Need Help Researching A Game Mechanic

So, as some of you are aware, I am the designer, programmer and writer for an indie game project, with the title being Turtles all the Way: A Shell Game.

A major mechanic of said game involves the player receiving bonuses/penalties based on how often they switch between the characters under their control, while the other follows along and assists in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 style.

I'm trying to look for games that invoked similar character-switching mechanics in the past for research purposes. The closest I can think of is Sonic Heroes, but that didn't have any effects based on switch frequency, my baby brother broke my copy years ago, and I'm not naive enough to think that I was the first person to come up with and implement such a system in the past.

So I now ask you people here at TV Tropes, a site that specializes in categorizing media. I need to formulate a list of games with mechanics like that to look into, if you wouldn't mind listing some off for me. Thanks in advance.

Try looking at the Pokemon Trainer in Super Smash Bros Brawl. He switches between the three starters in battle, with extended use of any one resulting in reduced effectiveness until it's had time to cool off. Is that the sort of thing you had in mind?

Pretty much, yeah. Slightly different, but the implementation is quite similar. Forgot about that.

edited 8th May '12 1:07:03 AM by burnpsy

I think you want Stance System. That's the closest I can think of.

Sounds nothing like what I need, actually.

It's a doujin game, but Mystical Chain is all about flipping between two characters to keep combos going, which factors into the end of stage results .

The more often you switch between characters in the middle of a combo, you fill up the coupling points meter. At 10, you gain the ability to control the other character during spells, and then 30 unlocks the True Final Boss

edited 8th May '12 5:40:52 AM by hnd03

Perfect.

Further proof that, if you think of something, Japan has done it already.

Another idea would be something like what The Lost Vikings did: give each character abilities that are essential for progress, while making sure that the other characters cannot perform that task. For example, one character might have a strong attack required to break down some debris or a wall in the way, another might have the jumping skills necessary to get past a chasm and pull a switch, and another might have a strong shield or buff ability to protect the whole team during combat.

Sounds like a slightly different Sonic Heroes.

I'll look into it.

Any more games with a mechanic like this, people?

Donkey Kong Country, maybe?

Didn't Trine do something similar in single-player?

What about Donkey Kong Country resembles this? I haven't had access to that game in a long, long time.

EDIT: Looking into Trine.

edited 16th May '12 10:56:19 PM by burnpsy

Maybe the Marvel vs Capcom games which had tag-team gameplay and often had multi-character combos?

Also probably not exactly the same as what you're thinking, but Devil May Cry 3 allowed on-the-fly weapon switching which allowed for big combos.