While EleMental has the same first person perspective found in many popular games, the similarities end there. The player does not have a bazooka, a rocket launcher, a laser cannon, a gun, or even a knife. All the players have is the ability to manipulate the elements in order to attack their opponents (R-WP-1). For example, by using the fire ability, the players can launch fireballs at their opponents or they can combine earth, fire, and water, to make a steaming lava pit surrounding their positions.
As the second example shows, the players are not limited to using a single ability at a time; they can combine different abilities to deal greater damage. This feature encourages the players to come up with new and innovative attacks so that their opponents do not have the time to defend effectively.
Elemental Modes of Attack
Area of Effect (AoE) Attacks
Differing from a directed attack, an Area of Effect attack is guaranteed to hit any player standing within a predefined radius (R-WP-2). Area of Effect attacks can also be combined for maximum damage with both other Area of Effect attacks and directed attacks, just as long as the player has enough Manna to use multiple attacks (R-WP-3).
Directed Attacks
Directed attacks are attacks that the player launches at another player (R-WP-4). Unlike the AoE attacks, Directed attacks depend on how well the attacking player can aim at another player and whether or not the other player reacts to the attack in time. Directed attacks, if they hit, always do more damage than the AoE attacks.
Elemental Modes of Defense
At the beginning of each match, the players have the opportunity to set up a shield that will defend them against one particular elemental attack (directed or AoE) (R-WP-5). If the player is attacked with the element they selected for their shield, they will increase their manna and not take any damage. If they are attacked with an element they are not shielded against, the maximum damage is applied. At any time in the game, the players can change their shields around.
