How to Turn Movement into a Game Mechanic

[@danielrhouck]

11:02 For the inverse coyote time thing, one mechanic I like is that you don't land on the ledge, but you grab onto it with your hands and pull yourself up if you get close. That way you're still rewarded for actually making the landing, but you are only slightly punished for failing and you can tell it was close because you have a couple second animation instead of just sticking the landing.

[@davidolinger3948]

Yeah, especially cuz it still means you can't miss the jumps in a speedrun, but for new players a little time loss is just fine

[@slimcognitoentertainment5170]

Yes! Mirror's edge, Prince of Persia, and Dead Cells comes to mind. You could even say A Hat in Time when she shuffles up walls.

[@Bluecho4]

@@davidolinger3948 ^This. For most players, being able to continue playing the game is the goal. Failing because you _just_ missed the jump and having to restart is pretty frustrating, and not fun. So allowing them to keep forward progress is a worthwhile goal. For those players who see _speed_ as the goal, though, it's all that much more of a (good) challenge.

[@Nipah_]

When they added mantling to Destiny 2, it made traversing the world a great deal more fun (and a great deal less frustrating). The number of times you'd do a jumping puzzle and hit a ledge at shin level, only to fall to your death (very, very slowly in the case of a Warlock) in D1 was noticeable enough, so the change in the second game really helped to improve the feel of movement in the game.

[@kingoreo7050]

It hurts my soul every time I get stuck in a mantle animation and lose all my velocity

[@SSJ_EWGF]

I love how some games implement movement differently, though that is exactly why mainline Sonic games have been struggling so much as Sega needs to find that balance between having the player feel like they're running at super fast speeds, but not like the game is completely holding their hand or that the level is constantly interrupts their sense of movement via the stage or the enemies.

[@vladalexan]

The day segments in Sonic Unleashed seem to be pretty close to that description

[@deadstabb4941]

@@vladalexan i also think sonic generations and the sonic advance series can be added to that list as well

[@GmodPlusWoW]

I feel like one way to ensure that enemies don't interrupt the flow is if you don't get hurt just by running into them. IIRC Freedom Planet had this, where running into enemies only hurts you if they're doing their attack animations.

[@JJGamezMC]

@@GmodPlusWoW That works in 2D since it’s actually a 3D world viewed in 2D, but would it really work as well in 3D?

[@GameDevYal]

The big problem with Sonic games is that the devs think they're about speed; they're about MOMENTUM. I've played a bunch of the modern sonic games and they just constantly interrupt your flow with annoying enemy placements, puzzle sections, or automated bits.

[@RTDelete]

Games like these are why I love the left joystick

[@kaleocardoza8486]

And the best games are mastered with two

[@kaleocardoza8486]

@play gray I am 100% talking about air straifing and skiing, typically in Games developed by respawn (Apex legends, Titanfall 2, and Jedi fallen order). In most games camera doesn’t actually affect movement.

[@Devour_ment]

And WASD.

[@SSJ_EWGF]

I read this as 'left joycon' and let out a bitter chuckle

[@planetofeffects5422]

Games like these are why I love the mouse and W key

[@thpion]

Maybe an odd suggestion, but I like Portal's movement system. Using gravity and portals to launch yourself across rooms was always satisfying to me.

[@Nisser100]

Not odd. But awesome.

[@colbyboucher6391]

It's not really substantial enough for a whole game, though. And actually, most of Portal 2 fakes the physics to make sure you get where you need to go which just cheapens it. Portal's a good game but... meh.

[@droljanz]

As far as it goes , in my opinion source games have best movement , nothing compare with bhop ,kz , surf , and those arent official , my opinion

[@Kero-zc5tc]

Splitgate was a game that used portals better imo, it was not as good to me as portal 2 though

[@ERoBB1]

I think an interesting contrast would be Breath of the Wild's slow pace but completely free "climb anything, glide off it" combo.

[@laarval]

@@FluffyBunniesOnFire mOtoRcYcle

[@Leffrey]

Botw has a slow paced but very free movement system. You're a mountain climber, not a parkourer. Mechanics like shieldsurfing or exploits such as windbombs do go quite fast and link is rather maneuverable in combat with hops, wacks and flips, but he is very weighty with turning circles a- and deceleration and his low jumps. You can transition from an attack to a dodge quickly, but spinning the analog sticks will have link move with a maximum turning speed, unlike other games where tou might jitter on the spot

[@k_Why]

also once you've completed most of the game learning to wind bomb is incredibly fun even though it is most likely a very unintended mechanic. (i think if you learn it straight away though it will take away from a lot of the cool discoveries that come with walking and climbing everywhere)

[@jonathanwilson7949]

and now tears of the kingdom lets you dive from the sky in a fully upgraded wingsuit. that game improved on movement in a lot of cool ways.

[@Starfeather_19]

And in Totk, Time bomb shields can also add an extra bit of movement when your shield-surfing

[@osneket5713]

TF2 rocket jumping is probably one of the sickest game movement in any game. Although unintentional, I think Smash melee has some real awesome movement too. Only problem is that both of these systems are REALLY hard to pick up.

[@twelvethousandths1698]

Demonight Trimping is difficult and rewarding (and slick) as well.

[@AnnonymousCommentor28]

@@twelvethousandths1698 Surfing Rockets too.

[@luigio8484]

@@twelvethousandths1698 I think trimping's cool but is more limited than rocket jumping. in terms of applying the two in fights, they're just about the same, or trimping slightly less. it's the fact that you can only trimp "once" while with rocket jumping, you have 4 rockets to chain together, every about 0.75 seconds you can apply a new force to yourself. trimping gives you a constant force to play with, so yeah it fundamentally allows for different things so it's cool as hell too. also might be biased cause I can actually rocket jump lol

[@offeringsoffire]

And that's why I love them both so dearly

[@osneket5713]

@@luigio8484 yeah I never figured out how to trimp. It just feel really unintuitiv to do. I'd say I'm atleast decent at rocket jumping. Ever since I learned it I have basically exclusively played soldier. And then you have a game like Overwatch where all that is just converted into pressing a button on your keyboard. I know that game does other things well. Just never really liked how simple the movement was. I'm sticking to hat simulator 2007.

[@nathanwhitwell2255]

For me, "Katana Zero" has an absolutely thrilling movement system. It isn't big and explosive like some of the games mentioned in the video, but it defined the gameplay for me. Being able to precisely control when to roll, jump, or swing the sword became tools in increasingly elaborate puzzles as the game progressed, and I feel that these tools are what kept me engaged and consequently made me love the game.

[@myndust1272]

Oh yeah, I think the little slow mo when you kill someone makes everything

[@gunzales76]

there's actually been more than one time when i slashed upwards during a roll as sort of a small hop. proved to be quite useful in some cases.

[@slimcognitoentertainment5170]

Good pick! Don't forget the fact that the entire slo mo mechanic is completely optional for all enemies unless the plot calls for it. By that I mean bullets can still be deflected and or dodged without it; the same can be said for the platforming and those are amazing design choices.

[@hadinossanosam4459]

There is also another way of "turning movement into a game mechanic": instead of making it fluid and fast, make it slow and limiting, for example in Elite: Dangerous. Combat, especially in larger ships, is not a frantic reaction showdown, but a slow and deliberate dance, trying to get your ship out of your enemies' crosshairs and them into yours, with any tricks possible. It is also very free, with full three-axis rotation and thrusters (if you have a HOTAS to control them all). And if that's too easy, then you can turn off flight assist, which removes the normal alignment help and even makes it a challenge to *not* move, but makes for a nice trick up your sleeve in combat. Overall, with few control inputs, but many interactions between them, it's fun to even just fly around in an asteroid belt, throwing the momentum of your ship around and seeing how narrowly you can avoid the rocks (similar to JC3's wingsuiting... maybe this is another point: giving opportunities for showing off movement mastery). And nothing beats blowing up a Federal Corvette in my Anaconda without even getting hit, by dodging all its PA rounds :) (A similar, though afaik much less deep movement would be the tanks in War Thunder)

[@GrimmundusRex]

Games you might also enjoy: Rebel Galaxy, Assassin's Creed 4, X-Morph: Defense.

[@Winasaurus]

I remember when I first played Descent as a kid, and I'm pretty sure that had full 3 axis rotation. I remember it feeling so odd to play when the other games I was into was crash, spyro, and blinx. But it had it's own charms. Something about being able to cleanly slide from one entrace of a room to another without bumping the walls and strafe the enemy in the room felt so slick. I'd highly recommend to anyone into ace combat to pick up Project Wingman too. Any plane that can perform a post-stall maneuver in Ace Combat instead gets the AOA Limiter in Project Wingman, which replaces Flares, but allows post-stall maneuvers at ANY time when activated, regardless of speed. You FINALLY get to do the crazy pinpoint turns at full speed that drones and bosses can do, and it's so satisfying to notice an enemy starting their turn, and perfectly slot in behind them using the AOA. It turns the slow, looping air battles into high speed blitzes, and the fact it replaces your flares (which are never used much anyway if you're really good at ace combat), means you have to learn to dodge missiles either normally, or using the AOA to spin your plane out of the missile trajectory. And yes, it has extremely overpowered super-planes at the end. And a literal nuke in the conquest mode. (that can be modded to single player very easily)

[@renaigh]

and Death Stranding.

[@Metalrasputian]

Star Wars Squadrons has a similar feel, though much more fast paced and more objects to work around. One of the reasons it's at the top of my space sim list right now, even though it's not the most crunchy of them.

[@colbyboucher6391]

Mechwarrior could be placed in the same category. Light 'mechs are fast but they're extremely unwieldy, learning to be nimble with them, dance around an enemy, and use jump jets to make you more agile is a tough process but it's fun when you start to really get it.

[@SamiK951]

Surprised not to see Journey mentioned here. That game was basically Joy of Motion: The Game. I love the way freedom of movement and increasing mastery of the game's controls, which you express with increasingly speedy and graceful traversal of the environment, is tied to the storyline. The midgame point underground, which has you sneaking around and deprived of your movement abilities due the scarf being torn, feels gut-wrenching and terrifying as you know you can't fly away from danger. An absolute masterpiece of game design.

[@Starlightbooper]

I love the movement systems in TF2. They're all different for each class, some have more focus on movement, like the scout, soldier and demo while others have less e.g. heavy and sniper. They merge the weapons into the movement perfectly which is the thing i love, you can put countless of hours into mastering them and still have stuff to learn

[@teamcybr8375]

All hail the explosive jump

[@Teddy22011]

If you're playing against a soldier who can actually rocket jump around the map, it's instantly gg

[@Starlightbooper]

@@Teddy22011 thank god i haven't encountered a pro soldier main

[@ph1lny3]

@@Teddy22011 I love that they made a medigun specifically for duos that want to take advantage of rocket/sticky jumping. It was another example of Valve basically admitting it was no longer a bug, but a feature (aside from gunboats and other specific loadout options, of course).

[@Leffrey]

I also like that classes like engie and pyro have movement options without being focuse on movement. Explosive jumping as a major part of demo and soldier, but engie can blast jump with a lvl 3 sentry and use the rescue ranger to have sneaky sentries, while pyro can moon jump with the detonator or scorch shot, or simply use the jetpack, but you don't use these much in combat, as opposed to flanking and positioning.

[@ghostderazgriz]

Something I just thought about is risk. A great movement system makes taking risks incredibly addictive because the payoffs are so satisfying to watch. An example is when players get to "thread the needle" by making perfectly adjusted motions to move through difficult spaces, the fine tuned mastery of the movement is put to the test. An excellent example of this is wingsuits in Steep. To get that gold medal run down a perilous mountain formation requires break neck speeds inches from death down steep angles and tight chasms. It's like tuning a guitar perfectly the first time when done successfully. The gentle movement of the stick ever so slightly adjusting the character's pitch while on screen the character narrowly avoids crashing into the face of a mountain by slightly moving left. Threading the needle is such a valuable experience for a satisfying movement system. It's not always necessary, and sometimes even discouraged, but the draw of just being that much faster because I drifted perfectly between traffic at a tight corner, or forward slid right under an enemy hitbox instead of going around is like watching slo-motion rain on loop. When devs introduce risk factors that make stunts even more daring, the mastery of the mechanics go from a race against time, to a dance with death.

[@beigematt4927]

Melee is by far my favorite movement game with its momentum management, stringing together multiple inputs, and satisfying game feel.

[@captaincrash9002]

the just cause "scraping face on the tarmac" reminds me of how long it took me to understand that that glide-suit has air-plane controlls.

[@ralexcraft990]

I have no idea why the grapple hook always reels you in. It would have been so much better if they had let it be an action we could do manually.

[@MrDhruvSrivastava]

@@ralexcraft990 Ooh! So like, by default you get to be Spider-Man but press E and you get reeled in for an extra variation in the movement mechanic to overcome obstacles? That'd be awesome!

[@mr.astronuts3825]

@@ralexcraft990 you need air control to do that.

[@ralexcraft990]

@@mr.astronuts3825 i was thinking just have Rico act like a physics object on a rope.

[@abuffzucchini]

I love how Celeste has all 6 things he mentioned, it's such a good game with so many ways to go fast

[@bloopyikes7177]

We can all agree that celeste is one of the best platformers ever made

[@xylophobiaa]

Celeste is fun, but my hands always hurt after playing it lol

[@thisguy.-.]

I would have been upset if it weren't mentioned but then I remembered that he has used it as an example for a lot of other subjects, even somewhat dedicating a video to it, so I suppose it's fair to let other games into the spotlight for once.

[@alexlillie5563]

Favorite movement system is still Spiderman 2 for the PS2. That was such a good game. The web-slinging incorporated two mechanics that when used together made you move fast and felt complex to execute (though thinking about it it's just the timing of 3-4 button presses): 1) a speed swing to make you go faster that acted just like how a person swings on a real swingset (but you couldn't stop at just that or you'd stall out between swings) and 2) the fact that you could charge up your jump while swinging and release right at the end for a big boost. You would chain speed swings into jump boosts and zoom around New York City like a crazy person, and then on top of that when you were going fast your wall crawl became a momentum-based wall run so you could improvise your routes by running up, down, and along buildings in addition to your swings. It was great

[@MexMX]

Man, that was so cool, thanks for the memories.

[@lintonfor4035]

"master players flying across the pitch" anyone can boost, the hard bit is hitting the ball

[@ashercoates4345]

Don't call me out like that

[@andreasvedeler80]

The hard part is landing on the ball in the air and getting a flip reset so you can then shoot the ball into your opponent's top corner

[@hiiistrex2838]

@@andreasvedeler80 no, the hard part is just hitting the ball at all. At least it is for us rl noobs

[@OnyDeus]

Me: playing like a gradeschool kid beelining to hit the ball in any direction. I feel validated.

[@andreasvedeler80]

@@hiiistrex2838 There's always a hard part in RL, no matter how much you play. There's always a new harder part

[@pingwin7035]

I spent over 1000hrs on TF2s rocket jump maps. I absolutely love the options and freedom it gives you and no matter what you do there are ways to improve. Watching ppl beat levels you only dream of beating with ease, is one of the most amazing and inspireing things ever.

[@Shoxic666]

I suck at jumping in TF2 but even so there's nothing better than experiencing the insane mobility every class has, even the less agile ones like medic, sniper and spy have times where smart and creative movement can result in huge plays or intense moments.

[@joos3D]

Surfing, kz climbing & bhop maps in source/goldsrc has kept me entertained for many hours

[@testhekid]

trimping also makes it so much better

[@colbyboucher6391]

@@Shoxic666 Funny thing is it's still less mobility than the game it's derived from, Quake

[@flan1591]

I literally just unlocked the "Bash" skill in Ori and the Blind Forest yesterday, and then I see this pop up in my sub feed. Fantastic timing if I've ever seen it

[@kinoko384]

Have you completed the tree section yet? I love it so much, and I think that section was the best way a video game has ever introduced me a new mechanic. I wish more games do this.

[@shaishavpathak]

Play the sequel too it’s even better

[@dopaminecloud]

I'm convinced that bash is only remembered as well as it is because of the pressure under which you are forced to quickly become fully proficient at it to the point where leaving the tree has you master that ability no matter what difficulty barriers and frustration are such an essential part of the magic of games and i really hope people never become intimidated at trying difficult things

[@Pelusteriano]

I love how the RL footage is showing really low level games, making it seem like that "physics" is clumsy but if you check out footage of more higher level play, you can see how much you can express with movement in RL and how it links with all the other points.

[@Valvex_]

Yea, all the other games are shown to be fluid and beautiful, meanwhile the Rocket League scenes show how it looks like to first play the game with massive camera shake and everything :D A little disappointing to show a "bicycle hit" as if it's an advanced move, considering how impressive the level of some players is, and it's all based on skill. Looks pretty beautiful too in my opinion.

[@AnthonyKeydel]

I think that was the joke.

[@terryriley6410]

I don't like RL.

[@OZZY9669]

I love how everyone acts like jc4 does not exist

[@DoctorOther]

Well, it's not as good as JC3, So...

[@DoctorOther]

Still like JC4 though

[@OZZY9669]

@@DoctorOther yeah jc3's environment and mechanics was the best but jc4 still not bad tho

[@lv.30boss65]

am i the only one that feels like the wing suit and grapple movements are less satisfying than jc3?

[@OZZY9669]

@@lv.30boss65 yeah I think jc3's animations were better and i actually hate the new Rico jc3's rico was so better

[@Mefy_]

I was honestly expecting a dissertation on Quake's strafe jumping.

[@myboy_]

Watch Karl jobst

[@lounowell4171]

​@@myboy_ do i watch the video a clickbait title and an arrow in the thumbnail pointing to nothing oh wait that's all of them

[@myboy_]

@@lounowell4171 uh alright, not clickbait just because it has big yellow letters but whatev

[@sdrawkcab_emanresu]

@@myboy_ And a few red arrow an red circles in like every second video

[@myboy_]

@@sdrawkcab_emanresu aight, youre missing out on some of the best speedrun content on KZbin, but fuck a thumbnail right

[@Mokey]

07:49 Jooooo that's me in a GMT video. Wtf hahahaha. I made it mom. P.S: If you are into Momentum and Indie Games. Try out The King's Bird

[@WhoEvenIsAndr]

@Mokey nice! Love your vids!

[@smilefacebird2028]

The one movement god featured in a GMT movment video, perfect!

[@SH-hz9kv]

I was hoping he would use one of your clips, yay ^-^

[@ProcyonLotorGaming]

Yo lemme grab that like button real quick

[@funkuro]

The moment it came on screen I noticed it was your video and came to the comments looking for you.

[@Skybot437]

I really appreciate having movement options as part of a move-set rather than only being able to move in specific ways in response to certain environmental hooks. Wall running and grappling hooks are two major examples of things that could go either way for me in this regard. Man, I wish LoZ:BotW had a Clawshot.

[@Banjomike97]

I disagree I think a Clawshot would not fit at all into BotW. The climbing mechanic is very important for the game the fact that you have to pace your climbing that you need the stamina for it that climbing up a mountain is really work and takes effort, all that would be rendered useless by a Clawshot. I also think the world design for the most part doesn't really lend it self to something like that.

[@Skybot437]

@@Banjomike97 I guess that's true. But still, knowing how creative the LoZ games usually are, it would have been interesting to see how they tried getting around that. They could have understandably put a cooldown on it if it were a rune ability, made it only be able to latch onto certain materials, give it low durability if they wanted to treat it as an actual physical item, or even have it take 1/2 a stamina gage to use. Even before curbing the usability of a clawshot though, riding objects launched with stasis, the updraft thing I always forget the name of, and gliding can be used to forgo a ton of climbing in the game, whether or not the use cases in doing so were intended.

[@Banjomike97]

@@Skybot437 Yeah the updraft thing is something that is an incredible reward for getting through the dungeon which would not nearly have the impact with a clawshot. I just thing the absence of it makes you use the tools you have available creatively. I just don't really see it adding anything to the game and I feel like the world and dungeons were designed to fit the systems they have. They surely thought about it since it was in Skyward sword from which they took a lot of things. But who knows I wouldn't be suprised if for the sequel it would be in there.

[@wojtektaracinski7977]

Afaik they were thinking about adding Hookshot into the game at some point, but they felt it would be redundant with what tools player have. Also, I'd say that BotW wasn't meant to be a game about fast, fluid movement (closest you get - outside of abusing in-game physics - is shield surf out of snowy slopes)

[@emlun]

Ironically, the clawshot itself is a good example of the "generic move set" vs "predefined spots" you describe. The hookshots of Wind Waker and earlier Zelda games could be used on lots of things, even some enemies, while the clawshots of Twilight Princess and later could effectively only be used on "USE CLAWSHOT HERE" signposts. While it is a lot of fun to whip between targets with the double clawshots, the novelty quickly fades when you can only really do that in particular places made specifically for it. And the random clawshot targets scattered about the overworld are almost condescending - gee, _I wonder_ what I need to do to solve this puzzle, huh? Imagine if the games let you use the clawshots more freely - you'd feel like such a boss after figuring out you could use them to scale a pair of tall trees to reach a treasure, rather than just mechanically holding L and pressing A to follow a prepared and telegraphed path.

[@turtlehub2731]

I am a platform completive fighter player (super smash bros. melee, slap city, rivals of aether, ect) so I love making movement mechanics. Wavedashing/dashing is a super fun mechanic that is extremely underrated and is as complex as a jump. In my game dashing is a important mechanics because it allows you to use it defensively by dodging an attack or offensively by canceling the dash into an attack or using a unique thrust attack. You have complete directional influence over but it is a constant force so you cannot stop without canceling it and it has a cooldown so it is a resource.

[@Kramway99]

I think there’s one thing you didn’t touch about movement in games. And its that movement not only for moving from point A to B. but also for combat and battle mechanics. I love Gravity Rush 2’s movement. it doesnt have much of what you’ve listed, but the game uses its movement for battle. theres a particular boss fight that forces you to fight an enemy with similar ability as you in the air. you really need to master your movement if you’re to beat the boss. GR2’s movement mechanics is fairly simple on its own, but it throws you boss fights, numerous enemy ads while flying through the air. And I think thats awesome. oh and on top of that there’s gyroscope controls. not a lot of games utilise it much.

[@eli3998]

Can you explain in more detail? I've never played it heard of GR2 so I have no idea wut ur talking about

[@Kramway99]

@@eli3998 well, in most open world superhero games, movement and combat are separated gameplay wise. like how Spiderman will enter like a brawling beatem up game. but afterwards the web swinging feels altogether different.While the first gravity rush doesn’t have that much interesting battle, since there wasnt much enemy variety. mostly just gravity kick everything. but in the second game, it got way more interesting since theres a lot of enemies airborne than on the ground, you’ll be constantly changing gravity. changing gravity styles to fasten or slow your gravity pull. dodging mid-air to stay afloat, gravity kick to immediately change direction, wormhole to close the gap, using the gryscope to flick your gravity backwards in an instant. in later parts of the game, you’ll spend a whole boss fight on the air. like the whole time. not setting foot on the ground once. its hard to get into it, the first 5 hours is really nauseating. very motion sickness inducing. but its very rewarding mastering every mechanic of the game.

[@eli3998]

@@Kramway99 this seems like an interesting game I'll try it edit: just found out it's a PlayStation exclusive, which is rly annoying since I don't have a PlayStation

[@Leffrey]

Yeah I feel like the incorporation of movement into gameplay isn't really touched on enough in this video, but he did say he wanted to focus on traits that can apply to a wide range of games

[@derekw8039]

Hollow Knight has a combat system that feels very satisfying to master. Mastering requires mastery of abilities you'll also use is platforming segments.

[@Basalate]

I grew up playing Starsiege: Tribes, and that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the title of this video. A multiplayer team shooter that takes place at breakneck speed on massive maps, and your ability to navigate the environment was just as important as your dueling skills. I think my favorite aspect of the Tribes movement mechanics was how well the rest of your toolkit was designed to interact with that movement. Most of the weapons were explosive projectiles with relatively large splash areas. So, even when you're skiing around at 300mph, trying to catch up to your opponent, you're both firing back and forth at each other across canyons, predicting where they'll move next, trying to nail them with a mortar when they hit the bottom of the next hill.

[@Archangelm127]

Skiing was an unintended mechanic in the original game, right? Never did play any Tribes games, but I know of them.

[@xiongkuniu]

Was just going to mention Tribes: Vengeance - never got into the original game in the series, but Tribes Vengeance provided such a huge thrill in both multiplayer and single player for allt he reasons you've mentioned. I've never played anything quite like it ever since that could provide such a sense of exhilaration yet feel tangible at the same time.

[@TheJorus]

Same here, first thing to come to my mind was tribes. It's a shame none of the games have much activity anymore. I guess it's another small proof that when something requires enough skill, it's harder for a majority to stick with it.

[@TWPO]

@@TheJorus HiRez also killed the Tribes Ascend competitive community when they dropped it to work on Smite.

[@Roxfox]

@@TheJorus It certainly didn't help that the developers of the latest entry, Ascend, completely ran it into the ground with counterproductive design decisions and horrendous microtransactions... Tribes: Ascend was, for a while, my favorite movement in any game. The act of skiing itself is one thing (although what an exhilarating thing!) but the fact that it tied into so many other mechanics is what made the game shine; Planning your route through the map ahead of time but allowing room make adjustments on the fly to compensate for enemy activity, when doing everything from clearing a base for your flag carrier, going in for the capture yourself, shaking off pursuers or trying to intercept enemy carriers, and even just the act of figuring out your own momentum versus your enemy's versus the speed and inertia of your projectiles... Landing those mid-air spinfusor shots never stopped being immensely rewarding. Bonus points for the gold medal popping up on screen with that awesome "kaching" sound. And then every class got near-hitscan machineguns that you could buy with real money and none of the post-launch maps were fun to ski on, more or less proving that the initial success of the game was a fluke and Hi-Rez never actually understood what made it good, all the while adamantly refusing to listen to community feedback... That franchise deserved better.

[@Malysitos]

I don’t know if I’m the only who does this, but whenever I see a movement-themed GMTK video, I have to go into the description to see if a certain game is listed in “Games Shown.” For me, it’s Titanfall 2

[@WhoEvenIsAndr]

Titanfall two is heavily underrated still

[@htm4106]

Yep, all the love for Titanfall 2

[@drugtaker3283]

sunset overdrive

[@l0rdsnorlax]

For all of his videos I’m just hoping he mentions whatever game pops into my head when I see the title.

[@kaleocardoza8486]

On Xbox all the war zone gamers came on, now all I see is the smart pistol and spitfire 😥

[@dondontsai9135]

Love gravity rush when I was a kid, it's so liberating to fly/fall through the sky at crazy speed. Thanks for at least showing it in the end. Great video as always.

[@jarhead6870]

with the second one I love the blue rock power up thing were everything is not anti gravity so your stuck in the air but not restricted to the ground so you get this kind of fluidity feeling when you float around and do rocket jumps and stuff

[@TheArKabZol]

oh so that's what that was. i was wondering since i didn't see an annotation... wouldn't have figured it out if not for this comment. i've heard about it before but it doesn't look like i expected...

[@hotice88uk]

The Tribes series nailed every aspect you discuss here, and is still the most enjoyable movement system I've experienced in an FPS.

[@deus_ex_machina_]

If you liked that you might be interested in Shootmania

[@Metaretru]

Shazbot!

[@soulreplenished]

Thank you for putting a scene of Splatoon! I've been playing a lot of Splatoon and am diving deep into breaking down all the basic mechanics when I practice. This video has given me even more ideas of what and how to practice more effectively. :)

[@TheKoen640]

I think Tribes: Ascend is a great example of how easy to learn and hard to master. It also perfectly combines it's gunplay into it's movement.

[@Steppin--]

Rip

[@Joettison]

[VGW][VGCY]

[@TheKoen640]

@@Joettison [VCGY] 7

[@muroph]

F

[@lasarousi]

Ah yes the game that made me realize I rather just surf in source games.

[@Shekel-Shoveler]

"The best titanfall 2 players learn how to keep that momentum" False. Best titanfall 2 players equip the stim, equip the mastiff and launch themselves at the enemy firing wildly hoping they land enough pellets for an instant kill I'm not good at that game but christ I love it

[@craftypup4536]

for me it's teh grapple hook and kraber as that is just why are you using a non hitscan sniper at speed of sound

[@joos3D]

What about people who throw gravity grenades and perfectly time their grapples to bend the game to their will?

[@thegreatapathetic9836]

GMTK always uploads after everytime I think “dang hasn’t it been a long time since the last GMTK episode?”

[@seaque.]

that happens to me too in other channels

[@kusog3]

quick, think about GMTK tomorrow!

[@jan-lukas]

Always when you think you need another episode. But because I have the same feeling with other channels too, I think that is just memorizing the upload frequency of the channel...

[@JaydevRaol]

IKR!

[@JaydevRaol]

@@seaque. Yeah same

[@ekiri_dreams]

I like Terraria's movement system : the bosses often have a danmaku-like fighting style and you can use dashes or your grappling hook to change direction instantaneously, fly for a limited (or not) period of time, choose what movements you'll prioritize etc

[@ClayWar237]

yeah Terraria is amazing

[@ekiri_dreams]

@Fa Mulan While it's true that circling is efficient against most bosses, what i'm praising is how easy and fun it is to move around and control your movements thanks to the game's physics and the many accessories

[@joos3D]

Distance is a great example of implementing satisfying movement mechanics in a racing game

[@TimeMakerMan]

Doom Eternal has excellent movement, it's one of the reasons it's get addictive and challenging.

[@justascarecrow6988]

Meathook to an enemy, shoot them mid flight, glorykill them, dash to the side to avoid fire, glory kill the next, meathook, jump, hit the monkey bar, then meathook again. The amount of absurd freedom available is wonderful.

[@Deadsnake989]

@@justascarecrow6988 One of my preferred combos is to meathook in, shoot, quickly swap to ballista, backdash then shoot. The recoil from the ballista will increase the momentum from your dash, giving you significantly higher spacing. The combo deals heavy damage, and is fairly low risk in most situations. You can even launch a frag before, or during the meathook to increase the safety during the time you're somewhat vulnerable.

[@justascarecrow6988]

@@Deadsnake989 There's plenty of nice combos i gotta get the hang of. especially the marauder deletion combos.

[@licensetoshred]

@@justascarecrow6988 oh yeah, saw some of those marauder combos that down them in a few seconds, gotta get the hang of that as they are the only enemy that still shits me off haha.

[@VladiMatt]

If that was the only major change made with Eternal it would've been a much better game IMO. The chainsaw revamp turned it into just another button you had to hit every now and again instead of saving it for a satisfying instakill on a particular enemy. It felt more like an MMO where I was managing cooldowns than a DOOM sequel.

[@roonkolos]

When it comes to movement in terms of how it works with the game environment, Just Cause 3 and Dying Light are up there but for widely different reasons The latter has its parkour system, while a bit touchy at times, feel SOOO satisfying when you're running from Volatiles at night, hop on some lights across a street filled with undead and to the other side. You feel like your quick thinking got you out of a tight squeeze until you inevitably run into another Volatile. The parkour is usually very tightly held together running along pipes, up walls and the grappling hook, while not involving trajectory, helps in getting you out of tight spots. It makes you feel like a kid in a playground. Just far deadlier Just Cause 3 and the way you build momentum makes the speed junkie in you feel so damn alive. Driving in a car, getting onto its roof, going off a jump as you then paragliding into your wing suit is such a fast paced teeth clench of a ride when it all comes together. The grappling hook in that gets you going and you feel like you want to fly forever everywhere. You feel free as a bird while dangerous as an eagle

[@kikiphallin]

Dying light is absolutely amazing, love that game. I also love just cause 3 as long as I don't have to drive anything, Avalanche studios couldn't program decent driving mechanics even if their life depended on it 😂.

[@jamtart1998]

I feel like there's also something to be said for slow, deliberate movement. If a game goes at a certain speed, things feel "swishy" (which is not necessarily bad or worse). Slower movement can give weight, so if I'm wielding a big warhammer for example, a long swing gives a satisfying thwomp. In my experience, those kinds of things are very satisfying to time correctly

[@ananmaysahu4563]

bloodborne. I am convinced you are talking about bloodborne. it perfected the souls games. it feels fast even though it is way slower than say, celeste or even warframe or doom.

[@doperks7271]

Splinter cell

[@m.f.m.8290]

Prince of Persia, Out of this World, Flashback... those were the kings of slow, deliberate movement back in the day

[@jamtart1998]

@@ananmaysahu4563 You're not entirely wrong! I was thinking about Souls games in general, but specifically the charged R2 in Bloodborne came to mind. Always feels SO good landing those!

[@jamtart1998]

@@ananmaysahu4563 Also, I specifically tried to avoid bringing up the Souls games unprompted because I already do that too much... But I suppose sometimes it can't be helped 😛

[@KalokesMysteries]

There are several instances where I was overjoyed at the movement in Ori and the Will of the Wisps. When used correctly, some moves can allow you to do minor sequence breaks and access areas that are just a little harder to navigate without a later upgrade.

[@trigs7127]

I remember playing Warframe when it was taking its first steps and it had a very fluid movement system but a stamina meter that would hinder chaining too much forward momentum. Then players found a way to exploit this by sliding, which doesn't consume stamina so it keeps regenerating while maintaining speed. And then later the stamina was completely removed and the movement added so many things, wall cling, air glide, bullet jump, wall kick/climb/run, dive kick, and many others that they had to reword one of the classes skills (which was a moon jump) to something else. And there are several, not one or two but several classes that take advantage of movement into their abilities. Volt can store electric energy he generates when moving into bonus damage. Gauss can also do the same but he can apply fire or cold effects to his attacks based on how much energy he has. Nezha has teleporting, a barrier and a skill that leaves a trail of damaging fire everywhere he walks. There are other things like how they implemented movement into melee so that it doesn't stop the flow of combat, or during open world areas with various vehicles.

[@julianafite5610]

gotta say smash melee is my all time favorite movement system, once you really master it it is so free-flowing and creative while still being important competitively. it really opens up opportunities to style on your opponent too

[@poseidonr7916]

As someone who is making Minecraft Parkour maps, this ended up being exactly the video I need to watch!

[@Ayoul]

Well unless you can modify the actions in Minecraft, I don't see how it would help that much. This isn't a video about level design.

[@poseidonr7916]

@@Ayoul My take away here is more about giving the player as many opportunities to play the game to its full potential. Timing and Momentum are the main two points that are already nailed down so it’s about finding creative ways to accommodate the others and level design is the only way I could see it being done.

[@addibro4284]

Do you post your parkour maps anywhere?

[@poseidonr7916]

@@addibro4284 I uploaded some old ones to Planet Minecraft under my account of the same name as my YT a few years back but they’re I’ve learnt a lot about design skills since then. I haven’t finished any of my new maps yet but when I do I’ll submit them to Minecraft Maps.

[@powik7024]

If you like Minecraft parkour, you might wanna check out zero.minr.org, it's one of the oldest server and it is mainly focused on parkour and anyone who completes a set of hard maps can make the parkour courses on it themselves! I really love this server a lot, it has some fun and challenging maps

[@TimeToGrind]

Holy crap can't believe you mentioned Superflight! That game is so amazing and I thought I was the only one that had heard of it.

[@jarhead6870]

were not alone

[@normi1504]

I love bunnyhopping and accelerated back hop from the old source games. They let me move through open space quickly without having to waste bullets or time walking. In portal, it gives me an extra solution the some of the puzzles.

[@MarkAfterDark]

My favorite movement is legs

[@GazzerYid09]

F for moriaty

[@stroud9208]

Mine is of the bowel variety.

[@N0thing2SeaHere]

But how do you feel about forward?

[@italyspit5192]

@@N0thing2SeaHere Can't say but I love going backwards

[@TonyTama]

Mine is bowel

[@thegameneededme5]

Fun traversal is near the top of the list of what I love about games. I love when a game's movement is so fluid that you lose yourself in its world because you're just focused on traversing around the environment, even if you're not moving towards any particular goal.

[@Densoro]

I've started calling it 'skatepark design' when you're free to come and go between the levels and every inch of them enables engaging traversal. Especially when there are multiple overlapping paths to various objectives, but you can bounce _between_ those paths with sequence-breaking skill jumps.

[@dbgr9875]

For me, I absolutely LOVE the movement in The Messenger. That game is all about non-stop movement, and I think the fun of it comes mostly from it's abilities. I mean, it's basic jump and speed are fine and tight on their own, but it really is great because it gives abilities that reward experienced players with the ability to go faster, and take the shortest path possible. It has the cloudstep, where you can attack anything midair for another jump as many times as you want meaning that if you play and move well, you can go in a while without touching the ground. It a grappling hook that goes straight forward and boosts you forward into walls or through enemies and objects for extra speed and a cloudstep. And, it has climbing claws that let you rapidly scale walls without penalty and finally a non-committal glide that you can throw out at any time to keep your speed but slow your fall in the air, also giving access to a bounce-slash move that given you even more height. As well, I love Hollow Knight's movement once you have all the abilities because it gives a dash and double jump that are really quick and tight, allowing you even to control the height of the double jump, that both reset without landing if you land a downward slash on an enemy in the air allowing you, just like the messenger, to go a long time without touching the ground. Like The Messenger it has a wall cling that feels nice to use and lets you stall on and climb walls which is nice. And finally you can equip charms like Dashmaster that gives your dash more freedom of use, allowing you to dash straight down, and do if more often. Also Mario Galaxy 2 just gives you so much air control paired with the tight movement and options that also makes that game a blast. Oh and also drifting feels really nice in Mario Kart 8 and adds a higher skill ceiling to the game and is satisfying to use efficiently. Also Brawlhalla just gives you a ridiculous amount of movement options in the air including allowing you to cancel your gravity and let you do grounded move in the air, along with fast and crisp movement on the ground. Movement in Ultimate is just nice and crispy paired with plenty of different special moves that give new movement options. AND PLAGUE OF SHADOWS OH MY GOD he freedom of movement that game allows with and extra jump and a huge chargeable bomb burst makes using it effectively feel like you are riding a roller coaster that you have to perfectly control to keep on the tracks, it's wild and often fails but dang it gives you freedom. The dash slash of Specter of Torment feels really great to use, along with being able to start skating on your scythe any time(once you get the upgrade) is really fun. And fighting games like DBFZ with an air dash and double jump feel really good to use, especially with the added tension of a human opponent.

[@platformergamedesign5286]

Movement has always been the most important aspect of Game Design for me. Awesome to see you back!

[@djmouton251]

One of my favorite movement system is from the now retired Worlds Adrift, it was a simple grapplin hook that you could manually reel in or extend, and a small boost that broke the hook. It was a game with flying island and skyships, so you could fling yourself at such high speed if you boosted at the right time in the right direction that you could reach islands or high ships ! I remember my favorite thing was hopping between 2 ships flying next to each other, such a level of freedom... May you rest in peace Worlds Adrift

[@oscarrodrigo1846]

For me it was Dying Light, a game that mixed Mirror's Edge parkour with zombies. At the start you are a weak idiot that gets exhausted after hitting some undead or climbing a wall, but the more you play the more you level up your "parkour skill" and at the end all the animations run smoother and you hardly get tired after jumping over the roof of buildings. Why is this different from, for example another one of my favorites, Asssassin's Creed (AC)? I would say that it is thanks to Dying Light's freedom, where you really need to time your jumps else you fall down from 4 stories. AC is similar but more often than not you will feel "clogged", sometimes your jumps won't go as far as you expected, your turns won't be done towards the direction you were pointing to and no matter how well you do your parkour you will never feel like you are going faster (or as fast as you could). Another game to consider for it's movement might be Sea of Thieves, where managing a boat is your top priority and it can led to some marvellous moments akin to the Pirates of the Carribean shenanigans of the first 3 films. I only played the betas of this game but mastering the winds as well as knowing the sea and its islands made for some thrilling escapes when I was being chased by bigger boats and my friend was stranded on land waiting for me to pick him and the treasure up!

[@barrymchugh667]

Funny enough Death Stranding has been a game I've been enjoying lately. The way it makes you aware of topography how you move has really stuck with me as of late.

[@mnop90]

I feel the same way. I wonder if Mark didn't include it because it could be interpreted as more to do with the space itself rather than with the movement? Either way, I expected it to show up as a contrasting example between fast-paced twitch movement and slow methodical movement.

[@barrymchugh667]

@@mnop90 has he brought Death Stranding up before? He might not have gotten to it yet? Or maybe there's other elements of the game that he would prefer to talk about?

[@BisectedBrioche]

I think the first movement system I really enjoyed was Metroid Fusion. Being able to slowly build up from a fairly pitiful jump all the way to basically being able to fly with good timing using the space jump was what made me fall in love with Metroidvanias.

[@austinh1242]

This was the video I needed, and I'm so glad to see Titanfall 2's movement system get addressed. If you think the clips he played were cool, that was about 1/3 of what you can do with practice in the game, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes those kinds of games.

[@danielstroup8777]

I'm a huge fan of racing games. One of my favorites is TrackMania Nations Forever, a skill-based arcade-style formula 1 stunt racing game. The physics are realistic and feel good, but contain a few little unrealistic things like some control over your car's angle and speed in the air that just make it feel so good to play. It's often relatively easy to beat the tracks, but getting the best time is a challenge of timing (like how you have to time your turns to not align with your automatic gear changes) and precision (taking corners really tight but not too tight) as well as split-second decision-making (intentionally hitting a booster pad to increase speed but while risking losing control of your car). It's pure movement and I love it.

[@cooperm211]

Reminds me of a good Dunkey video where he describes this feeling as "jazz" - you're making a hundred decisions per minute without even realizing it. You make plans, but you spend just as much time riffing off the plans failing and still recovering gracefully.

[@abhitruechamp]

Which one was it?

[@logandeprez9598]

@@abhitruechamp I believe it's in his Mario 64 review

[@Always.Smarter]

it's called improvising.

[@cintron3d]

So glad you included gravity rush at the end there. Such a great game.

[@salmence100]

Mario 64 hits a few points here: - Doing a dive, then a rollout right as you hit the ground is the fastest ground movement in the game, but only if you're just about frame perfect, - Same with wall kicks, the sooner you press the button, the faster you are, with almost a ridiculous speed if hit perfectly - Not as many movement tools as other Mario games, but it has more momentum conservation with double jumps and wall kicks than the other games - There's a ton of tech that you would never even learn playing through normally, but give you even more options, such as wall kicking off of a backflip, or doing a short backwards long jump to gain more momentum with a forward long jump on a small platform It's movement is probably a pretty good reason the games hacking scene is so lively still.

[@darreneriksen]

Mario 64's movement system is easily one of the greatest ever made. It felt good right away to pick up and play, nailed the fundamentals, and with its dynamic nature allowed for insane creativity and expression that speed runners still blow my mind with to this day.

[@letsBrn]

I do have to say that it didn't age all to well.

[@josha5933]

I miss when Assassins creed had fun movement instead of horses which automatically ride to your next objective while you check your phone

[@jcers]

Fucking same, dude.

[@Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty]

As much as I love the older games, did it really have good movement? Freerunning was almost entirely holding in a direction, RT and A.

[@gettingshotsomeonesgonnapa8635]

The problem isnt the horses, its the unneccesarly big worlds of the new games.

[@jcers]

@@Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty the fact that things like the Assassin Tombs in the Ezio games can exist and be engaging gameplay experiences is proof that the system’s mechanics have enough decisions attached to them to be considered complex. The system itself is extremely accessible on a base level in the open world, but the depth that is _necessary_ for success in the tombs is _optionally accessible_ in general gameplay, and optimizes speed, improves flow and grants access to previously inaccessible areas when used correctly. It fits the “easy to learn, difficult to master” archetype perfectly.

[@Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty]

@@jcers Ah, fair enough. I wasn't thinking about the tombs.

[@axelprino]

My favorite has to be either Mirror's Edge or Sunset Overdrive, both feel incredibly natural after a while, they manage to rewire my brain to think movement through their mechanics when playing. I had a lot of fun with Just Cause 3 but I must admit that every now and then my habits from JC2 kicked in and I just stole a helicopter instead of using the wingsuit. When it comes to Rocket League, I love the game but I'm simply not good enough to pull off the more complicated stuff, even after years of playing the rocket boosting stuff in mid air is just too hard for me to do it reliably. That said when I do manage to do things like jumping off a wall, hit the ball in mid air, and shot a goal it feels fantastic. My favorite move is using the tail of a long car as a paddle.

[@AndrewS-vu4ji]

I love movement in games. Perhaps its why I love platformers so much, but the act of simply moving from place to place in the best/fastest/coolest way possible really gives me a reason to play some of the games shown.

[@Snozzer]

Been replaying Astral Chain recently... The movement in that game doesn’t always have perfect flow, but the way you have to incorporate timing with dodging and attacking just feels so good when combined with the fluidity of the animations. Not to mention the movement of controlling both your Legion and the player simultaneously. Very satisfying and enjoyable movement overall.

[@Ramsey276one]

Had it for a Month STOP DUNKING ME, ARMIE!!! Q_Q XD

[@JoystickDrummer]

You talked about this game but Ori And The Will Of The Wisps has the most satisfying moveset ever! Once you finish the game and you have every skill at your disposal, it is pure bliss to have complete control over Ori!

[@mrw210]

I think Whisps had a little too much going on, especially when you got into some abilities sharing the same input with context sensitive timings - which frequently results in Ori not doing the thing you wanted him to do. It's still a great game, but I think they just went a bit overboard trying to come up with new abilities and could have used some simplification.

[@JJGamezMC]

@@mrw210 Yeah it’s probably one of my all time favorite games but there were a good number of times when I dashed instead of burrowing or using the water dash thing because they’re all the same button. It’s better than the first game because it has the whole only 3 moves at once thing but it’s definitely not perfect.

[@JoystickDrummer]

@@mrw210 I really haven't played it since last year but I don't remember experiencing that. I'll have to replay it this year to see if I experience that same problem. Thank you for giving me a reason to replay that amazing game!

[@soimn6321]

Isn't Ori the Walmart version of Rayman?

[@mrw210]

@@JJGamezMC Yeah, it was Bash/Grapple and Dash/Burrow that shared inputs. I remember having issues with both of them at times, but dash/burrow problem was the most prominent - especially in that desert escape sequence.

[@brickvanexel]

Great as always Mark. One game i like the movement of a lot is a recent subject (which I'm playing thanks to you!), Shadow of War. It feels like if Assassin's Creed parkour dropped its pretense of being grounded in reality and really makes you feel like a god. It is truly "video-gamey", and is very smooth, rarely getting caught on the environment. Also if I had a note; throw better Rocket League footage in. Your point about granular control and mastery is spot on, but a bicycle hit is still super-basic. Swap with a flip reset or something, there are endless advanced mechanics which are a wonder to behold. Also Skate 3 deserves a shoutout here, that stick flick system makes it a forever game for me.

[@Moogale]

15 years later and Gunz: The Duel still has my favorite movement system (baring an eventual Titanfall 2 playthrough) out of any game, and is easily the best emergent system out there. Nails the high skill cap, timing, and usage of the environment mentioned here. Shame they patched it out (the one thing that made the game special) in the sequel and killed it. Also, Hook Champ was one of the first iOS games I got addicted to and played for more than 5 minutes at a time

[@omidr.g7409]

I'm so glad that N++ got mentioned. One of the most interesting games in terms of movement, considering how simple it is.

[@mushyfooproductions]

super happy it got a mention, but imo it deserved a bit more explanation than just 'build momentum to make long jumps'.. i guess it's just a bit too niche/difficult

[@KorsAir1987]

I recently played Sunset Overdrive and Dying Light. I was tired of open-world games, but these games made me realize that fun map transversal mechanics are one of the keys to fixing the current tired open-world game formula

[@ampmunkey]

So true! If you haven't tried Browser's Fury yet, I'd say that alone is worth picking up SM3DL+BF... Lol. It's a smallish but very dense open world with all the things to do, and of course being Mario is wicked fun just to explore and jump all around.

[@mjc0961]

Yep, the biggest problem with most open world games is the massive size of the map compared to what they actually included for you to do in it. Every Ubisoft game of course, but also Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, and so many more... All of these maps are too big with too little to engage with in the world, so you just get commute simulators. Want to get to the next part of the game? Well it's all the way at the other end of the world, please enjoy driving a car or staring at a horse's ass for 20 minutes to get there. Maybe the game will be extra "innovative" and give you a ROBOT HORSE'S ASS to look at like Horizon Zero Dawn! Wow! 🙄 You know what's cool about going back to Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City? The maps are small, you get to spend your time actually playing the game. No commuting necessary!

[@Jamandabop]

The thing that makes Hollow Knight's movement system so good is that you can only dash or jump once in midair, except that both of them reset when you down strike on an enemy. The potential for mid-air combat that it creates is amazing.

[@EqualityEarth]

KH Dream Drop Distance would have been a much better game if the super dash and super jump were limited to 1 each under the same conditions. So much wasted potential with all the special moves unable to combo with attack or command deck.

[@cleoknight4788]

I feel like Hollow Knight is one of those games where the movement and combat seems pretty simplistic for most skill levels but then top level play is just some of the most insane gameplay I have ever seen.

[@BurritoInTheMist]

@@cleoknight4788 "Low Skill Floor - High Skill Ceiling"! It's really easy to get into the controls, but to really master them you get a ton of depth!

[@cleoknight4788]

Exactly!

[@freyav.5500]

Reminds me of Shinobi on ps2, pretty much the same mechanic. Later levels had so many instant death holes you had to get really good at the rhythm too

[@TheArklyte]

I have a weird feeling that Prototype series won't be mentiond:(

[@rezachoudhury823]

Prototype 1 was rough around the edges but I prefered it's movement more than it's sequel, which felt over simplified. Building up jump momentum and running along traffic was pretty cool in that game.

[@ABadassDragon]

It is so good and not enough people talk about it. Sprint, charge jump, dash, charge in mid air, release when hit the ground, repeat. You will start clearing blocks in a single jump without a lot upgrades. Also, that jump dash trick to quickly scale the buildings is amazing for challenges, esspecialy early on

[@mjc0961]

Also, I can't believe Doom Eternal got snubbed save for a few seconds of footage. At least Sunset Overdrive finally got some credit, though.

[@elmostachojuanoh]

The way prototype 1 gives you freedom in movesets and movement itself is amazing. Having these profiles to play with heavily shifts the gameplay, while also being completely optional. Sure, the way those slow and strong boulder-like arms were an upside into heavy ground fights, but horrible in air or against crowds. I wish they made a sequel focusing more on skill ceiling, movement chains, level design, instead of more of the "gather currency to unlock overpowered moves, and eventually beat the game". Sure its their best interest to make easier games to appeal everyone but, it really hurts to see such an unique idea overshadowed by an overpowered protagonist

[@-Xever-]

Learn the difference between action based game and movement

[@BoonPflug]

I love the movement in Liero. A 2D shooter from the DOS era (imagine worms in real time). You have a grappling hook, and chain the swings together with with recoil from weapons (like a super shotgun) to gain momentum. You chain them together to gain ludicrous speed, or quick changes in trajectory, and the flow you gain feels incredibly satisfying.

[@xaviercullen540]

Superflight is my favorite movement system of all time. It uses similar mechanics to Just Cause's wingsuit but instead of trying to get out of danger, you are actively rewarded by taking dangerous routes and insanely-tight windows. Nothing gets my heart racing as fast as when I play that game and I just barely avoid a wall or weave through small openings.

[@wrongtime9097]

One thing I’ve noticed is that the fewer automations a mechanic has, the more potential it has as an interesting game mechanic. Example: in some games you get the option to climb up a wall which will be a stiff mechanic that magnetizes you to a designated wall-climb spot. However in other games the player themselves have to judge where to go when climbing a wall, how to do it, and if there are any modifiers that can change how that wall climb will work. If, say, a sudden burst of speed affects how high and how fast a player can wall-climb (rather than them sticking to a wall mount like glue) then that adds potential for both unique challenges as well as allowing the player to manipulate these modifiers in unforeseen and interesting ways (think ‘rocket-jumping’ as opposed to a static wall-jump that moves at the same speed every time).

[@djroscurro9859]

You mean the two games of lost world?

[@cormano64]

"Example: in some games you get the option to climb up a wall which will be a stiff mechanic that magnetizes you to a designated wall-climb spot. However in other games the player themselves have to judge where to go when climbing a wall, how to do it, and if there are any modifiers that can change how that wall climb will work." This paragraph right here highlights the massive difference in the cinematic-style (Hollywood envious) AAA games that plague the industry and games that aim to provide the player with more agency and freedom of choice through the Immersive Sim design philosophy. Obviously my deepest hope is to see the latter overtake the former in the coming decades.

[@KeybladeSpirit]

Gravity Rush 2 has one of my favorite movement systems entirely because of how perfectly the animations sell the "gravity" aspect of it. Changing gravity styles to impact your fall speed and stride length fulfill your "chaining" concept and each style giving some unique way to affect your momentum or trajectory lets everything feel like it has some purpose.

[@askinnyball785]

The amount of dopamine released whenever someone talks about titanfall 2 is unnatural.

[@entitledOne]

I came to the comments just to find the TF2 gang and I'm not disappointed. Still playing it and praying to the video game gods that Respawn makes a new one.

[@i_fish6657]

And yet there is still so much cringe when you watch someone play who isn't air strafing and slide hopping at 70kph

[@janwijnants3995]

TF2 fanbase is the best, i only started playing a couple months back but absolutely in love with the game

[@i_fish6657]

@@janwijnants3995 Don't say tf2 its best to specific either team fortress 2 or titan Fall 2

[@askinnyball785]

@@i_fish6657 but tf2 is so much better than tf2

[@bugcake006]

I really love the movement system of pretty much every source game (Half life 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2..), because the physics of the world is amazingly well done, and you really feel like the player is part of this physical world and follow the sames rules. Portal might be my favourite since it focuses a lot more on the player's own physic. I just really love games where the player feels grounded in the environment and follow the same phisical rules as everything else, it makes the environment feel a lot less artificial than in most games. I also loved the assassin's creed games up until they decided to trivialise the parkour system in AC 3. Having so much focus on movement made the game so special. what other game had a button dedicated to push people away in a crowd ? I also really liked that there where a button to run and a button to dash run, and that running fast meant your right thumb was pushing the dash button, which made it difficult to dash and move the camera at the same time. It rewarded being mindful of dashing only at the appropriate time.

[@Littlebigun99]

I wish assassins creed would learn from this. There hasn’t been any actual gameplay in its parkour since Revelations. Such wasted potential.

[@Iemonzinger]

Unity was pretty great

[@Littlebigun99]

@@Iemonzinger I disagree. Imo unity had great animations but there was almost no actual gameplay there aside from choosing to parkour up or down (barely gameplay). It was pretty much on autopilot.

[@Iemonzinger]

@@Littlebigun99 check out MK Leo's AC Unity videos, you can get pretty creative with it

[@stanleychen2584]

@@Littlebigun99 how many hours? your answer lowkey sounds like a carbon copy of ppl who bashed on it, but no hate if you rlly do hate the system 😁

[@Littlebigun99]

@@stanleychen2584 idk about hours but I played through twice plus dead kings & a good chunk of the side content

[@AndyLawsonawl]

For me it has to be the sand surfing sunset scene in Journey. Completely exhilarating and with a genuine sense of freedom.

[@Nisser100]

Nice

[@dylanenriguehuntington2908]

I like Botw schmoovement, parcially bacuase its hard to access it feels great to pull of wind bombs and wierd stasis shenanigans, but the base movement is also great with it's wide variety of options.

[@ArtemisWasHere]

You are forgetting the ultimate momentum builder The backwards long jump

[@MrRisdar]

But first we need to talk about

[@thisisfyne]

@@MrRisdar 𝒫 𝒜 𝑅 𝒜 𝐿 𝐿 𝐸 𝐿 𝒰 𝒩 𝐼 𝒱 𝐸 𝑅 𝒮 𝐸 𝒮

[@thepastaprogenitor851]

And the novel wavedash

[@VsevolodKhusid]

[Menu music plays]

[@bodacious12]

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAHOOO

[@A6by]

Definitely Warframe - you can tell someone is a newbie because they seem *at all related to the floor*. Everyone else may as well be flying, and it's really, really fun to improve at this by little bits over time, especially since its core is still just pressing the B button and left bumper at certain times depending on altitude and environment. So, it's got environmental interaction, a skill test, and simple controls that are still granular. Everything you want in a system like this. Plus, late game, you can upgrade your parkour speed to be given an even harder challenge in exchange for getting to go even faster.

[@Darkfyyre]

yes, i was looking for a warframe mention! the ability to chain together different actions in order to tear through tilesets at top speed is amazing (just don't get stuck on geometry lol!). i like to use the aim glide to extend a long jump so i can cross really wide gaps. i also love how DE embraced movement being an important part of what makes the gameplay fun by turning a bug into a feature - taking a melee bug that could send players across the map, and turning it into the iconic "bullet jump" that's now an integral part of my day-to-day button mashing routine while playing the game haha.

[@thefalcon-wn1rc]

I love Star Wars Squadrons’ free movement around a 3D space that allows for quick boosts, satisfying drifts, and options to be more nimble or fast, sacrifice damage and shields to quick get away, and a variety of ships to choose from.

[@xVancha]

Surf maps in counter-strike. I can't think of a better example of the zen satisfaction movement can provide once you've surpassed the learning curve.

[@Stralelvan]

Bhopping too

[@spartanwar1185]

Surfing is possible in other source games too It's just one of the things i love about the source engine The fact that no matter what i'm playing, i can always apply my skills of surfing to any of those source games whenever applicable

[@sczzlbtt]

Defrag from Quake 3, that's surf before surf was a thing.

[@SuperJohnWho]

I love garivity rush 2 mouvement mechanic, I love just "fly" into a city, I have a really good feeling

[@KoviDev]

I think my favorite movement system still has to be the happy accident that was Quake 1's fast paced advanced movement. None of it was intended by the developers, in fact they chose to actively slow the player down during development, but a few specific quirks in how the game handled the players speed completely changed the pace of the game for competitive players. The fact that the motion of turning would give you speed, and keeping your contact with the ground to the absolute minimum allowed you to preserve that speed, created this smooth flowing gameplay that emphasized constantly moving yet precise control. Combining that with some other nuances of the game, such as the excessive amount of force behind explosions leading to rocket jumping, and suddenly players can blitz around the maps in ways that are downright comical at times. None of these mechanics were complex on their own, but maximizing them in practice, especially in the middle of a heated deathmatch, was easily one of the most rewarding movement systems I've ever used. The movement in Quake is what I entirely attribute my love of advanced movement systems in games to, and to this day I don't think there's any single thing that makes me appreciate a game more than having a good movement system that rewards dedication to mastery.

[@Wylie288]

You prefer that over Quake 3's movement system or CPMA?

[@theguru210]

For me it still has to be Jet Set Radio. I know it's not a perfect game, but the synergy between the chaotic feel of the controls and the movement and the loud, wacky artstyle is just *chef's kiss*. It also was a big inspiration for Sunset Overdrive, which is awesome.

[@kingoreo7050]

Sunset Overdrive is so fluid and fun once you get all the abilities and master it. I really wish more people played it

[@palebluenarratives]

Perfect timing: may I suggest to take a look at the Solar Ash trailer from yesterday's State of Play? "A 3D platformer focused on speed, movement and fluidity" from the creators of Hyper Light Drifter. Looks bonkers.

[@Chillpanes]

I was thinking the exact same thing while watching. Solar Ash seems like a game with a great emphasis on Movement, which has me excited.

[@WhiteKnuckleRide512]

Bit too soon to get too exited about it Imo. I have faith in Heart Machine (HLD is one of my favorite games of all time and Disasterpeace is one of my favorite artists) but the movement isn’t something we really know anything about yet.

[@mjc0961]

No, you may not recommend games you haven't played. Trailers are usually lies.

[@71507]

A 3D platformer focused on speed, movement, and fluidity, with a gameplay reveal where the movement looks neither fast nor fluid. I have respect for the developers and their previous work, but that gameplay they showed was just not good. The so defined fast movement was constantly interrupted by slow climbing sections and outdated slow falling mechanics, and the chaining of different movement states looked extremely clunky.

[@palebluenarratives]

@@71507 Firstly, I respect the developers for showing us a 'honest' trailer. Fingers crossed: the raw material is good.

[@davidanoble]

I love the way Hollow Knight integrates movement and combat. At first, it's a pain to deal with knockback from your own attack. But eventually, it's really satisfying to land difficult hit on an enemy and then escape its reach in one fluid series of motions.

[@bubba6583]

Glad you mentioned titanfall, it has the best movement out of any game in my opinion. Going through the list you presented I think all apply, like timing, environmental interaction, trajectory calculation, and the most important part being momentum/chaining moves together. Being able to reach insane speeds through a grapple slingshot, sliding into a wall run, and traversing the map to snag a kill on an unsuspecting enemy never gets old. Keep up the great work, absolutely adore the content!

[@MsJeffreyF]

It feels good because of the contrast between the fluidity you gain and the friction you anticipate. Splatoon makes it very obvious with you gliding through your ink and tredging through the enemy's

[@meghjp]

As someone who recently discovered DDRace/Teeworlds, I think this was one of the most fun movement/traversing play I had, and the game's easiness resting on helpful other players in the server and drag and teach you through the entire course, giving a really nice and non-toxic internet co-op feel.

[@DrFatal1ty]

I think CTR goes into this category too. The feeling of chaining power slides and up-keeping blue fire boost is super satisfying.

[@youmgsandwiche]

This, it feels incredible to build up real speed in CTR.

[@kubilaykan399]

My favorite one is Remnants of Naezith, it has very little with grappling hooks, double jump and dash on 2d platformer but physics felt so real and fluid.

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

I love when moves have both a movement and combat implication. Like stuff in metroidvanias.

[@Densoro]

I sequence broke Kingdom Hearts on PSP by using the dash attack to clear a tricky jump...that was supposed to be the end of the level xD

[@adamschlinker972]

Been playing a tonne of Trials Fusion lately. The precision and physics are insane. So fun.

[@GenericSoda]

I think my favorite movement has to be Copen's from the Gunvolt series. Tapping the L button makes him do a dash that covers good ground and boosts his speed, and if you do it in the air you get a massively improved distance and speed boost and can go up or down at a 45 degree angle, albeit at the cost of one of three stocked "Bullits." If Copen airdashes into floor or wall while dashing, he ricochets off the wall at an opposing angle while regaining a Bullit. If he comes into contact with an enemy, he bounces off while regaining a Bullit, and slowly floats towards the ground. Additionally, he locks onto the enemy he tackled, which gives his shot and special weapons different properties. The main challenge and thrill of using Copen comes from figuring out the best opportunities to tackle enemies, and during boss fights, whether it's a good idea to do so depending on their attack patterns.

[@mateotrapiello1114]

One of my favourite movesets ever is Jak and Daxter's. It fills almost every point of your checklist - it encourages chaining moves, the animations are clear, fluid and expressive, it focuses on timing but is not hard at all to understand and, in general, movement speaks the same language for both exploration and combat. Back in 2001 it was an absolute blast, but it doesn't feel outdated at all - in fact, it does still feel incredibly responsive and satisfying to explore the world, overcome platforming challenges and beating enemies all at once

[@freyav.5500]

Glad someone brought it up. The game is 20 years old but the controls are still smooth as butter. My gold standard for platformer controls.

[@unchartedrocks1]

I disagree. Jak is a kickass game that is fun & by all means responsive during playtime but it is outdated. Jak unlike Ratchet never evolved its gameplay with each installment. Ratchet introduced strafing. This not only gave R&C move mobility but impressive fluidity. Jak is definitely a game i can still get on & play but there's no questioning it's mobility would have improved both its gunplay & platforming if strafing was added in to give even better fluid mobility of the character.

[@mateotrapiello1114]

@@unchartedrocks1 it's true, but unfortunately Jak's and Ratchet's trajectories are far from equal - whereas R&C has a large number of entries and its mechanics have evolved through the last 20 years, Jak only had three numbered entries and a couple of spin-offs. The gameplay only evolved from Jak 1 to 3 and I don't think the gunplay is absolutely perfect, specially in the last entry, but the core of the platforming elements were kept intact through those three games, and I think Jak II's platforming segments were among the very best of the series because they were more challenging than the first one's. Platforming games have evolved in these two decades, that's absolutely true, and I think it's kind of a shame that we're still unable to experience what a next-gen Jak game would feel, but I still think that, being a PS2 title, Jak 1's platforming still feels accessible, responsive and enjoyable. It may not necessarily be the best one ever made, but it's really solid and has aged more than well if you ask me. That was my point back then.

[@Gygasnukee]

GMT on movement? *Hell yeah.* Something that might not be obvious to having a satisfying movement system is Minecraft. Running through randomly generated terrain or through player-made parkour, you have to think on your feet if you want to maintain optimal speed, knowing when to jump, what jumps you can and can't make with how much speed you have, and trying to maximize the amount of jumps you make since each one gives you a subtle speed boost. And that's not even considering things like placing blocks to create platforms while mid-air, or the Elytra, which has a completely different movement skill entirely. There's a surprising amount of depth to it, which you can see in a lot of the top-level speed runs of the game.

[@eyald.8252]

There's some charm about that, but it isn't the best movement system Edit: I do agree with the elytra part though

[@eyald.8252]

@Oliver Henry the elytra is a good example though: requires you to understand tragectories, uses momentum, and has a good sense of speed

[@ShadowDragon7015]

Even though the game had a lot of issues I really enjoyed the movement and control Anthem gave the players while in the suit. The flight felt nice, was easy to control, and could be used to fly above enemies to do a ground slam for an AoE attack or to move to cover. The ability to combine that with the dash mechanic made for some fun gameplay that didn't have much of a difficulty curve, but was still rewarding for players that found the gear/abilities to combine for some heavy damage or chain attacks to wipe out large groups of enemies.

[@georgehouse5421]

You hit the nail on the head when talking about how it feels gliding close to the ground in Just Cause 3.

[@zoks]

This channel is an absolute gem to anyone with any interest in game design. Keep doing what you're doing!