This is how a tutorial should be done!

This video clip is from a game called Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. It’s a well made game by Insomniac games studios. Its metacritic score is a very high 87 out of 100 and user score is 8.9 out of 10. So both the critics and the players love this game. In the video you will see how they have designed the tutorial of the game. Basically this is the onboarding stage in which the players are introduced by the game on how to use difficult-to-comprehend time-based game mechanics.

A crack in time is the final addition to the future series. To continue the plot from the previous game, Clank (the robot the player is controlling) learns about his destiny. He was created by Orvus to be the keeper of time who will take responsibility for the Great Clock. The Great Clock is an enormous facility constructed in the exact center of the universe to make sure that time paradoxes do not exist.

In the beginning, Sigmund (the red robot) takes the player on a slow and interesting visual journey around the facility. Then he teaches Clank how to use his time powers to open the security doors. When he was explaining how to use the time-pad to create multiple selves for example, he was being very obvious in his demonstration. Then he directs the player to do the same as he did in a very respectful way. When Clank goes through the security door, a wave of bolts (in-game currency) rush in to reward him. The background sound effect also plays a role. The ting-ting-ting sound playing when the door opens is an auditory cue for accomplishment. All of these effects working in tandem make the player feels good about learning something new.

In the second half of the video, Clank meets the AI program of Orvus in his neural subconscious. Again Orvus teaches Clank how to manipulate time like how a patient father teaching his child how to walk. He compliments on every task the player does according to his teaching regardless of their easiness. When you are fighting the green guys, he encourages you to push yourself a little more. “You are doing quite well. Just a little more,” he says. The player can see that the real Orvus must be a very likable character. He laugh and crack jokes although he is just a program.

In conclusion, the player feels that these characters are living breathing beings (although they are robots) who are thinking of the best for you. The voice acting is superb to make the player feel good about the tutorial experience. The game designers have thought of every single detail to make sure the player thinks he is ready to play the rest of the game. This is how a tutorial should be done. Easy, obvious, fun and conversational.