029Jess Kinghorn Oscar Taylor-Kent
P
otter-madness was at
its peak in the early
noughties, and you
know what that
meant: videogame tie-ins.
Hopping onto my
broomstick for the first time
in Harry Potter And The
Chamber Of Secrets was
a magical moment that I
haven’t really experienced
in the same way since.
Movement doesn’t just
have to get you from A to B,
it can also inform you of your
relationship to the space. In
the above example, it’s “Yer
a wizard, Harry.” In Control,
learning to levitate feels
emblematic of Jesse’s shifting
relationship to the Oldest
House. Superliminal regularly
pulls the rug out from under
your sleepwalking tootsies,
connecting you with its
dreamscape in unexpected
new ways.WALK LIKE A MAN
In Yakuza your feet are far
less whimsical but remain
an engaging way to traverse
Kamurocho; battering
pedestrians with your
shoulder blades or watching
them dive out of the way of
your power walk is just one
small touch that brings the
space to life and makes youfeel every bit the Japanese
gangster in a cheap suit.
My point is that too often
the act of moving through a
virtual space feels either taken
for granted or overlooked. I’m
so over hitting the highway
with little more than a radio
to fiddle with between
waymarkers. Final Fantasy XV
tries to keep your bro-ad trip
interesting through slick-
looking character interactions
but these are ultimately
superficial. On the other hand,
lonely car rides only serve to
highlight the bloat of too
many big-budget open worlds
and the sort of Triple-A
pacing I find intolerable.
What’s really unforgivable,
though, is taking your car
keys away and leaving you
with the cold comfort of a
stamina meter; the simple act
of movement becomes a
frustrating, inefficient chore
and I’m glad to see this meter
becoming a design relic of
yesteryear. Movement doesn’t
need to be busywork to pad
out an empty world, nor does
it need to be gimmicky to
bring a virtual space to life.
As we look towards next-gen
dimension hopping, I can’t
wait to see how developers
reinvent movement mechanics
for PlayStation 5.P
icture it: you’re
sitting down to watch
a new, thrilling
episode of Postman
Pat, and the episode has a
bombastic conclusion. Only
immediately after finishing,
you have to watch the first
five to ten minutes of the
next episode before you’re
able to pause and safely turn
off the TV. Considering how
many games are obsessed
with emulating the chops of
prestige TV or cinematic
movies, too many still have
issues with how those
experiences are boiled down
over an average play session.
As a games reviewer I often
have to binge games in a way
a lot of people wouldn’t. I
finished The Last Of Us Part
II in two days because 1) I amamazing at videogames and (^)
2) I pretty much had no
choice. So, for me, the story
flowed readily. But when
relaxing with a game over a
longer period, the way some
games are portioned out can
be confusing. There’s nothing
worse than thinking ‘I’ll stop
after this chapter’ only to
then feel like you have to
watch the next chapter being
introduced before you can
safely stop from the Pause
menu. Not to mention you’re
not always sure how long a
game is, or even how long a
chapter will be, unless you
risk online spoilers.
GAMING BINGE
As a lifelong game player I
appreciate the formats are
different, but that’s why it can
be irksome when it feels like
developers are trying to make
games like TV or movies
without really understanding
how they can do so in the
right way. Sometimes all it
takes is being asked “Do you
want to save and quit now?”
after a chapter ends, or having
a story completion percentage
in the options menu. Most
open world games, at least,
send you back to the world
between missions so you
can enjoy the game in
bite-sized chunks.
Narrative-heavy games like
The Last Of Us or The Order:
1886 could really benefit from
being more aware of how the
casual player will encounter
their stories. Ellie’s journey is
an emotional rollercoaster, but
when you split that 20-plus
hour journey into daily
chunks it doesn’t flow in the
way it feels intended to be
enjoyed, largely because it just
isn’t signposted very well.
Let’s have more clear breaks.
IT NEEDN’T BE THE
MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING
ANYWHERE – I JUST WANT
TO BE MOVED AGAIN.
IF DEVS WANT
VIDEOGAMES TO BE CINEMATIC,
THEY NEED TO THINK ABOUT
HOW THEY’RE CONSUMED.
WRITER BIO
If Jess Kinghorn could, she’d hop about Tesco on a Harry Potter broomstick,
plushie black cat in tow, making swooshing noises. But society has rules about
that sort of thing, and this kind of behaviour is why she plays videogames.
WRITER BIO
Oscar Taylor-Kent plays too many games to watch hours of TV as well. To make
up for it he films his own TV intros for each game, performing a theme song for
each. UN-CHARTED! WHERE IS THE PLACE? NATE DRAKE... IS ON THE CASEEEEE.
Movement is an essential mechanic. Is it time
for developers to reinvent this wheel?
Most games are many times longer than movies,
and devs should consider session length
OPINION
029
Jess Kinghorn Oscar Taylor-Kent
P
otter-madnesswasat
itspeakintheearly
noughties,andyou
knowwhatthat
meant:videogametie-ins.
Hoppingontomy
broomstickforthefirsttime
inHarryPotterAndThe
ChamberOfSecretswas
a magicalmomentthatI
haven’treallyexperienced
inthesamewaysince.
Movementdoesn’tjust
havetogetyoufromA toB,
it canalsoinformyouofyour
relationshiptothespace.In
theaboveexample,it’s“Yer
a wizard,Harry.”InControl,
learningtolevitatefeels
emblematicofJesse’sshifting
relationshiptotheOldest
House.Superliminalregularly
pullstherugoutfromunder
yoursleepwalkingtootsies,
connectingyouwithits
dreamscapeinunexpected
newways.
WALKLIKEA MAN
InYakuzayourfeetarefar
lesswhimsicalbutremain
anengagingwaytotraverse
Kamurocho;battering
pedestrianswithyour
shoulderbladesorwatching
themdiveoutofthewayof
yourpowerwalkis justone
smalltouchthatbringsthe
spacetolifeandmakesyou
feeleverybittheJapanese
gangsterina cheapsuit.
Mypointis thattoooften
theactofmovingthrougha
virtualspacefeelseithertaken
forgrantedoroverlooked.I’m
sooverhittingthehighway
withlittlemorethana radio
tofiddlewithbetween
waymarkers.FinalFantasyXV
triestokeepyourbro-adtrip
interestingthroughslick-
lookingcharacterinteractions
buttheseareultimately
superficial.Ontheotherhand,
lonelycarridesonlyserveto
highlightthebloatoftoo
manybig-budgetopenworlds
andthesortofTriple-A
pacingI findintolerable.
What’sreallyunforgivable,
though,is takingyourcar
keysawayandleavingyou
withthecoldcomfortofa
staminameter;thesimpleact
ofmovementbecomesa
frustrating,inefficientchore
andI’mgladtoseethismeter
becominga designrelicof
yesteryear.Movementdoesn’t
needtobebusyworktopad
outanemptyworld,nordoes
it needtobegimmickyto
bringa virtualspacetolife.
Aswelooktowardsnext-gen
dimensionhopping,I can’t
waittoseehowdevelopers
reinventmovementmechanics
forPlayStation5.
P
ictureit:you’re
sittingdowntowatch
a new,thrilling
episodeofPostman
Pat,andtheepisodehasa
bombasticconclusion.Only
immediatelyafterfinishing,
youhavetowatchthefirst
fivetotenminutesofthe
nextepisodebeforeyou’re
abletopauseandsafelyturn
offtheTV.Consideringhow
manygamesareobsessed
withemulatingthechopsof
prestigeTVorcinematic
movies,toomanystillhave
issueswithhowthose
experiencesareboileddown
overanaverageplaysession.
Asa gamesreviewerI often
havetobingegamesina way
a lotofpeoplewouldn’t.I
finishedTheLastOfUsPart
II intwodaysbecause1) I am
amazingatvideogamesand
2)I prettymuchhadno
choice.So,forme,thestory
flowedreadily.Butwhen
relaxingwitha gameovera
longerperiod,thewaysome
gamesareportionedoutcan
beconfusing.There’snothing
worsethanthinking‘I’llstop
afterthischapter’onlyto
thenfeellikeyouhaveto
watchthenextchapterbeing
introducedbeforeyoucan
safelystopfromthePause
menu.Nottomentionyou’re
notalwayssurehowlonga
gameis,orevenhowlonga
chapterwillbe,unlessyou
riskonlinespoilers.
GAMINGBINGE
Asa lifelonggameplayerI
appreciatetheformatsare
different,butthat’swhyit can
beirksomewhenit feelslike
developersaretryingtomake
gameslikeTVormovies
withoutreallyunderstanding
howtheycandosointhe
rightway.Sometimesallit
takesis beingasked“Doyou
wanttosaveandquitnow?”
aftera chapterends,orhaving
a storycompletionpercentage
intheoptionsmenu.Most
openworldgames,atleast,
sendyoubacktotheworld
betweenmissionssoyou
canenjoythegamein
bite-sizedchunks.
Narrative-heavygameslike
TheLastOfUsorTheOrder:
1886 couldreallybenefitfrom
beingmoreawareofhowthe
casualplayerwillencounter
theirstories.Ellie’sjourneyis
anemotionalrollercoaster,but
whenyousplitthat20-plus
hourjourneyintodaily
chunksit doesn’tflowinthe
wayit feelsintendedtobe
enjoyed,largelybecauseit just
isn’tsignpostedverywell.
Let’shavemoreclearbreaks.
IT NEEDN’TBETHE
MIDNIGHTTRAIN GOING
ANYWHERE– I JUST WANT
TO BEMOVED AGAIN.
IF DEVSWANT
VIDEOGAMESTOBECINEMATIC,
THEYNEEDTO THINKABOUT
HOW THEY’RECONSUMED.
WRITER BIO
If Jess Kinghorn could, she’d hop about Tesco on a Harry Potter broomstick,
plushie black cat in tow, making swooshing noises. But society has rules about
that sort of thing, and this kind of behaviour is why she plays videogames.
WRITER BIO
Oscar Taylor-Kent plays too many games to watch hours of TV as well. To make
up for it he films his own TV intros for each game, performing a theme song for
each. UN-CHARTED! WHERE IS THE PLACE? NATE DRAKE... IS ON THE CASEEEEE.
Movement is an essential mechanic. Is it time
for developers to reinvent this wheel?
Most games are many times longer than movies,
and devs should consider session length
OPINION