Does Walking in Video Games Have to Be Boring? | Video Essay on Death Stranding, The Pathless

Does walking in video games have to be boring? In a lot of games, walking is the most boring part. Something we try to avoid. But a few really creative games like Death Stranding, The Pathless, and other indie games make walking the most exciting part. Not enough people are talking about how immersive and innovative walking in games can be, so here's a video essay about it. Walking Simulators like Firewatch prove just how immersive walking can be. And Ghostrunner and Mirror's Edge turn the walk into a heart-pounding experience. Walking… it can be the most exciting part of a video game. No open world fast travel needed. A video game essay about walking? I know. 🤣
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⚔ Games Featured ⚔
Florence, Mountains 2018
www.humblebundle.com/store/fl...
The Last of Us Remake, Naughty Dog 2022
Horizon Forbidden West, Guerilla Games 2022
Shin Megami Tensei V, Atlus 2021
www.humblebundle.com/store/sh...
Astro’s Playroom, Team Asobi 2020
Death Stranding, Kojima Productions 2019
www.humblebundle.com/store/de...
QWOP, Bennett Foddy 2008
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda Games 2011
A Short Hike, Adamgryu 2019
Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Nintendo 2022
www.humblebundle.com/store/ki...
Shadow of the Colossus, Team Ico 2005
Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix 2020
Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac 2018
Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games 2018
Little Nightmares 2, Tarsier Studios 2021
www.humblebundle.com/store/li...
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory, 2017
Mirror’s Edge, DICE 2010
Ghostrunner, All In! Games 2020
www.humblebundle.com/store/gh...
BotW, Nintendo 2017
Everybody’s Gone to Rapture, The Chinese Room 2015
Firewatch, Campo Santo 2016
What Remains of Edith Finch, Giant Sparrow 2017
Gone Home, Fulbright 2013
Dear Esther, The Chinese Room 2012
SOMA, Frictional Games 2015
www.humblebundle.com/store/so...
SuperHot, SuperHot Team 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/su...
CyberPunk 2077, CD Projekt Red 2020
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, SEGA 2010
Cuphead, Studio MDHR 2017
www.humblebundle.com/store/cu...
Resident Evil Remake, Konami 2002
Anger Foot, Free Lives 2023
Ori and the Blind Forest, Moon Studios 2015
Untitled Goose Game, House House 2019
www.humblebundle.com/store/un...
Inside, Playdead 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/in...
Sonic 06, SEGA 2006
Infamous: Second Son, Suck Punch 2014
Undertale, Toby Fox 2015
www.humblebundle.com/store/un...
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, UsTwo 2020
Animal Crossing New Horizons, Nintendo 2020
Dark Souls, FromSoftware 2011
www.humblebundle.com/store/da...
Sable, Shedworks 2021
The Pathless, Giant Squid 2020
www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
Crypt of the Necrodancer, Brace Yourself Games 2015
www.humblebundle.com/store/cr...
Journey, thatgamecompany 2012
www.humblebundle.com/store/jo...
Abzu, Giant Squid 2016
www.humblebundle.com/store/ab...
The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, Crows Crows Crows 2022
🎶 Music Featured 🎶
“Prologue”, Firewatch by Chris Remo
"Ephemeral", SMT V by Ryota Kazuka
"New York's Only Spider-Man, Spider-Man Miles Morales by John Paesano
"No Expectations", Red Dead Redemption 2 by Woody Jackson
“Ropeburn”, Mirror’s Edge by Solar Fields
"Bridges", Death Stranding by Ludvig Frossell
"The Timefall", Death Stranding by Ludvig Forssell
"Thorofare Hike", Firewatch by Chris Ramo
"Introduction", Mirror's Edge by Solar Fields
"The Plains", The Pathless by Austin Wintory
"Travelers", Outer Wilds by Andrew Prahlow
#VideoEssay #Gay #DeathStranding

[@razbuten]

Loved this. Also, I appreciate you for pushing me to make my video on the subject! As it turns out, there is a lot to say about walking, and you covered a ton of ideas I didn't even come close to touching.

[@filmotter]

Thanks, Raz. Truth be told, I just wanted to hear your thoughts on the subject. I had a feeling we'd have different things to say!

[@Deadforge]

Both making great videos in the topic. Go check out to games it may concerns video on games that wander its a great video.

[@vishizzy]

I love drinking a beer and walking in games. So therapeutic

[@Ostrze0014]

The calm narration of this essay is like a relaxing stroll across multiple games on itself :D

[@mompou_]

given what you say about how difficult it can be to "get it right" re: immersion and even just the basic walking cycle, isn't it unsurprising that a lot of game developers would choose to look over this particular aspect if the rest of the game experience (the part that isn't walking, or exploration) is more of a priority? it seems that the games you've listed with more immersive walking/movement are based around that mechanic being more important (like it being almost the whole point of death stranding). is there a game that you can think of that isn't about the exploration that still does it in a way you don't think is boring? thanks for another thought-provoking video essay 🥰

[@filmotter]

Ooooh good question! I showed it briefly but didn't mention it much in the script but I think Cuphead is a great example of a really nice and immersive walk in a game that isn't focused on it. It really shows off personality and motion while the gameplay is about something totally different. Lots of stealth games do that as well, where responsiveness and expressive movement make you feel like you're one with the character.

[@tbahr123]

I don’t find first person games immersive at all, and you might have just nailed down one of the main reasons that is here. Great video!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it. Yeah some first person games really take me out of the moment. 😅

[@Skyehoppers]

Very good video :) Between you and raz I can't believe how much walking content I've watched this week lmao. Congrats on the one-year anniversary! The fact that you've managed to keep the once-a-month schedule is super impressive to me, a chronically inconsistent KZbinr. I love seeing your style continue to develop and can't wait to see the stuff you make in the years to come!!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much, Skye! Yeah the once-a-month thing has been extremely tough. And it's led to a lit if stress. But hey, it's given me something to pass the time with. 😅

[@voxymandias441]

Another great video, Otter, thank you! I have to say though... Dear Esther is actually one of my all-time favorites, but I understand the criticism it received for being "boring" or "not a game".

[@filmotter]

Thanks Voxy! I actually thought the story in Dear Esther was great. But since it was an early walking simulator, it could have used a lot of minor adjustments to make it a bit more interactive in my opinion. Everybody's Gone to Rapture (made by the same people) made a lot of additions to the interactivity that I enjoyed in that way.

[@kolpeshtheyardstick]

Someone once told me that Borderlands was a walking simulator, and I've still not recovered from the psychic damage

[@filmotter]

.... what? I need to talk to that person.

[@filmotter]

Hey y'all! Thank you so much for watching the video. What are some games that make walking interesting to you that I missed in the video? 🤔

[@andrempmorais]

I haven't finished watching the video yet but Dying light is amazing making transversing the world on foot fun

[@filmotter]

@@andrempmorais agreed! I love the parkour movement in that game!

[@KulFox]

Stray! Movement is an absolute joy in that game, walking, running, jumping - it’s so fun! From the first “prologue” level I was hooked, and when I had a chance to actually explore the first city, ahh such a thrill! A lot of people have already talked about how great the platforming is, so I also wanna shout out the animation itself - it is astounding.

[@filmotter]

@@KulFox the details of Stray's animation are seriously incredible!

[@sceneries6599]

holy shit i watched this without checking how many subs you have, HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 2k? this shit is better than most channels with millions of subs

[@filmotter]

I appreciate it! It's mainly because not a lot of people share these videos. But also, we're all just doing our own thing out here. I'm super proud of that 2k. 🥰

[@puzzledmonkeytree]

I absolutely used Death Stranding hiking as a way of calming the brain when I couldn't get out and about IRL (even with the spoopy ghost monsters and overzealous Amazon delivery drivers) and I was frustrated when I ended up triggering the endgame plot section and had to finish the plot to get back to just walking ... or zipline zooming ... or faceplanting my way down a mountain You included the two games I platinumed on PS4 - Death Stranding and Spider-Man, and the movement of the main character is a big part of why I stuck with those two games for that long. At least the *main* movement mechanic. Plot brought out the frustrating part of movement in Spider-Man as well - "I have to WALK?! Slowly? like a boring human person?" before going back to "WHEEEE! I'M SWINGING! Oops that should have been a faceplant - good recovery from my terrible button-pressing Spidey!"

[@filmotter]

😅 I'm glad you got some hiking in when it was very much needed. Even if it was virtual! Especially because that was how I was introduced to you. And yeah the chaos of Spider-Man can sometimes be a bit much. But I have to say, the amount of time I have spent just swinging around for no reason at all. It made platinumming that game such a no-brainer because "OOH I get to swing all over the city?!"

[@BravosChannel]

Great video essay! I think there's like 3 factors that make walking so satisfying to me. First of all, it's the FEEL. Breath of the Wild feels so good to move around in because how utterly satisfying those footstep sounds are. Not only does that game have walking but shield surfing and horseback and all this interesting type of movement that walking is just one form to soak everything in and seeing the grass around you form as you walk is just epic. Even a game like Outer Wilds which has such a simple walk cycle feels so good to me because that footstep sound really just makes me wanna keep walking lmao, and also jumping and using the rocket jet feels so good to hit that perfect orbit to slingshot around a celestial body. Trying to get max speed is also really satisfying like in my game Raybound you can gain momentum by hitting the ceiling which gets you really fast and can even help you skip certain platforming sections but hard to pull off. Not every game needs some complex form of movement but good footstep sounds and walk cycle feel like just enough for me to get hooked. Second of all, it's the tension (I think Razbuten covered this one?). Not really atmosphere tho but just the eagerness to go to the next area. That feeling can make such a boring task of pushing forward so exciting because I can't wait to see what's in the other side of that mountain or door. I feel like the most successful walking sims do a really good job at this since I can't wait to see what's inside of the Finch house. Game like Undertale with slow and soundless walking never bothered me because the places you walk aren't as much and the walking speed was used to perfection to give tension to the next part of the game and that's really cool. The game teasing us to what we're doing next can be so fun and I think the reason why so many open world games have fast travel is because visiting an area is only fun once for a lot of these games instead of coming back. Meanwhile Outer Wilds doesn't need to rely on fast travel even if it does have it because oftentimes we need to come back to places with info that isn't even near the fast travel warp areas lol. Third, it's gotta be the context/atmosphere(? I'm not sure what word is right here). Walking while it's raining before a boss fight is fun and adds a lot to the experience. I still get that fond memory of entering the Temple of Time in Ocarina of Time with the choir music and the footstep sounds echoing across. Walking in a garden area in a game with music that's so good and you just let it soak in as you go from place to place is just legendary. Playing Super Metroid really gave off those feelings and I wish Metroid Dread had that feeling too but the fast movement and overdense map made it hard for me to appreciate its atmosphere. Entering a new area and just seeing the title above the screen as you walk to a new area is also awesome. Good music as you traverse also adds so much. That stuff right there is fire. I agree with you, walking is genuinely one of the most fun things you can do in a game when it's done right.

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! And I agree about the feel for sure. BOTW has a really expressive walk cycle and there's always interesting things to look at on longer walks. Love that game so much.

[@pablolopezgomez9658]

The quality of these videos are just insane, for anyone, not to mention a person with a day job.

[@filmotter]

Thank you! I hope someday that day job will turn into something where I can utilize my editing skill set. 😆

[@LeoDpt]

Amazing essay ! Really glad to have another high quality video game essay channel to follow, I’ll be looking forward to the next one :)

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! That means a lot.

[@TheDataRich]

I know you didn’t directly discuss Ori in this video but the Ori shade was definitely perceived XD

[@filmotter]

I feel an obligation to insert Ori shade into every video from now on. 🤣

[@ProperBird]

Otter please I've literally never looked at my game feet first. 😭💀

[@filmotter]

That is wild. I know I'm not the only one. 😭

[@mosdarko2252]

Awesome video Otter, Death Stranding became one of my favorite games during the start of the pandemic, it came to me at a time when everything outside was scary and we couldn't go out at all, but also i finally got time to dedicate to gaming after years.. i couldn't quite pick what exsactly was about the game the made me feel so immerse, but this video really made me think about how much of an art form is to create a compelling walking mechanic and how much that influences your immersion

[@filmotter]

Thanks Mos! And I'm right there with you. I watched my roommate play through the first few hours and I was floored by how much that game fit with what we all needed during that time.

[@WanderIust_]

This is such a great video. Not every game does walking right, but when one does, you come to realize how much it can add to the atmosphere. Even in games with relatively simplistic walking mechanics like Uncharted, I found myself intentionally walking at a slow pace because the smoothness of the animations added so much to the immersion and connection with the Drake.

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! And I agree with you Uncharted has some great walking sections even though the walk cycle is pretty simple. The vibes of those parts are always on point.

[@Infinite_Repeat]

Some of my favorite walking in a game has to be from the game Furi where if you haven’t played it is just a game of boss fights and between boss fights you can only slowly walk to the next and while it’s definitely a loading screen and nothing extricate about it it’s super relaxing especially after a intense boss fight with the great music in the background

[@Charcoal190]

Holy crap. I found out about you through Razbuten's tweet, and I LOVE your presentation style!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you for saying that

[@dearpapaya]

Thank you for the food for thought. I never took the time to think if a game felt immersive or not by one simple motion. Doors should definitely be the next video essay. Maybe evaluate how scary they are ha. Cheers to another brill essay!!

[@filmotter]

Awww thank you Papaya! The doors idea might actually have to be a thing tbh. I think after this video, I feel like I could talk about anything in an essay LOL

[@simonrockstream]

It's hilarious that Death Stranding does indeed have fast travel tho... It's really tedious to use tho, go back to base and skip through ike 15 cut-scenes and a bunch of loading screens.

[@filmotter]

Right? I used it like... twice?

[@WoodyHojeily]

I love that I discovered your channel thanks to Razbuten and that you both ended up making a video about the same topic XD

[@filmotter]

Yeah, it was a bit of an accident honestly. But we both agreed we were cool with it before getting to far into the writing process. I still need to watch his video actually. 😅

[@WoodyHojeily]

@@filmotter It's so interesting that both of you had different things to say about it! Loving your videos, keep up the good work man!

[@filmotter]

@@WoodyHojeily I'll do my best! I'm curious how our views differ on the topic. And I'm betting next month's videos will be completely different because my next topic is very specific lol

[@captaindanverz3520]

Three day weekend AND an Otter video? What did I do to deserve such greatness!

[@filmotter]

Lmao I hope you enjoy the video AND your long weekend, Danverz. 🥰

[@lunaletuna]

I may or may have not just drove everywhere in death stranding with only walking like 3 or 4 times to a place the entire game

[@filmotter]

I mean that's totally fair!

[@hojugames8340]

I don't claim to have succeeded in my endeavors but movement is my main focus currently in the game prototype me and my dev partner are working on. He's much better at systems and technical sides of programming and I'm better at controls and game feel. I've always subscribed to the Miyamoto philosophy of game feel and every moment of controlling a character needs to be fun. The few mechanics I have completed are feeling good to me but I'm biased since I've played the game for tens of hours already in testing so can't say for sure if it's actually good or not. We got a long way to go yet.

[@Ellesdy1]

Walking and seeing the art and scenery is my absolute favorite.. my favorite kind of game is a walking simulator!! like The Dead Tree Of Ranchiuna, what remains of Edith finch, firewatch, everybody's gone to the rapture, the vanishing of Ethan Carter, in rays of light, The Witness, etc etc!!! I also NEVER use fast travel, well rarely and platinum almost all of my games I have both horizons and ghost of tsushima platinumed, 1 dark souls and elden ring platinumed, all mass effects and over 1,400 other platinums just as an example and imagine I play them all like walking sims... Funny thing is I don't care to play death stranding too much anymore.. I put over 100 hours in it at first but it's nowhere near my favorite, I was seriously Dissappointed that everyone called this, The walking Game, just because there are so many more.... Oh death stranding is a walking sim too, absolutely it fits best in that genre.. My favorite genre!!

[@SpacedogD]

Breath of the wild would be a better game if fast travel was limited to travelling around several key locations, being only able to initiate fast travel from key checkpoints (towers, shrines, dungeons) to the other towers, towns and dungeons only. I think the game world is capable of supporting the restriction of fast travel, and would make travelling the terrain much more than what it feels like now.

[@filmotter]

Totally on board with that idea! I was just brain storming what I want to see in the sequel and honestly these would be great changes to make the overworld a lot more interesting

[@spliffyrodgers4266]

I just went to play death stranding again but the TV in my room is really old and small so I cant read anything or see the map so loading up to set off after not playing in a while is impossible which is kind of disappointing because I always used to fall asleep playing death stranding (not because its boring because it's kind of relaxing like theres something really pleasant about hiking up a mountain range that looks kinda simlar to mountains I used to walk all the time growing up in the lake district) suppose I'll just have to buy it on pc when I wake up

[@filmotter]

I hope you enjoy it!

[@Sonicneptunes]

This deserves millions of views

[@SubzeroBlack68]

Now theres the game Baby Steps lol.

[@filmotter]

I'm so excited for it lol

[@SpacedogD]

I am in the camp of loving death stranding, but its a little too grindy for me if I want to go for anything more than just story completion. Regardless, its a masterpiece and many reviewers at that time are pretty much missing the point in their laughable "review".

[@filmotter]

Totally agree with you! It can feel grindy here and there. But I normally play the game in small bursts, so it ends up being a lot more of a relaxing experience for me.

[@Ellesdy1]

Subbed

[@filmotter]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Means a lot!

[@Ellesdy1]

@@filmotter yeah I'm going through your backlog later today for sure! Thanks for your videos!!

[@filmotter]

@@Ellesdy1 I hope you dig the rest too!

[@Ellesdy1]

@@filmotter I Will!! Anything edited this well or even just flat information is valuable to me and channels like this are valuable to me! Your work isn't for null, I wish the algorithm would hit on this more, KZbin and other platforms are just bogus.. Keep at it man!!

[@k338914]

Death Stranding: check The Pathless: check SnowRunner: *not check*

[@revuman]

The worst walking ive ever experience in a video game has to be Red Dead Redemption 2, by far. Every time i lost a horse, or one way or another, got stranded, it could become a mini adventure, to get back to your path. Fun. But every time i got back to the camp (specially the swamp one), and was forced to walk.. godamit, i wanted to shot every single one of them.

[@bluesun5429]

the idea that skyrim isn't a game capable of immersive roleplay becuase you can't see your feet is so silly. 9:47

[@filmotter]

That isn't what I said. But werq.

[@bluesun5429]

@@filmotter 9:47 "If you look down and it turns out you're just a pair of floating eyeballs and a couple of hands, how are you ever going to feel like the dragon born?" Implies that you don't see how someone could ever feel immersed as the dragon born in skyrim. If you meant something else by this then I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. The way it comes off to me put waaay too much of the burden of immession on there being feet at the bottom of the screen. There are so many games with low-tech graphics and janky animations that i've got completely lost in. There are games with no animations that i've got completely lost in! (dwarf fortress adventure mode, d&d, cataclysm dark days ahead, etc.). We could even be talking about different concepts using the word "immersion" because to me, being able to see the player model's feet is not a big part of it at all, and I've certainly never looked down in skyrim and said "how am i ever going to feel like the dragon born?"

[@tasoganedude]

I was wondering why both @Razbuten and @filmotter made a video about the same thing.

[@filmotter]

We happened to be working on the same script at the same time. Turns out there's a lot to say about this topic. Who knew! (We also DM'd each other to make sure it was all good to make similar videos this close together.)

[@tasoganedude]

@@filmotter Now you've made me wanna buy Death Stranding.

[@filmotter]

Do it! There's a link in the description, where you can get it on sale if you'd like. :D

[@tasoganedude]

@@filmotter Sorry, I checked. But it's not available here in Malaysia. But thanks anyway.

[@filmotter]

@@tasoganedude Ah, that's a bummer. But I hope you can still play the game! It's great. 😄

[@tonymeyer8365]

I found the traversal in Death Stranding tedious and annoing. And the whole game quite boring. I'd rather walk everywhere in Skyrim

[@filmotter]

That's totally valid too!

[@-Scrapper-]

HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT WALKING WITHOUT MENTIONING TITANFALL 2?!

[@filmotter]

I'm sorry pls forgive. 😅