High speed, highly silly action
Cuckoo Time! takes place entirely within the confines of a traditional German cuckoo clock. Unbeknownst to most, the insides of cuckoo clocks are filled with grumpy gnomes, polka music, beer, a goofy cuckoo, pratfalls, all with names derived from bad German puns. The spirit of the game should be lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek, emphasizing straightforward and frenetic gameplay.

One object/one principle approach
The inside of the cuckoo clock is full of clock parts and power-ups that help the gnomes catch the cuckoo and sabotage each other’s attempts. Each of the clock parts obeys and demonstrates a single physical principle. For instance, a lever in the clock only operates on the principle of mechanical advantage; friction, mass and elasticity of the lever do not apply to gameplay strategies. When a player is considering the best way to approach a level, the appropriate physical principle should leap to mind. The use of clock parts or power-ups forces the player to wrestle with how mass, velocity, and force affect machines. With cheat codes, the player can also change properties of the environment such as gravity.

Simple to learn, difficult to master
The game is very easy for a new player to pick up. Within a minute of a competitive multiplayer game, a new player should be able to make life difficult for experienced players. Solo and cooperative levels may take longer for new players to figure out, but a minute of play and exploration should give them some idea of how to solve the clock puzzles. To have complete mastery over the gamespace requires an instantaneous recognition of the properties and affordances of multiple mechanical objects. Such intuitions can only be developed through repeated gameplay.

Thinking with Physics and Engineering concepts a core gameplay mechanic
Players will be force to choose between alternate paths in climbing to the top of the clock. A player might use a lever to pry open a door. The player must use her knowledge of simple machines to predict whether the machine will achieve the desired result. Other players might glance at the door and realize that they cannot generate enough energy to pry the door open. Thus, the player’s knowledge of levers allows her to quickly analyze different strategies and choose the strategy that will be the most effective.

Level design as an integrated mode
A level editor will be featured prominently among the gameplay options and allow players to create their own levels as complex as the levels shipped with the game. Creating a playable level should require players to employ a large degree of creativity and a deep understanding of physics principles. Drastic adjustments to the physics of the game that severely change gameplay, such as the loss of gravity, should only be available via cheat codes.

Copyright 2002, MIT.