Perhaps it could be implied that Abe's crushed gristle is processed in to the first Mudokon Pop.
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I think if you added one screen that made it clear you're passing through a duct of some kind, it would assuage any confusion about there being a trapdoor hanging over the boardroom.
Something like that flying slig air duct path in Abe's Exoddus.
I think it's necessary. Back in the day, people understood that certain game mechanics (like trapdoors) were representative, and were put in to accommodate easy path development. Nowadays, gamers will nitpick the hell out of the path design and architecture if it isn't custom designed, so everything has to make sense.
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My first thought was that people are more accepting of those game-design shortcuts than you think. Then I remembered that the camera will actually follow Abe falling, rather than screen-wiping. The metaphor won't hold so well in that case, so it probably would be a good idea to show how he gets to the Boardroom.
Here's my idea: The last level should be more obviously a set of catwalks above the Boardroom. The background would be the curved ceiling of the Boardroom and as you go lower it becomes more clear which room you're seeing. The bombs and mines on the ground would be an understandable security precaution. Maybe take out the grinders (or only keep them in an earlier part of the level, before you get in to the Boardroom proper) and put in laser motion detectors instead.
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That^
Plus, once you drop into the boardroom, it's not like you can go back if you missed anything, so the gauntlet is effectively over.
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Even if they are immune to the gas, my point still stands. Once you reach the boardroom, the threat of being gassed becomes pretty irrelevant.
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Says the guy who was just decrying the use of gameplay shortcuts and metaphor to an increasingly demanding playerbase...
EDIT: The 'Molluck Watches' FMV should be altered to show the Slig using that same lever to turn on the gas counter.