WHAT ARE "TIGHT" CONTROLS? - Movement in Games

There is some very interesting game design that you never see that go into making characters feel great when you play them. Josh explores how game feel is created through animation, controls and trying new things!
Games in order of appearance:
Super Mario Galaxy
Proteus
Spelunky Original
Spelunky HD
Super Meat Boy
Super Mario Bros.
INSIDE
10 Second Ninja X
Canabalt
Hyper Light Drifter
Gang Beasts
QWOP
Surgeon Simulator
GIRP
Wobble Yoga
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Line Wobbler
Worlds Adrift
Volo Airsport
References:
killscreen.com...
www.gamasutra.c...
• Climbing in Games
www.pirateheart...
excitemike.com/...
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[@satchboogie2058]

"press F to pay respects" - Tightest control

[@grooorglaserdeth8823]

Press f to amputate leg That´s like the most anticlimatic thing ever

[@tttheemeraldsword7528]

its just too casual. like "AHHHH MY LEG I'VE BEEN ATTACKED BY A WALk- press x to chop your leg off

[@270z]

Some advice. I think to get your point across about the games you identified are having "tight" controls you should also also point out games that do not. Identify something well know that will allow players to better understand your point by pointing to it's antithesis.

[@pmaguire13]

Barry Smith *any .exe game that has ever been created into existence*

[@jarlfenrir]

Maybe Spyro would be a good example. All the time you have to adjust camera, to be able to see where are you going.

[@dooplon5083]

jarlfenrir Haven't played Spyro here, please explain.

[@TheSephi]

Active mode camera

[@Dargonhuman]

I was thinking that as well. It's all well and good to show a number of games that got it right, but like they said in the vid, when it's done right, you don't notice it so it makes sense to show a couple of examples where it's done wrong as a contrast. But, in the vid's defense, it's hard to talk about bad controls in a non-interactive medium like a video, as shows like AVGN and Caddicarus have pointed out.

[@wefyb2]

The controls for Hollow Knight are just incredible. It has the same jumping mechanic at Meatboy, in that as soon as you let go of the button you started to accelerate downwards. The weapon swing is a key part of the platforming, to the point where it becomes second nature to use it even in new areas. Part of that is the consistency in the artstyle in regards to objects, but it really does feel fantastic to play. Ori and the Blind forest also goes into a fabulous category of movement controls. Always fluid, and it never feels like the character does anything that you didn't tell it to do.

[@Netsuki]

I actually hate the controls in Hollow Knight, because they are sometimes unresponsive. I press the button and because there is some kind of delay between actions or something, character just ignore my input completely. And no, it's not my fault, neither my controller's. I play many games and for example, I have no issues in Ori. Great responsiveness. Which unfortunately Hollow Knight lacks.

[@ManjCactus]

@@Netsuki I dont realy get what you are talking about, are you sure the game is working fine ?

[@Netsuki]

​@@ManjCactus Game is working as intended. Which isn't really that good. You can often not get pogo on spikes when You literally press the buttons. There is weird delay between performing action after the last one has ended. And no. It's neither my controller, my PC, connection or anything else. I played more requiring games with the same specs, like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Using same controller. Ori doesn't have that issue either. It's just Hollow Knight. And I hope Silksong will have it fixed.

[@kittyandtiny9159]

Great video, but the original Spelunky DID have individual buttons for different items (A and S I think they were) AND for sprinting (shift).

[@marioisawesome8218]

Thank you.

[@eggnog9230]

Original Spelunky was best Spelunky

[@omegazero3008]

you right

[@Luuklin]

GTA V's controls are unresponsive to the point that it makes it frustrating to play sometimes for me.

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

it's GTA4's unresponsiveness but even worse. move left? but I'm facing right.. I'll just run in a big circl.. dead

[@Luuklin]

I had that a lot in GTA V as well. Really annoying when you're playing custom gamemodes like Cars vs Snipers and you die if you fall off a platform.

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

you can have more control in first person view but then you can't see where you're going

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

my experience is with keyboard. it's really poorly done. the character should move how I press buttons. I don't want to have to deal with Rockstar's idea of realism. want to jump to a platform in water? dive headfirst. jumping from a roof? must try to land on my head

[@robotica34]

What's your FPS in-game?

[@Wyrdwad]

See, I've never felt like the original Super Mario Bros. had "tight" controls, because the game is just so... slippery. Mario has so much momentum that it's hard to do precise platforming with him. To me, "tight" controls are controls where your character literally only moves when you tell him/her to. When you stop pushing right, your character stops moving right -- there's no slide. When you jump, you can move left or right in the air at will, with no momentum, guiding yourself to a pixel-perfect landing if you so desire. Basically, I don't really consider controls in a game to be "tight" unless momentum is more or less disregarded in favor of 100% player control.

[@Soxviper]

This. I tried playing Mario 3 for the first time and I just couldn't get into it due to how slippery Mario is. I like games like Mega Man where movement is as responsive as I want it to be

[@Praecantetia]

I really like the flying controls in some dragon games I've played. you press the button for a short time and it does a small wing flap and if you hold it for longer times you move further than without and the wings swing accordingly

[@jan_harald]

Praecantetia too bad it can't be applied to planes and most fliers are based on planes... but the good thing is... many, probably most games now change your jump height based on the same principle, the longer you hold the higher and longer your jump will be...that's really nice too...and irritating to find out that some games have fixed lengths, like hold for 1sec=move 3 tiles, 3sec=5 tiles and anything inbetween gets rounded down...

[@Praecantetia]

I guess the moment is always related to what and who you're playing, since we're not going to have a flapping metal plane or a fish walking on it's fins. I mean that's possible, but absurd.

[@jan_harald]

Praecantetia pretty sure there are several games featuring walking fish, very probably at least one plane with flapping wings too, possibly made as a mod but still... I think I've seen a fish one myself, but I'm not sure if I actually saw the flapping plane or just fabricated that idea, no way of making sure either... but yeah, that is ridiculous...just like qwop...

[@Praecantetia]

Exactly.

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

One game that I always really liked was the Gargoyle Quest game for the original Gameboy. It was a platformer where you jump then when in the air press the jump button again and it establishes a height you can 'float' at for awhile while you can still move. Sort of like the princess in Super Mario Bros 2 but more controllable since if you wish you can begin floating after only a half-jump (which I don't think Princess Toadstool could do in SMB2 but its been ages since I played so maybe I'm wrong). I've always wanted to find more games that control like that one did.

[@Flavourius]

Ori and the Blind Forest is by far my favorite game in terms of gameplay and character actions. In the definitive edition you can use the teleport mechanic, but in the original game you had to "walk" through the levels. The more you progress and unlock more abilities, the "walk" becomes an acrobatic act and it is so satisfying overall to see how easy it is to go through the earlier levels again with the new movement controls. Despite character controls, I also like the tilt mechanic of racing games, for example Motorstorm was one of the first games I think with with the controllers being able to tilt, so you could get a better sense of steering the vehicle.

[@Benjieb15]

Ori has some of the tightest, yet simultaneously most fluid feeling controls I've ever used in a 2D platformer. Fucking incredible game.

[@commenturthegreat2915]

The bash ability is my (and many other's) favorite

[@trainzelda1428]

Yeah, Ori's movement sometimes feels more like a creative act than just a means of transportation

[@dameapster7791]

Favorite control is to press 'b' to blow

[@Patronux]

the best

[@joeboykitz6985]

Press "x" to "Jason!!!"

[@Kerrmunism]

JoeBoy Kitz wow a heavy rain reference.

[@PanzerPawTV]

Excellent video and a great insight into how this all comes about.

[@JoshFTL]

well i had the help of a very sexy friend ;)

[@AtelierLaoshi]

Tanks*

[@jamesgriebler]

100% didn't expect to see Panzer here! -Jiggly_Man

[@thenotwaluigi]

Cory In The House Has The Best Controls Ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@zoomspilo6798]

You make suicide seem like the right choice.

[@flowerflower9478]

UM

[@keithgould8733]

Wow. I know this some sort of joke but it is pretty annoying. just because you click on a video on anime boobs then end up with click bait doesn't mean.. ARGH, yeah i know it's the internet. 😑

[@zoomspilo6798]

What did his comment have to do with clickbait? Unless, of course, there's a reply to it that has been deleted.

[@josgeerink9434]

LOL

[@Catmomila]

Superman 64, of course. Nah, for real, Super Meat Boy's controls are amazing. Such a good game.

[@botdfbvb]

Gaspoo I agree. If I die in super meat boy I don't get left with the feeling of the game being to blame. I know i just didn't make the right decision.

[@ZarHakkar]

I really liked how fluid the action was in the Megaman Zero series. It was always really fun to dash and slash through enemies and the level.

[@mateoechauri3712]

and die over and over and over again

[@Xanit]

ZarHakkar I consider the MegaMan Zero series to have my favorite movement of any 2D game. Good choice!

[@moversti92]

2D zelda games.

[@internisus]

Something that I've noticed is very important to me in a 2D game is camera behavior. If the camera view is fixed and the overall screen perspective doesn't respond to my changing movement or facing from left to right, it leads to the character themselves feeling stiff, which in turn makes the game somewhat unpleasant or unwelcoming at the start, before I have sufficiently mapped my brain onto it. What I like is for the camera to smoothly pan to show further into the distance on the side of the screen my character is looking towards. This has gameplay ramifications, so it's unreasonable to simply demand it always be there, but I find the sense of dynamism it provides the game invaluable. Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that; I've further realized that, in games that follow the Mario example and include acceleration at the start of any movement before the avatar gets up to speed, the camera shift may not be necessary. It's really an either/or question. If I'm playing the kind of sidescroller that has simpler movement in which you reach top speed the instant you press left or right on the d-pad or stick, then the game definitely needs to perform a smooth camera pan to show me more distance in either facing direction to compensate for the character's stiff movement. And by smooth camera pan, I mean that the camera movement needs to have its own acceleration, fast at first when you turn and then gently settling into place. Essentially, either the character can feel stiff or the game can; not both. So if your gameplay calls for your character to have simple, pretty much binary movement, you need to create some dynamic camera movement.

[@JoshFTL]

yea, the way the camera acts is really important. I've been looking at dedicating an entire episode to it. As you've shown it's a very broad and interesting topic. I like it when I have some control over the camera but if the game has a good enough cam I don't usually think about it!

[@HandledToaster2]

Unity has a built in tool for smooth camera movement

[@bigz4349]

Warframe has a pretty impressive movement and parkour system implemented

[@theolddeus9672]

Big Z and if you spin quickly you turn into Taz

[@zaori2785]

*i hate* the floaty controls of the *new Super Mario Bros* Games! Bring back the tight controls that actually feel like you are IN control!

[@Axl4325]

The Megaman games, especially speaking about the X games (first 3) they give you total control over X and his jumps, you can change your position mid air and you can "cancel" the jump when you stop pressing the jump button, this gives you time to respond to enemies that are above you, because the Megaman games have a lot of them, also the hitbox of your buster when standing or jumping is basically aimed so you don't miss your shots easily, that way you have the option to calculate jumps in order to hit weird positioned enemies, enemies above you, enemies in platforms and such, and the dash is a great alternative to the slide of the classic Megaman games, because it's basically a emergency escape button, you can have fast reactions with the dash and that makes boss battles more fair and enjoyable

[@NaxeCode]

I LOVE THESE KINDS OF VIDS, Really informative, Since I'm a game dev!

[@JoshFTL]

Thank you! I'm looking for ideas for new episodes so if you have anything you'd like to see me cover let me know :)

[@NaxeCode]

Gaming Faster than Light! Maybe a "Math in Videogames" would be interesting, From Trigonometry, to just how certain games used math (For example, Doom's ray casting) Or "Pseudo Logic for Game Mechanic" Where you basically explain certain mechanics from a high-level perspective. (The latter is rather hard to do, since it requires logical examination of certain game mechanics, I mean think of how you'd go about implementing Portal's "Portal" game mechanic... not that simple xD) I'm not sure how well informed you are on Game Design / Game Development stuffs, so these are just suggestions, :P

[@JoshFTL]

I'm awful at maths however the pseudo logic is a really cool idea. there are definitely a lot of things we take for granted as 'the way things should work'!

[@NaxeCode]

Gaming Faster than Light! I was leaning towards that too, And the topic is pretty broad, for example, in Sonic the hedgehog (Classic) series, how would one implement sonic's "If you press the right button while moving left, you stop faster than if you let the button go", Or Mario's "Variable jump", when you hold down a button you jump for as long as that button is being held. C: The Math in these is fairly simplistic, (Velocity and acceleration are simple as heck), but the logic as to how these were to be implemented behind the scenes would be tricky! You might not always be 100% spot on as to how they implemented it, but if it works, it works! :D

[@JoshFTL]

very true. smoke and mirrors stuff can be lots of fun!

[@ogopogo83]

Octodad is always a beaut

[@Kerrmunism]

Erika Evasiuk that's what I said lol. It's the best game, and has the best controls, as well as the best premise (besides Pencil Sharpening Sim). It can't be beat. OCTODAD. NO ONE SUSPECTS A THING. im sry

[@jacobwhite8617]

Ssbm feels amazing

[@EpicuriousGeorge]

Came here to say just that.

[@Cunt143]

best movement in any video game period

[@Ocarinist_Drew]

I have to agree. When I was younger, I thought that it felt clunky and stiff, due to the lack of a buffering system. But as I've gotten more serious about the game, I find it feels super satisfying and precise BECAUSE there is no buffering system. Also, Super Mario Sunshine is like the Melee of Mario games.

[@ryzyooritzz]

I think brawl is way tighter

[@Cunt143]

HillMeister's HQ nice meme

[@jakebeach1364]

Just cause 3 has a very good feel to it

[@sapphic_sophie]

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows for the win.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Specter of Torment, you mean?

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

+Chaos Creator It's been out on Steam since April 5th. I should know. I've played it.

[@MrTNT6000]

what's that thing at 8:44

[@jan_harald]

MrTNT6000 regular led strip... it's wonderful what you can do with simple, ordinary items if you're a programmer with creativity...

[@jasonmathew33]

It's a 1D dungeon crawler called Line Wobbler

[@truetrash5164]

Megaman Zero's 0 to 60 momentum and the freedom to make any attack at any point makes you feel like a god.

[@gaafts]

Just Cause 3's wingsuiting is something truly beautiful.

[@oakeave]

Inside: Little Big Planet, but with better graphics and without making your own stuff.

[@rowwuk]

littlebigplanet jumping and grabbing - good controls

[@jackdrye4348]

Shovel knight: specter of torment has some really nice controls.

[@TheGameforestguy]

In terms of feedback, I really like how Kirby always does a flip at the peak of his jump.

[@Oxmond]

Great video! Thanks! ❤️👍

[@jlinkous05]

Skiing in Tribes. Back when it was Starsiege, players discovered that rapidly pressing Jump effectively gives you 0 friction, allowing them to jetpack up hill crests and ski down the back side. This enables players to travel large distances in little time, even with extra-heavy characters. Eventually it was included as a feature (hold Space to ski) and it's been that way ever since.

[@zacharybarbanell1064]

See, I actually couldn't play spelunky because it felt like the controls were very loose to me, although its probably just because I am bad.

[@creepypato3984]

The Zach Man It's because you are too bad. And who isn't? That game is tough.

[@lukasu8525]

nuclear throne = greatest controls ever to be created

[@CarlMahnke]

Very tight controls can be found in the "Commander Keen 4-6" games, where you have no acceleration of walking speed which feels very direct.

[@PiercingSight]

I absolutely love Hyper Light Drifter.

[@devildeggz]

you know something with extremely horrible controls? fps on console, especially cod give me a fucken mouse and keyboard please

[@MrBonki123]

Generally gamepads are terrible.

[@pmaguire13]

MrBonki until cars are involved. Keyboard is shot for car controls.

[@MrBonki123]

Are you an idiot? Gamepads are not good at anything. For car games you got wheels, flight games with flight sticks and others with keyboard.

[@jarlfenrir]

Actually I prefer playing fighting games with gamepad. Many games like platformers or racing are almost equally good on pads or keyboards, but when it comes to fps... mouse and keyboard is the only option ;)

[@MrBonki123]

Fighting games might be the only thing i agree with. But Pads arent really good at anything, there is a much better alternative 99% of the time.

[@smellthel]

vidogam

[@calebcologna8681]

I'm especially fond of the movement controls in Pikmin and Shadow of the Colossus because they're both satisfying, but also slightly fidgety in ways that enhance the player character's perceived helplessness

[@IMVADER2]

I think the most satisfying gameplay I ever experienced was finding out you can go faster than the camera in the classic sonic games by timing your inputs with slopes. I dunno if you would consider that tight controls, but it's the most memorable character gameplay feel I've ever encountered

[@Texplanations]

I appreciate you not putting a jumpscare in the amnesia part

[@satannstuff]

That clip is from the first 30 minutes of A Machine For Pigs, no chance of any jump scares there.

[@satannstuff]

That clip is from the first 30 minutes of A Machine For Pigs, no chance of any jump scares there.

[@Texplanations]

Well I don't seem to have known that... do I?

[@BingBangPoe]

I really like the controls of two of Clover (now Platinum Games) masterpieces: Okami and God's Hand. The flowing movement of Okami is so smooth while controlling Amaterasu, yet you can grasp the agility and swift her attacks while in combat or maneuvering the Celestial Brush. On the opposite side, in God Hand you can interrupt any animation with any animation, giving you that empowered feeling, to pull the nastiest combos, like you're supposed to do.

[@mogelix3597]

4:39 Completely unrelated... HOW COULD YOU NOT DESTROY THE ASH GRAVESTONE! ITS A FREE SHOTGUN!

[@Buckfast_Berserker]

All movement in quake. Strafe jumping, rocket jumping and momentum in Quake is hella fun!

[@userPrehistoricman]

Often I feel that a lot of FPSs get movement wrong. I feel that source games have it about right. I'm a big TF2 player and I like both the control and helplessness you can have while in mid-air. Air strafing is really cool but if you're bumped into the air with no horizontal velocity, you basically can't speed yourself up.

[@Xenro66]

Rocket League has very nice controls to it. All the cars have the same top speed, but slightly different turning radii and hitboxes, which adds variation to how the cars "feel". For example, the Dominus (a muscle car) has a very low hitbox, and is good for sharp ball chips, while the Merc (basically a van) is very tall and feels quite heavy, even though they have the same mass.

[@AlarmCopter]

The Witcher 3 is an example of some shockingly bad control in a game, but no one seemed to mention it during reviews. Personally I found it to be a complete deal breaker, yes the game looks lovely and I'm sure the story is fantastic, but when it feels like I'm running around in treacle, I don't really wanna put days of my time into playing it.

[@glasperle77]

I always felt like super mario 64 has really messed up controlling compared to the nes and snes versions. but in both versions I always have the feeling mario is "too heavy" moving slower.

[@challengerjakku1943]

Is it weird that ive beat super meat boy but yet to accomplish the feat of beating the original mario bros? Don't get me wrong I come close everytime but its that fucking hammerbros in 8-4 that just ends it for me. And for those that say the infinite lives glitch no I refuse to do that.

[@Mecheye]

Rogue Legacy has some fantasticly responsive controls. Worked great on the keyboard!

[@SoulEssence]

6:20 precisely why I hate playing as Luigi in Mario the Lost Levels, Galaxy, and any other game it feels like you're on ice.

[@genisay]

Castlevania Symphony of the Night was a game I always really enjoyed when it came to how it felt while moving. There were various actions we would run around performing as we moved around the stage, for no other reason then they were satisfying to do. XD Same with Super Mario 64. I especially liked doing the triple jump with the ending back flip. Oooh! And Crash Bandicoot Warped is still probably one of my all time faves for how the controls and motions worked and felt. You know it's got good 'tight' controls when you just mess around in a stage performing actions because they are fun and feel good. ^.^ Especially nice control construction is something I always notice in games, and I am extremely thrilled with and grateful for when I run across a game that it is pleasing just to move the character around.

[@JoshFTL]

Yea it's a really good sign! I liked the loading screen in Assassins Creed that let you do that.

[@SirSoliloquy]

Mario's max jump height may be lower, but it *also* ends when you let go of the junk button.

[@graymondgt1397]

You know what I love? Those times when when my controls are reversed/ scrambled, and then JUST when I get the hang of it, It wears off and i go in the wrong direction anyway, JUST TO GET MY CONTROLS SCRAMBLED AGAIN! I'm looking at you pokemon d/p/pt

[@JorgetePanete]

2:52 Am I the one that almost couldn't pass the World 1-1 first goomba?

[@Vladd0r]

Some of the best Controls in Videogames: Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Starfox 64, Super Meat Boy, GTA IV and V, Overwatch, Starcraft 2, Valve Games.

[@klaytonmayeaux8966]

In the Castlevania series, Super Castlevania IV (SNES) and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1) are outstanding examples of smooth controlling of the characters!

[@btsarmy-yx8cr]

Mega man 1 controls are somewhat screwed

[@darkness74185]

yeah,you falls at terminal velocity when you walks/falls of a lift,and the fact that you slides a pixel forward when you stop can screw you up a LOT

[@Netsuki]

My favorite controlling is in Ori games. I literally feel the characters completely. Whatever I do, Ori does exactly as I have pressed it. I never felt something like in *any other* game. it's so responsive, quick, easy to control. Ori never does something I haven't pressed. Ori always does what I have pressed. Some games have that annoying input lag... I mean... not like latency between Your controller and game. But coded into a game, that You have to wait until You make the action. Namely Hollow Knight. Sometimes the controls are irresponsive and I HATE that. Amazing game, but controls can be bad at times. You pogo the spikes. Nope. Game says You didn't. That's annoying.

[@E--Drop]

200,000th VIEW 😀

[@wolfkermek]

For fps games, Quake Live has tight, responsive movement, as does Reflex: Arena. Mortal Kombat X has my favorite fighting game attack queuing and movement, my favorite sidescroller feel is either Ori and the Blind Forest, or Dust: an Elysian Tail. As for my favorite platformer/adventure controls, Banjo-Tooie is simple yet precise, and last but not least, the controls in Dark Souls 3 are superb, minus the queuing.

[@Tentegen]

gonna be that guy and say Crash Team Racing for PS1. Those controls are GLORIOUS. What I love most is two things: *the controls and programming are done so well to the point I don't have to fight my own kart along with competing with the other racers.* Other racing games devs wanna code the fancy ass cars to fight the player for control, thus having them feel like your racing on ice at only about 30mph game speed. 2, *BECAUSE* they took out the need to fight the vehicles for control, it puts *ALL* the responsibility for success or failure on the player. boosting is easy. Drifting is just a tad bit more challenging. all of which can be learned. If you win, it was because you used your skill at the game. If you failed, it was because you messed up. despite it being an obvious Mario kart clone, I like this better. in CTR, the items used on you by the CPU characters aren't so punishing to the point you can't catch back up. you won't drop down 7 or more places. 4 is the average. CTR does not give you any excuses. everything and anything you need is *LITERALLY* at your fingertips. You will either succeede or fail.

[@eessppeenn001]

My favorite video game character controll action is X > X > O > R1 (Probably my most used move in Jak II and Jak 3 exept from obviously just walking with the controll stick, but that's just too basic of a nature.)

[@fivesidedpixels4991]

Super Mario Sunshine was fluid as hell. F.L.U.D.D. supplemented the already solid Mario controls (in the levels without F.L.U.D.D., it really showed that Mario was fine controlling on his own)

[@SlimThrull]

Two series that probably should have been mention are Megaman and Just Cause. Megaman had probably the best controls of any NES game out there. Just Cause should get an honorable mention just because of how much stuff you can do. And all with a few button presses. (Except the driving. The driving was awful.)

[@IBeforeAExceptAfterK]

Now I understand why I always felt Super Meat Boy's controls were so floaty. I was unconsciously expecting Mario jump physics.

[@helmetluigi]

Is it only me that I find it awful how Mario jumps in 2D scroller games? I hate it, it makes me die everytime Which is absurd because this doesn't happen with other more difficult 2D scroller games

[@liammckeag8869]

By far the tightest controls ever created come from Sunset Overdrive, every action plays into each other with perfect fluidity making the mobility oriented gameplay endless fun. Another one would be the prototype games' parkour like running up skyscrapers and such, DOOM 2016 although very simple has very nice movements as well complimented with edition of the jet pack double jump you have a simple but tight set of controls.

[@ivosamuelgiosadominguez6649]

Some of my favourite game controls are Super Mario Bros 1 and 3. Also, I think it's a good example of how the controls must adapt to the game. Super Mario Bros 1 makes you gain momentum only when you're walking and after running a bit. They are a bit stiff, but it works because, while it is a platform game, you don't need to make special feats. The game relies more on your tactics to get around the combination of enemies and environment. Super Mario Bros 3, on the other hand, has bigger levels, so it's a lot faster. Your jump arc (not distance, arc) isn't dependent on your momentum, and momentum is gained gradually on the ground. Also, the games feels a lot more slippy. And it works. Sorry for the wall of text. Great video, by the way!

[@affluenzashot]

I think the controls in Shinobi 3 are pretty spot-on. Perhaps it's from an in-depth deliberation of diversifying the moveset in a practical way to maximize versatility, but whenever I'm trying to clear a stage, my strategy for attacks and maneuvers sorta just happen by second nature, making its "skill flow" feel natural. It seems like once you learn the "secondary" actions (dash, dash attack, aerial kick, double jump, double jump attack), it requires no time to implement them by instinct, unlike in Hagane, where the spacing and distance of its advanced maneuvers seem damn near impossible to use correctly in a twitch action environment, smh like dayum.

[@maitele]

Probably gonna get hella flak for this but Mass Effect: Andromeda feels really good to dick around in. Maybe it's just because I'm a Vanguard who charges all over the fuckin place but the gunplay and movement feel like the perfect balance between weight and response. and I'm playing on console, which should be really fiddly.

[@TheOnlyArtifex]

Jak III had amazing controls. Flying around as Light Jak felt as if I really could fly if I just managed to time my buttonpresses right! Of course, it wasn't really possible, but it felt great.

[@TheKeatonWarrior]

Klonoa Empire of Dreams for the GBA has some really good and fun controls!

[@iLiokardo]

I love crouch jumping, air strafing and bunnyhopping in games like Quake, Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life.

[@vxcvbzn]

Spelunky classic has dedicated buttons for rope and bomb... A and S that is... And running is under Shift... Not attack...

[@KingNothing1118]

Just about every, if not every, Spiderman game I've come across has had very tight controls. Ultimate Spiderman on ps2 I remember feeling particularly nice.

[@Kanakotka]

Spelunky HD's movement is *worse* than the original's, partially because they arbitrarily forced the camera to be zoomed in much more, making the proper move speed of the character appear considerably faster, and making it difficult to track off-screen dangers. Also it's almost criminal you didn't mention N

[@Medachod]

I have always generally been satisfied with fighting games, but for sure favor Super Smash Bros. I just love the freedom of movement that you have and it feels like you can do so many different things. Project M by far has the most satisfying inputs in the series, but Melee HD is probably the tightest.

[@nmlss]

The tightest controls I've played in years are probably Snake in MGSV and Link in BOTW.

[@ZipplyZane]

The way the controls feel is why I dont like Zelda 1. That quick stabbing animation, and not doing anything to shield. Link's Awakening, my actual first Zelda game, I could control easily and intuitively. Even with the smaller world, I spent a lot more time exploring that one.

[@earthboundkid1]

For me I would pick the GBA version of Mario vs Donkey Kong that game has super silky controls that or flight in super Mario world. The Indy game One Finger Death Punch Also feels great

[@nomb3179]

It's a game called (I think) "Ninja Time Trials" which features the song "Chaotic" by Waterflame while the screen slowly escalates and you have to swing from platform to platform to keep up, but so far I have not yet reached the top.

[@GamewizDeluxe]

What do you think about the Harry Potter games where your character jumps when you walk off the edge? or when you are running away from a beast like the cyclops scene? (or the few run away levels in crash bandicoot)

[@satannstuff]

That's optional, it's a menu setting.

[@eideticex]

I honestly can't remember the game, if I could I would probably be playing it every day. There was a game I played which focused more on teleportion as a way to move around in battle. You could disappear in front of an opponent and reappear behind them if you did the motions correctly with the analog stick. The motion of the stick during the port out animation affected where you would reappear and I believe the other stick was used to control distance. It was amazing, felt like I was in an episode of Bleach abusing the living daylights out of flash step. I really enjoy those teleport type of moves. Even in games like Tales of Graces where it's just part of another move (Phantom Flash), it's an amazing mechanic that is incredibly powerful when used right but extremely deadly if you screw it up.

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

The experimental nature of getting game feel 'right' (that being wherever you want it) has always bothered me, being a software engineer. There should be a sort of 'encyclopedia of game mechanics' which quantifies these things. Grab a bunch of games (hundreds) that you can fairly easily classify into different categories, and then measure them quantitatively. Then you can find what traits the games have in common and where they differ. Break down something like a 'jump' into character speed (defined in pixels per millisecond), length of 'successful' region (how many pixels are there from which a launched jump will succeed), etc. I've been thinking about this for awhile, and there are a lot of factors that could be at play. Once all the data is gathered and some statistical analysis is done (wouldn't need to be anything terribly complicated I expect), you could come up with guidelines that developers could use as a starting point to get whatever 'feel' they want their game to have. Aside from movement and jumping, I'd also like to see (or do) a comprehensive study of turn-based battle mechanics. There are so many different ways to do almost everything in games, and while something like film has a long history of experimental films and analysis nailing down how to achieve certain effects, games have remarkably little information and certainly nothing comprehensive.

[@sssrbk]

The rise and fall of the Tony Hawk series is a good example of this. The earlier titles like THPS 2 -4 and arguably the Underground series, felt really damn crisp. But then they started using a different engine with the later ones. Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD and THPS 5 felt like absolute shit because of it, rendering them just no fun at all.

[@acr1327]

My favourite video game controls, and the tightest controls I've played of any game thus far is Super Smash Bros. Melee; they're unforgiving when you first play, but the lack of buffer and the accuracy of the analogue inputs makes it feel responsive and crisp, and you know if you mess something up it's you and not the controls, which is always nice

[@Light-Rock97]

What are tight controls? Controls that don't go easy in the buttses. Also, Megaman X6 plays like a dream. Except the few times when it doesn't. Then it's a nightmare. Get it?

[@bobthemage2331]

All of the Pokemon games have the best controls. The only games that come close are Fire Emblem and Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

[@Treetops27]

Spyro the Dragon had really tight responsive controls. The character always did what I wanted and I never felt like I was wrestling with the controls unlike many platform games of 1998.

[@cats-hv2lm]

For me, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet's controls are super smooth and fun to use. I mean, it being a PC game that uses the mouse obviously helps, but their are tons of games that use the mouse that aren't fun to play. Anyways, I especially love how smoothly and swiftly the player character can move while simultaneously aiming and quickly cycling through weapons. Nearly all of the weapons are amazingly fun to use, and I really like how fun it is to use the claw - whether to toss rocks or to grab enemies to use as meat shields. I really should replay it....

[@draco18s]

Funny, I would have said that Super Meat Boy *didn't* have tight controls. He can't stop on a dime, hell from full run speed to stopped, even trying to move back in the opposite direction takes *at least* his own body width. His jump might have a perfect arc (except when it doesn't, looking at you, 3:23) and it might be predictable once you get used to it, but so many jumps require incredibly tight accuracy, the controls are *very slippery* in comparison to literally every other game you mentioned.

[@Randoman590]

Favourite Actions and Controls? It has to be *by far* the Quake games allowing you to strafe jump and rocket jump.

[@vitormartins9547]

Hey! Great video. Why don't guys make a basic Platformer Tutorial on Game Maker? Keep the good work. ^^

[@actualmadscientist]

I think "tight" is just a euphemism for "good" when describing game controls, the same way "loose" means bad. This might originate from how lots of games have bad controls because the character is too "floaty" or too "slippery".

[@ninjardx]

for sure my favorite character actions and controls has to be from the little big planet series, I played lbp 1 and 2 A LOT when I was a kid and absolutely loved it to death, one thing about the game was it had a lot of the things you mention'd in this video, it had the grab controls where you would press and hold buttons like L1 R1 or L2 or R2 to drag environmental objects to create passage ways for things like getting up to things or moving things out of the way if they were obstructing something etc, but also had the mechanics of being able to way your arms around with L1 and R1 and being able to change your emotions with the arrow keys, this together lead to me and other people waving are arms in the air once completing a hard level or doing the angry face and thrusting the sackboys arms in the air when failing, all this in a platforming game lead to many hours of enjoyment! I still to this day occasionally go back to play that game because it will always be a classic game for me.

[@The1Helleri]

I can think of a few other things as well. Such as scale and physical shape of objects. There have been plenty of time where a gap jump felt so effortless that it may as well have not been there. Or where a jump over obstacle was just a few pixels too high in relation to where the character approaches it from. Making it unreasonably difficult to get over for what it is. I've also noticed that some games can't keep consistent physical shape. Wherein some edges can be nudged right up to and others that based on previous experience look like they should allow you to get so close before falling off simply don't. And of course there is terrain or weather effecting movement... The environment really does need to be tuned to fit the character.

[@MangoMotors]

rocket league, floatiedt but funnest controls. league of legends, worst hitbox and controls fucking bullshit ults ughrkhsjanysndhaa

[@000Mazno000]

Dark Souls gameplay in general is pretty "weighty," and things like landing parries and succeeding at a dodge are very satisfying (the jumping physics are a good example of how not to make tight controls, however.)

[@alengm]

I really like how in counter strike surf maps you can turn in curve in the air on high speeds.

[@NiphanosTheLost]

Source engine surf maps in general, really.