard to read and boring. Audio can be atmospheric and emotional, but it can also be inaudible and annoying. Images can be visual and symbolic, but they can also be ambiguous and confusing. Animations can be dynamic and engaging, but they can also be costly and time-consuming. You need to choose the format that best suits your story, your game, and your audience.
Mobile games are usually played in short sessions, on small screens, and in noisy environments. Therefore, you need to keep your story simple, clear, and concise. Avoid unnecessary details, complex plots, and long texts that can confuse or bore your players. Focus on the essential elements of your story, such as the characters, the conflict, and the resolution. Use simple language, short sentences, and active voice. Make sure your story is easy to follow, understand, and remember.
To craft a cohesive mobile game story, simplify narrative elements for clarity. Establish a clear protagonist with relatable motivations. Develop a straightforward plot arc with a central conflict and resolution. Introduce engaging characters, each serving a purpose in advancing the storyline. Maintain consistency in tone and pacing to enhance player immersion. Utilize concise dialogues and descriptive scenes to convey the narrative effectively. Ensure that gameplay seamlessly integrates with the story, enhancing player experience. Lastly, embrace a user-friendly interface to avoid overwhelming players with unnecessary details.
I disagree. A mobile game's story can be as complicated or convoluted as a console or PC game (eg. Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, NieR: ReIncarnation). The key is to give players access to all the story so far in an easy to find, easy to digest format. Allow them to replay cutscenes, read all previous interactions, etc. so they can dip in and out as easy as possible, so they don't just bounce after their first break from the game.
One of the advantages of mobile games is that they can offer interactivity and feedback to your players. You can use this to enhance your story and make it more engaging and meaningful. For example, you can let your players make choices, influence outcomes, explore environments, discover secrets, or interact with characters. You can also use sound, vibration, or touch to create immersion and emotion. However, you need to balance the interactivity with the coherence and logic of your story. Don't make your players feel frustrated or cheated by random or unfair consequences. Don't make your story too linear or too branching. Find the sweet spot between freedom and guidance.
Finally, you need to test and iterate your story to make sure it works as intended. You can use different methods, such as prototyping, playtesting, analytics, or feedback, to evaluate your story and identify its strengths and weaknesses. You can also compare your story with other successful or similar mobile games and learn from them. Based on your findings, you can revise, improve, or change your story until you are satisfied with the result.