A modeled continuation of the cult “flop” Psychonauts is almost at hand after sixteen long years. Although this year we are being prosecuted by one postponement after another (see our article), the release date set for 25 August was announced only a few weeks ago, which means that the game must be almost done by now. However, the excited community of players is currently addressing a different topic more than all the upcoming innovations, which is somewhat surprising difficulty.
10. july 2021 at 0:02, post archived: 14. july 2021 at 10:54
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Would anyone enjoy the Dark Souls if they could turn on immortality at any time?
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The authors of the game from the Double Fine studio, as part of a discussion sparked by a contribution from the official xbox twitter channel, who claimed that “Even if you finish the game on the easiest difficulty, you still finished it,” they revealed that they added the ability to turn on immortality. So they brought to light the world again complex topic, which has been around the history of video games since its beginnings: is overcoming obstacles one of the key factors that separates video games from other “passive” forms of entertainment?
Games are far more accessible today than ever before, that’s just the fact. This is mainly due to the economic side of things – while in the past developers “milked” a small group of players by constantly killing them to force them to throw more money into arcade machines, today, when a game console is a common part of living rooms, they want it to play the whole family.
Playing with immortality on is also nothing new, the IDDQD cheat enabling immortality in Doom is undoubtedly known to every player over 30 years of age. But the word cheat has always been perceived pejoratively in the game. No matter what angle you look at, it’s just a scam that will let you win, but only at the cost of breaking the rules. Can cheating in single player games bring a lot of fun? Of course. Can cheating give you the same experience as playing fair? Even by mistake.
The Last of Us Part II is also accessible to handicapped players. But that does not mean that it is giving up its basic principles.
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“Everyone should be able to enjoy the games. No matter how old they are or whatever their handicap, ”Double Fine explains their move. I wouldn’t say better. But at the same time, I must add that this should not mean that every game is designed to appeal to everyone.
Psychonauts were not a classic but still a 3D platformer. According to the shots published so far, it should be the second part as well. If the developers do not have a hidden revolutionary trump in their pocket, they must follow certain basic rules, otherwise they will not achieve the desired experience. The essence of action games is that they require the player to react quickly. If the protagonist is to be immortal, what is the motivation to move fast?
Yes, Uncharted-style blockbuster blockbusters offer a challenge for the most difficult difficulties, even for the most difficult, while you can run them blindly on the simplest one. However, even the worst players must make at least an elementary effort, otherwise they will simply end up. If they turn on immortality during a fight with the boss, they don’t even have to bother to take a break when they go to pee.
Never in history has the offer of the gaming industry been as strong as it is today. Thanks to independent production and mainstream publishing, today everyone can find their dream game. For example, the brutally difficult Returnal and the “resting” Detroit: Become Human coexist in peace. And most players sometimes like to try both, depending on their current mood. From this principle, trying to please everyone will be counterproductive.
The authors of Psychonauts can, of course, do whatever they like with their work, but without feeling threatened, the game will only become a walking simulator (see our article). Nothing against them, but the game just isn’t built for that, so players won’t enjoy it anyway. Their experience will be truncated and many of the design elements that the authors have been thinking about for a long time will be in vain. It’s like reading abridged versions of classic novels – yes, you’ll know what it was all about, but the artistic experience is zero. Which is a huge pity for this game.
“If you can’t lose, you can’t even win,” wrote one of the discussants under the post, and we can’t help but agree. No matter how much everyone spends their time, but at least I think developers should motivate rather than encourage them. There are many ways to make the game accessible, bending its rules is the least fortunate.
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