Screencheat takes what some would call a problem of split screen multiplayer and turns it into the main feature.
Screencheat was born out of Global Game Jam 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Developers, Samurai Punk took inspiration from their local multiplayer experiences, and mentioned Halo (Xbox) and Goldeneye (N64) as direct influences.
There are a few core pillars of Screencheat:
One-Shot Weapons
All of the weapons do significant damage, enough so that after only one successful hit to an opponent they will go down. To help balance this the weapons typically are slow to reload or are difficult to use. I found the the weapons a bit difficult to use at the start
Shoot only when certain
Every one of the weapons has their own tell, a visual indicator that lets your opponents see precisely where you are standing. I learned this the hard way. The Teddy bear bomb lets you throw a bear and detonate the bomb upon command. Once the bear is thrown the detonator starts smoking and continues to do so until the bomb is triggered. When I tried to lay traps for my enemies I would throw a bomb and wait, not realizing for several deaths that I was an easy target. Each of the weapons has a short learning period while you figure out the best way to kill and minimizing your exposure.
Location, Location, Location
Situational awareness of yourself and your opponents is key to success, the level design of Screencheat works to help. Each area of a level puts a big emphasis on colored rooms and the blending of colors to help identify specific positions. I was constantly looking at my opponents screens identifying the colors they could see and then frantically searching for them from my point of view.
The Map I played on had a central circular room with a single spiral ramp leading up. Along the way there were four levels with a small room each. Each floor of the building had a different color, and an easy way to identify which floors were adjacent.
Since the traditional situational awareness is dependent on colors which don’t always look the same to all players, the developers are also incorporating a color-blind mode which uses easy to recognize patterned walls instead of relying solely on colors.
While I only got hands on with the team deathmatch mode, Samurai Punk has included a bunch more ranging from a one bullet mode, to a unique base destroying mode titled “Bombs Away.”
The build at GDC wasn’t as fully updated as the Steam version currently available but will have 10 maps at launch and support up to 8 player split screen and up to 8 player simulated split-screen online. The developers are also looking to support PC cross-play multiplayer with the Xbox One version. Expect Screencheat on Xbox One in early summer 2015.
