Progression of Movement

[@jxmxsc]

Feel like the Ratchet and Clank series has always nailed this. While the main draw is definitely the insane weapons you can buy, find and upgrade, almost all of the new stages take on a new persona when you return with new movement options. The first game alone, which starts with just some basic jumping, ends up including a helipack, swingshot grappling, grindboots, magneboots, thrusterpack, hydropack for underwater sections and hoverboard. There isn't even an upgrade or leveling system in that game, and yet the feeling of progression you get from level to level as your options for movement increase is almost unrivaled.

[@macweirdo1]

Thanks for the video. Really insightful!

[@thinreaper]

Another great video! I love these kinds of discussions; examining a sort of overlooked aspect of game design and all the interesting potential it holds if developers were to approach it with a bit more consideration and creativity. You got me thinking about games I've played in the past that did something interesting with how movement evolves in rewarding ways. Your mention of Beyond Good & Evil reminded me a lot of FFVII and the joy and liberation that came with unlocking air ships which let you fly around the world map at high speeds, free from random encounters. I totally agree with you about those Metroidvania games as well. For me the real fun is in unlocking items or abilities that allow you to reach those previously inaccessible areas that have been taunting you along the way. More developers should take note of how exploration and discovery can be just as fun and engaging as combat and start to consider the different ways they can reward the player in that department too.

[@CageyVideos]

+thinreaper Cheers man. Your Dark Souls video is great.

[@dedicateddark]

I really wanted the space segment in Beyond Good and Evil to last longer, I wanted more side activities. The game was just great.

[@Nagoragama]

The first time I experienced this in a game was all the way back in Final Fantasy 1, when after the incredibly taxing Ice Cave, you get the Floater and are able to take off in the Airship. It has exciting music, moves incredibly fast, and opens up the whole world for exploration.

[@Lugbzurg]

The inFAMOUS games did a nice job of this; allowing you various new abilities to use with your electric powers that didn't necessarily involve combat like that electric lasso tether for latching into walls or being able to launch yourself into the air when finding these electrified pole things on the sides of buildings.

[@Hikrauda]

Xenoblade X did this really well when you unlocked your mech and, eventually, unlocked its ability to fly.

[@87392v]

Thanks for all of your videos

[@JoonasSariola]

Samekind feeling of feel the new way to move around Ni No Kuni:The wraith witch. You first go around on foot, then you get to boat and realize it's not just one island your gona explore and finally the dragon which with exciting/adventure-style music and you realize how big the game-area is actually.

[@haldir108]

"Jade from beyond good and evil" from beyond good and evil.

[@rodrigorodriguez5965]

a good metroidvania game does exactly what you mentioned about beyond good and evil. Upgrading the hovercraft is basically a metroidvania aspect of the game. Get new equipment to go to new places. Like a good metroidvania game they got the aspect of making the upgrades fun to use and not only to use them for game progression right, but the basic metroidvania mantra is there. Making traversal of areas that first were tedious or not possible to reach more fun, or enemies that you struggled to deal with a joy to dispatch. In the best metroidvanias the newly gained abilities are both fun to use and useful for the gameplay. I agree that in bad examples of the genre, the upgrades are used just for a mean to open new doors and don´t change game-feel enough. But the genre itself is a prime example of good progression of movement. The screw attack of super metroid come to mind. It is useful and fun to pull of.

[@TheDanteEX]

Most great RPGs have a huge part of the game focused outside of combat. Take the classic Fallout games (and New Vegas), you can go through the whole main story without having to kill another human being. There's always a few ways to get through quests, combat only being one of them. There's even skills dedicated to not being combative. These aren't present in Bethesda's RPGs because they out disposable human enemies everywhere you go who attack you on sight. No depth to those "enemy" faction.

[@VonBoche]

Grow Home is the best example of this, also the worst sadly. If like me you compulsively collect the cystals that abound, your jetpack gets upgraded so extensively that every other traversal option that the game gives you become mostly irrelevant. The reward for progressing make ascending so much easier that it's not as fulfilling anymore.

[@avalonerkitty5418]

Ahh, pixel shader 2.0 water. How I have missed thee. On a side note, the end boss fight in Beyond Good and Evil was hard.

[@casualcommenter9730]

Space Whale!

[@YulanCardoso]

Have you checked Guild Wars 2's Heart of Thorns expansion? There's some grind involved as in pretty much any game of the genre, but the way it rewards you with new ways to explore the maps is amazing and very refreshing in a MMO. www.guildwars2.com/en/news/reimagining-progression-the-mastery-system/

[@PolarbearYGT]

play Toki Tori 2.... seriously