Multiplayer shooter developers often have some kind of idea for how to balance a match. These often consist of switching the values of a character's special ability or the amount of damage a gun deals. Morphie's Law developer Cosmoscope, on the other hand, has a unique solution that makes its quirky FPS stand out—literally.
You may have missed Morphie's Law completely, which launched its trailer back in March, but I wanted to bring it to your attention because its core concept is super enticing. See, when you shoot an enemy's limb, mass from that area is transferred to your corresponding limb. For example, if you shoot an enemy's head, your head grows as theirs shrinks. This works with every part of players' bodies: chests, legs, and arms included. As a result of this, more skilled players become bigger targets, making them easier to hit, while those with less skill become harder-to-hit, smaller targets.
"Highly skilled players may thus play with newbies in the same match and both can enjoy the game," Cosmoscope writes on its Facebook page. "Your skill will not be expressed by your kill-death-ratio, but by your body size."
However, the game's "Morph system" is not just about balancing a match. Different-sized body parts affect player abilities as well. Players with tall legs can jump and reach higher areas, while smaller players can hide in tiny spaces. "A successful player adapts to his own body size," Cosmoscope says.
One of the most interesting mechanics in Morphie's Law is distributing weight amongst a team. Each team has its own avatar, which grows as players increase in size. While friendly fire doesn't make the avatar grow, it is an effective way to distribute the weight from a highly skilled player to a less-skilled player. This is a strategy players can utilize to keep their best teammates small and difficult to hit. It makes me think of Overwatch's Mercy, who follows a teammate to keep them healed or buffed. However, in Morphie's Law, you'd follow your teammate, shooting them along the way, to keep them small. It's an interesting mechanic, and I can't wait to try it myself.
Morphie's Law is currently in development, but the trailer (below) says it will eventually make its way to Steam Greenlight "probably."
