In yesterday’s post, I intended to talk about what my next game might be. I veered wildly off into brand loyalty and how I don’t think I’ll be playing FromSoft games for much longer (and why I’m OK with that. Well, not ok, but resigned).
I’ve played several demos, and I immediately uninstalled several. Why? There are a variety of reasons. Some required twitch responses that I did not have. I was really sad about a few of them because I really dug the aesthetics, but I simply could not play the games.
Here are thirngs that will cause me to uninstall a game quickly.
1. Mini-games that make me do QTEs, any kind of ‘fill in the circle’ motion that has to be precise, and anything of that ilk. It seems to be something that more indie games are doing, sadly, much like parrying is king in most triple A action games.
Side note: I don’t know when it happened, but I flinch now whenever I hear the word ‘parry’ as the main combat in any game. I hate the word ‘soulslike’, too, because it usually means the game has taken my least-favorite aspect of From games and glorified them to kingdom come.
I know I have said this over and over again, but I’ll say it one more time. Most devs don’t give a shit about accessibility. Sadly, that includes many of the indie devs, too. I give them more benefit of the doubt–at least, the teams that are small, like 20 employees and under. They simply don’t have the resources to do everything that the bigger companies can do.
However. That doesn’t mean I actually want to play their games.
Side note: I didn’t realize the whole time I was playing The Spirit Lift (prettysmart games) that the game was first-person. I mean, I knew it was, but I did not have the negative reaction I normally have to first-person games. I mentioned it to Ian, and he said that in keeping with the ’90s feel to the game (no bobbing of the head, for example). In thinking of it, it made sense. The only time I got slightly nauseous was when I swung the camera around too quickly–and that was on me.
I cannot tell you how many times I have regretfully turned off a game because the first-person perspective made me sick to my stomach. Sadly, Blue Prince (Dogubomb Studios) was one of those games. Not only was it in first-person, it had a fish-eyed point of view that increase my nausea. The game didn’t have much to fiddle with, sadly. Yes, there was a FOV slider, but it didn’t do much. I played an hour at a time, gritting my teeth as I played. After three hours over two days, I gave up. I really liked what I played, but I just could not do it.
Same with Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow) when I tried to play that. I have never felt so instantly nauseous as I did with this game. It was sudden, and it was violent. I tweeted about my reaction and my sorrow that I could not play the game. Since I was about an hour into the game, I was able to get a refund. Giant Sparrow tweeted me and said to try using the reticula. I could not go back to tthat game, though. My visceral reaction was so negative, just t he thought of returning made me nauseous.
2. Having to mash a button–any button. Yes, it’s similar to making me do QTEs. I just needed to emphasize it on its own because there is such a simple alternative–allow me to hold down the button. I could not finish Stray (BlueTwelve Studio) because I could not do the QTEs. And it had bad platforming.
3. Now that I’ve mentioned platforming, none of that either, please. Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games) is one of my top five favorite non-From games, but….I almost quit it because of the platforming. I did not realize that it called itself a platformer, and I’m glad I did not know that before I played it. See, I was drawn in by the hand-drawn graphics and the tagline of “a cozy game about dying”. It definitely was the latter, but that made me completely miss that it was a platformer.
I struggled through it until the end of the game, and then there was a section that was so horrid, I almost gave up. I was seriously about an hour from the end of the game, and I was so frustrated. After I finished the game, I read the Reddit forums, and I was not the only one complaining about the platforming in the game. I know I’ve said this a million times, but if a developer is not focused on platforming, do not put it in your damn game!
Ahem.
4. This is a hard one to phrase correctly because two opposite things are simultaneously true. I appreciate games that give a small, but lovely experience that you can ingest in one bite (meaning, less than five hours). I included the trailer for a game that I played today–and platted. I will admit I needed to watch a video to find all fifteen hidden ducks (could not find one of them for the life of me), but other than that, it was a really easy and pleasant game.
It’s very simple. You are a cat. It’s your birthday. You need to deliver packages. That’s pretty much it. There are a few secrets to find (well, secrets in the loosest sense of the word), but it’s not like I have to tax my brain at all.
It’s a very gentle game in which I just run around, delivering packages, sitting in boxes, kicking cans, and making ducks quack. Oh, and wonder why my friends didn’t remember it was my birthday. It’s a small game that doesn’t overreach at all. There are many cute cats, and I get to talk to them all.
That’s it. That’s the whole game, and I am fine with that. A few hours of cozy fun, and then I’m done.
Look. I like my long, meaty games (hello, Elden Ring!), but there’s something so pleasing about a game that you can finish in one sitting. A game that isn’t deep at all, and it’s not trying to be. This game was fun, and it felt like a warm hug–which was exactly what I needed.
Hm. I was going to explain the other side of this, but I’m tired. I’ll get to it tomorrow.