Hoop Land is 2D retro-style basketball simulation and management game developed by Koality Game. The aspect I am going to focus on is the simulation part where the user is able to play as a college athlete that eventually gets drafted and turns pro. The game features retro pixelated graphics accompanied by upbeat, retro music. Beyond the retro feel, Hoop Land allows users to express themselves as the college hooper and their journey to pro.
The mechanics of Hoop Land are expression, fantasy, narrative, and competition.
Expression: Hoop Land allows users to archetype the player build they want (e.g. shooter, slasher, playmaker), edit the look of the character (e.g. hair, height, city they’re from). For me, I am able to customize a character that reflects myself or the type of player I want to be.
Fantasy: I am not a hooper, so being able to role-play as a college hooper that turns pro is a career that I won’t get the experience.
Narrative: Hoop Land has set in place a story of a 4 start player out of [users choice of city/hometown] that plays college basketball and gets drafted to play pro after 4 years.
Competition: When I first started playing, I experienced annoyance because my teammates would refuse to pass me the ball, and when they finally did and I missed, I wouldn’t touch the ball for the rest of the game. It incentives perfection at the start of the game to build trust within your teammates, so that when you call for the ball they won’t hesitate.
Together, expression, fantasy, narrative, and competition, combine to create an engaging player experience that reflects the core aesthetics of Hoop Land.
