The term learning curve refers to a graphical representation of the “average” rate of learning for an activity or tool. It can represent at a glance the initial difficulty of learning something and, to an extent, how much there is to learn after initial familiarity. (Thank you Wikipedia)
When applied to video games this generally refers to the amount of time the common player will require in order to get accustomed to the game elements, ranging from basic controls to understanding and completing level objectives. As the game progresses and new elements are introduced the learning curve registers value modifications usually directly connected to the targeted audience/consumers. So casual games usually have a pretty steep learning curve in the sense that player spends only a small amount of time learning the in and outs of the game and this is because “the lessons” are either extremely easy or the amount of information that needs to be assimilated is very small. On the other side of the fence you will find the hardcore games in which the learning process is sometimes quite demanding because of the game complexity and may, depending on the player, take a lot of time. Since hardcore games are hardly forgiving towards the player, not being able to fully master the basic elements of such a game results in a detrimental effect to the gameplay experience, and in this case the learning curve overlaps the difficulty curve, making the last one spike against the best intentions of the designer.
And this finally brings us to the idea of making a game that perfectly combines the best the two have to offer: the small and universally accessible learning packages of the casual and the complex and demanding gameplay of the hardcore. And this is what Rinni – The Elements of Xi is all about, this is the design trick we are really proud of. The so called learning packages of our game are tiny and generally consist of elements you most likely found in other platformers. Running, jumping, grabbing, swinging, etc. are actions you came across in other games of the same type, and if you haven’t had the chance to play such games I can assure you without a shadow of a doubt that they are easy to comprehend, learn and master. Then what makes Rinni – The Elements of Xi special? Well, as you progress and the game unfolds you will be presented with increasingly difficult puzzles, puzzles that you would normally expect to find in hardcore games. The extraordinary thing is that these puzzles do not affect the learning curve in any way because all you need in order to solve them you already know, so we can freely tinker with the difficulty curve without worrying about the learning curve. The Elements are things such as fire, water and rock/earth. From early childhood we all know the possible interactions between these elements, we all know that fire can heat up a bowl of water making it boil and transform into clouds of steam that can in turn produce rain or snow or even ice depending on the temperatures; we all know that a rock will sink into water, but can’t be damaged by fire and that you can extinguish a burning fire by pouring water on it.
So as you can see there’s not much we can teach you and the game holds no secrets from this point of view. Also keep in mind that the above are only a small part of the Elements of Xi and only a handful of elements interactions. The difficulty of the game is given by your ability to make the necessary connections in order to solve the puzzles we will be throwing at you, and there will be plenty of those. So the question is: do you really have what it takes to solve these puzzles and help Rinni in his adventures? 
Stay tuned for more design introspection in the following weeks.
Tags: casual game design, casual game vs hardcore games, game design