levyjl1988
Banned
I'm talking about specific moments in games where the environments and mechanics are absolutely creative and intelligent, things that play on your psychology and expectations.
Spoilers ahead in terms of game design.
1. Dark Souls - Illusorary wall in Blight town
This one played with my expectations.
A ramp leading up to a hollow tree, there must be something there to create something that would lead up to something. I mean every stairs lead to a door or something profound.
At the end of the ramp in it was an item (plank shield) and a dead end, and one would naturally turn back and explore elsewhere. I mean what else is there? then when you hit a wall out of frustration, bam an illusory wall and a chest. You would think jackpot, I am being rewarded for trying something. You would think sweet, that's it and turn back. But then this plays a psychological trick on you and you do the same. You hit the wall behind the chest and look a new path forward and a large map. I mean you would navigate around the chest to hit the wall a second time. The chest already in front of you is blocking the entrance. Who would have ever hit this without a guide, but of course Dark Souls brilliance with player interaction and learning from pools of blood and left over messages leaves something enchanting to clue players in.
Most players would have missed this in their first initial playthrough, and most developers would never hide a large substantial amount of content behind something so small and extremely missable, but here we go Dark Souls does something that most modern games don't do and that is to create large levels that most people won't play. Most designers would have the first time player go though everything in their first playthrough as most casuals do, they play it initially and then move on to the next disposable form of media without exploration and understanding of its depths, this fulfills and even exceeds player expectations. Just fucking brilliant design Fromsoftware and this needs to be appreciated in video games.
2. Dark Souls - Elevator in Firelink Shrine
The thought of rolling at a certain time during the operation of when an elevator is ascending or descending to reach a different level. It seems unintended as we use elevators naturally when it stops at the right and designated stop. To interrupt it and reach a different ground was shocking and revolutionary to me at that time. This game broke many of the assumed practices in video games. Such groundbreaking stuff.
3. Dark Souls 2 - Vertical ambush - Forest of Fallen Giants
You see a narrow walkway with a desirable item at the very end, the close looks clear and you move towards the item. Little do you know perspective is everything.
Above you is an enemy that would ambush you if you rush in without and preparedness. As one would grab that item would would be ambushed from behind. You would not have seen it coming.If the backstab doesn't kill you, accidentally rolling out of the way will when you fall off and die. Brilliant execution and enemy placement. Excellent use of verticality and perspective. As you have the camera focused behind your character and the suggestive layout of the narrow path its easy for one to not examine their surroundings. As Ras Al Ghul from Batman begins mentions...
4. Demon Souls - Boletaria
This one is pretty clever, you have a narrow walkway with an archer opposite to you shooting arrows. Around you foreshadows breakable planks of wood holding cannons.
The archer is shooting arrows, you can visibly see them. One can easily dodge them, but this can be bad. The level design in this is brilliant because you are on an incline, by avoiding these arrows they break the barriers behind you
this can cause the cannons to strike you from behind. Being observant you can break the barriers and the cannon balls will be released and kill the archer. Again clever design of altitude and slopes, excellent use of foreshadowing and utility. Just brilliant game design and problem-solving. It teaches players to be observant.
Also, you can climb ledges in Demons Souls
but not in Dark Souls?!
5. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion - Ring with weight mages guild
This one was an interesting quest, an NPC has a quest of retrieving a ring from a well. When you go to get the ring and put it inventory, you realize that you are over encumbered and cannot move.
The NPC's intentions are pretty hostile. They want you to drown. If you are an Argonian then you are good, you can breathe underwater. One exploit is to drag the ring and put it in your inventory next to the exit or have enough carry weight to pick it up. Pretty clever use of multiple mechanics and integration with story.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Magnetic boots and shooting an arrow
I forgot which level this was in, but it was pretty clever and badass. Being upside-down sniping things from a distant with your bow and arrows. Clever and cool.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - Gleeok Boss battle
This fight was multi-dimensional thinking. Using the grapple hook to connect the poles. Using it as a slingshot and a tight rope. Leave it to Nintendo to create clever boss encounters.
Alternate Player solutions
Destiny - Pushing the Templar off the map
Not sure if this was by accident but by throwing a grenade causes the boss to be pushed backwards. Gamers are smart, what if they can get the whole team to lob grenades at the boss and force it off its platform, and it works.
A brilliant alternate problem-solving solution not thought out be the developers. Bungie was quick to patch this unfortunately with boss bumpers, it seems like they piss on clever tactics by the players. Alternate solutions are the bread and butter of gameplay. Sad Bungie did this, but it was brilliant while it lasted.
Lobbing grenades is nothing new. I remember in the good old days of Halo 3 my team was instructed to lob all our grenades at the spawn point of the enemy at the beginning of the match. We would always kill the enemy team across the maps as a hail of explosives killed them, ah good memories.
If you have discovered any brilliant moments in game design, please share them, especially with a video so we can understand and appreciate it and tell us why it is brilliant.
These are some of the examples that resonated with me and think it's very creative. I, unfortunately, don't find this often in modern games anymore. There's no more clever game design or level design, often it feels like an itnern made a level. Things needs to be well thought out and explored. Fromsoftware really explores this creative and imagined design.
Spoilers ahead in terms of game design.
1. Dark Souls - Illusorary wall in Blight town
This one played with my expectations.
A ramp leading up to a hollow tree, there must be something there to create something that would lead up to something. I mean every stairs lead to a door or something profound.
At the end of the ramp in it was an item (plank shield) and a dead end, and one would naturally turn back and explore elsewhere. I mean what else is there? then when you hit a wall out of frustration, bam an illusory wall and a chest. You would think jackpot, I am being rewarded for trying something. You would think sweet, that's it and turn back. But then this plays a psychological trick on you and you do the same. You hit the wall behind the chest and look a new path forward and a large map. I mean you would navigate around the chest to hit the wall a second time. The chest already in front of you is blocking the entrance. Who would have ever hit this without a guide, but of course Dark Souls brilliance with player interaction and learning from pools of blood and left over messages leaves something enchanting to clue players in.
Most players would have missed this in their first initial playthrough, and most developers would never hide a large substantial amount of content behind something so small and extremely missable, but here we go Dark Souls does something that most modern games don't do and that is to create large levels that most people won't play. Most designers would have the first time player go though everything in their first playthrough as most casuals do, they play it initially and then move on to the next disposable form of media without exploration and understanding of its depths, this fulfills and even exceeds player expectations. Just fucking brilliant design Fromsoftware and this needs to be appreciated in video games.
2. Dark Souls - Elevator in Firelink Shrine
The thought of rolling at a certain time during the operation of when an elevator is ascending or descending to reach a different level. It seems unintended as we use elevators naturally when it stops at the right and designated stop. To interrupt it and reach a different ground was shocking and revolutionary to me at that time. This game broke many of the assumed practices in video games. Such groundbreaking stuff.
3. Dark Souls 2 - Vertical ambush - Forest of Fallen Giants
You see a narrow walkway with a desirable item at the very end, the close looks clear and you move towards the item. Little do you know perspective is everything.
Above you is an enemy that would ambush you if you rush in without and preparedness. As one would grab that item would would be ambushed from behind. You would not have seen it coming.If the backstab doesn't kill you, accidentally rolling out of the way will when you fall off and die. Brilliant execution and enemy placement. Excellent use of verticality and perspective. As you have the camera focused behind your character and the suggestive layout of the narrow path its easy for one to not examine their surroundings. As Ras Al Ghul from Batman begins mentions...
4. Demon Souls - Boletaria
This one is pretty clever, you have a narrow walkway with an archer opposite to you shooting arrows. Around you foreshadows breakable planks of wood holding cannons.
The archer is shooting arrows, you can visibly see them. One can easily dodge them, but this can be bad. The level design in this is brilliant because you are on an incline, by avoiding these arrows they break the barriers behind you
this can cause the cannons to strike you from behind. Being observant you can break the barriers and the cannon balls will be released and kill the archer. Again clever design of altitude and slopes, excellent use of foreshadowing and utility. Just brilliant game design and problem-solving. It teaches players to be observant.
Also, you can climb ledges in Demons Souls
but not in Dark Souls?!
5. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion - Ring with weight mages guild
This one was an interesting quest, an NPC has a quest of retrieving a ring from a well. When you go to get the ring and put it inventory, you realize that you are over encumbered and cannot move.
The NPC's intentions are pretty hostile. They want you to drown. If you are an Argonian then you are good, you can breathe underwater. One exploit is to drag the ring and put it in your inventory next to the exit or have enough carry weight to pick it up. Pretty clever use of multiple mechanics and integration with story.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Magnetic boots and shooting an arrow
I forgot which level this was in, but it was pretty clever and badass. Being upside-down sniping things from a distant with your bow and arrows. Clever and cool.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - Gleeok Boss battle
This fight was multi-dimensional thinking. Using the grapple hook to connect the poles. Using it as a slingshot and a tight rope. Leave it to Nintendo to create clever boss encounters.
Alternate Player solutions
Destiny - Pushing the Templar off the map
Not sure if this was by accident but by throwing a grenade causes the boss to be pushed backwards. Gamers are smart, what if they can get the whole team to lob grenades at the boss and force it off its platform, and it works.
A brilliant alternate problem-solving solution not thought out be the developers. Bungie was quick to patch this unfortunately with boss bumpers, it seems like they piss on clever tactics by the players. Alternate solutions are the bread and butter of gameplay. Sad Bungie did this, but it was brilliant while it lasted.
Lobbing grenades is nothing new. I remember in the good old days of Halo 3 my team was instructed to lob all our grenades at the spawn point of the enemy at the beginning of the match. We would always kill the enemy team across the maps as a hail of explosives killed them, ah good memories.
If you have discovered any brilliant moments in game design, please share them, especially with a video so we can understand and appreciate it and tell us why it is brilliant.
These are some of the examples that resonated with me and think it's very creative. I, unfortunately, don't find this often in modern games anymore. There's no more clever game design or level design, often it feels like an itnern made a level. Things needs to be well thought out and explored. Fromsoftware really explores this creative and imagined design.
