Bi-Weekly Roundup - Apr. 3, '24

Finding meaning in what we do is to be human. The games I have played these past few weeks, in so many ways, are like life. When you begin, you have a deeply guided experience, pop-ups with tutorials, and folks who carry you along. Yet, at some point, a time comes when you must be free to roam and learn on your own and at your own pace. That's not to say these games, or any others, are completely unguided and free (all good design guides you in a hidden way), but there is a sense of mystery and exploration that, like life, keeps things interesting, pushes you forward, and makes you better for it.

We have entered a lull in games releases, a change up in the content of these articles will come too!

In this Article:

• Dragons Dogma 2
• Tunic
• Pepper Grinder
• Teamfight Tactics Set 11

Dragons Dogma 2

DD2 is a game rife with many things: a sense of adventure, mystery, controversy, and explosive moments that will remain strong in your memory for a long time.

When I spoke of games that do not hold your hand tightly, this is what I was referring to. Dragons Dogma introduces basic controls and concepts and then releases you into a fantasy world that is second to none. To me, this game feels similar to playing a session or campaign of Dungeons and Dragons. The idea of "emergent gameplay" is all that this experience is, meaning gameplay is as unguided as possible, and you create adventure, stories, and moments for yourself as you make decisions during your time.

The experience is unique, unlike that found in nearly any other game (except maybe the first Dragon's Dogma). While I believe that nothing can beat a finely tuned and guided experience, this game offers a unique feeling that you are the driver of the story and your experience is wholly unique. The obfuscation of information allows you to experiment and try things you may not otherwise have when everything is specifically outlined for you.

It's odd to speak in circles like this, but this deeply unguided experience is still designed expertly to create these incredible moments that it would be foolish to think otherwise. The way your eye can be drawn down a certain dangerous path or smoke rises in the distance, calling to you to make a choice you would not have otherwise made all add up to be a sneakier approach to helping nudge you along. All this capped off with things to pick up and loot around every corner, giving you that small dopamine hit you need to keep trudging forward. Dragon's Dogma certainly lived up to the hype it created prior to release and is worth checking out.

I want to take a moment to address the controversy surrounding this game, as I think it's worth mentioning and could influence your purchase decision. Micro-transactions for in-game items offer a direct benefit to your character and your adventure. That said, there is no indication this has effectively altered the experience in any way.

That's not to say this type of thing doesn't tread a dangerous line between what affects the potential enjoyment you can get out of an already fully priced release. The industry has seen games alter their design to incentivize out-of-game purchases, and certainly, an argument can be made that the same is happening here. While I think this is not an issue with DD2, I am wary that in the future, this could come back to bite the consumer and I think tarnishes what is otherwise an incredible feat of a game.

Tunic

This late 2022 release has always been on my mind. I hadn't finished it prior to this week, and I am so glad I returned, especially since it fits within "the theme."

Tunic is difficult to put into words because I think, in many ways, there is no other game like it. It takes inspiration from various puzzle adventure games, primarily The Legend of Zelda, but it immediately reveals itself to be something more. Everything that your character can do without the help of a specific item can be done from the very first moment you load into a new game. The catch is that the game does not offer a tutorial popup for anything; instead, it reveals its mechanics cleverly by placing individual pages of an instruction manual throughout the game world.

This instruction manual is written in a language you cannot understand or read, but rather, the majority of the instructions are shared through diagrams and images, letting you know what to do and leading you to discover how to do what you're character could already do.

This game is a brilliant balance of dripping information to the player so they can find their way through the world and story while giving those with quick wits and experience to play the game in a totally different way. All of this leads to a crescendo of "AHA!" moments, but your first playthrough will likely be a much different experience than the second and third time. Here, a master class of game design and a "guided" experience that feels wholly free and unique. I would call this a triumph of an adventure game and definitely worth the time to play.

Pepper Grinder

Breaking from the theme, I wanted to give a shoutout to a short, fun game I played this week. Pepper Grinder is a time-attack precision puzzle platformer. While some of the difficulty spikes on bosses and certain levels I found a little frustrating, the overall fast-paced experience and excellent level design and gameplay variation made this quick bite of a game a ton of fun!

If you enjoy games like Super Meat Boy, Pizza Tower, or Celeste, this could be a great way to get a quick hit on your favorite game genre!

Teamfight Tactics Set 11

I always have to give a shout-out to Teamfight Tactics! As mentioned in the last update, the new set has been released, and it's been a great joy to play. If you like card games, especially draft card games, I think there is a lot of enjoyment to be had by playing TFT, which is just a card game in disguise.

Compared to the previous set, I think a couple of interesting topics have emerged within this space. I think TFT is one of the most well-designed games among all live service games, and there's a lot to learn when look a bit closer.

• Game Balance
  • What does it mean for a game to be "balanced"? Does it mean that every strategy has the ability to win, or is balance more of a game-feel type thing? I'm looking forward to diving deeper into this in the coming weeks.
• Diversity of Experience
  • What keeps people coming back to the same game over and over again? Mortdog seems to think it's a variance in gameplay (see some Tweets below). I tend to agree, but what is the correct amount of variance in experience? When do things become too chaotic to enjoy?
• Complexity
  • Many of my friends who I have attempted to teach TFT or games in general often fall off the hardest when things are too hard to learn. For me, who got into the game at its inception, learning a new set of TFT is an interesting and exciting experience, but for someone new, you have to seek a lot of third-party help. That can be a daunting task and, I'm sure, leads to churn. How do you strike a balance between enough complexity to appease long-time players but keeping it simple enough that there is not a cliff to climb until you can fully enjoy a game? It's definitely something to ruminate on.

Thanks so much for reading this Bi-Weekly Roundup. I hope you'll return for the next one. I plan to keep you updated on my thoughts about the games I've played and link to some incredible games as we go. Looking forward to sharing more!