It’s the poke and launch mechanic!

I got the idea when playing Super Mario Odyssey. In that game, there is an enemy that Mario can possess called Pokio. Pokio has a beak that can poke into walls. Then the player can build tension and launch Pokio. The devs at Nintendo EPD Tokyo made the experience very satisfying, right down to the little chirping noise when holding a lot of tension. Daryl Talks games has a great video detailing the mechanic and character

In Mario Odyssey, the developers never linger too long with mechanics. It keeps things fresh, engaging, and exciting but it can leave players wanting more. I wanted more Pokio! So, I decided to make my own game centered around that mechanic.

My first attempt/prototype was originally called “Kiopioke” (current called Kiopioke PROTOTYPE on Itch.io). It was in a 3D space and used Unreal Engine’s built in physics to achieve an effective (and buggy) poke and launch.

It’s a bit floaty but it has some cool ideas that didn’t make it into the final game. For instance, you can poke into side walls! There’s a UI indicator that shows where the player “aim” is. There are even defeatable enemies!

When I decided to make a full game, I made a lot of design decisions that changed how the poke and launch would be coded. Instead of relying on built in physics systems, I created my own. The game took on much more of a Celeste vibe so the pacing was different. Jumping and dashing had to work together with the launch to feel good but not overpower the levels. The shape of Kiopioke also changed drastically as the design evolved:

When Kiopioke successfully pokes into a wall, there is a dampening effect, like a spring. Players (especially speedrunners) can exploit this a bit to add some extra velocity to launches.

Players are given the freedom to aim in any direction (while using a gamepad). When players release their aiming direction, the character launches. The high level logic is:

1. Players aims

2. If the controls get close enough to “0” (or no input from player) then the character will launch.

This makes for a satisfying launch. I made it much snappier and quicker than our friend Pokio because I think it works better for this Celeste-like game. It feels awkward to jump and dash and then wait a second while building tension. Instead the player can launch the character very quickly.

Launching feels good and is an awesome tool for the player, but I thought there could be more to the mechanic. In later levels, the player has to hang on to walls and dodge obstacles.

So I simply added functionality that prevents the character from launching if the player holds down a button. It adds a new dimension to the poke.

I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out. But my early players weren’t always so thrilled. Why? Well, I believe it’s because everybody wants to control it differently. I use the R-Stick to control launches, but many people preferred using the L-Stick, which is also used for movement. Giving players the option to control it the way they felt comfortable was really important to me; it’s gotta feel good! Once I added these options, players were very positive about their launch experiences.

I originally wanted to expand upon the Pokio mechanic from Mario Odyssey. I believe I have done so, and pretty soon you can see for yourself. Kiopioke pokes… and launches…on July 18th