Missing: One Half of the Action-Adventure Genre

Editor's note: I don't like the hand-holding described by Michael any more than he does, which is why I was pleasantly surprised with From Software's Demon's Souls. But I also feel that many games have adopted map markers to simply aid gamers in the logistics of navigating 3D worlds, which Michael alludes to himself. Is there a way to strike a balance between the two? -Rob

Back in 2002, eight long years after the release of Super Metroid, I finally had an opportunity to continue the exploits of Samus Aran with two new games -- Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime.

I was excited, especially for Fusion, because games like Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past are of my favorite genre, the action-adventure.

You start in a place that begs to be explored. You fight enemies and gather items to progress further, and then you explore more areas where you fight more enemies and gather more items. This, along with solid controls and an interesting underlying plot, are key components to the formula for great gaming.

Most important of all is the exploration component. These are considered action and adventure games, correct?

But after playing a little of each, I found out that I -- along with the rest of the gaming community -- had somehow dropped a few IQ points. None of us realized our lessened brain power at the time, but thankfully game developers had an eye for such deterioration.

To my horror, the developers of Fusion had dropped the adventure half of the genre. A map is one thing, but when the game says, "Hey, good job! You got this item, so now go here," I'm disturbed.

This removes the most important part of the formula -- exploration. Sure, they're not telling you the location of every item and secret. But if the game is going to point the player to the next area every time, why even bother having a giant map to explore? Why not just ape Super Mario Bros. and have Worlds 1-1, 1-2, and so on.Â

This trend has continued through the Prime series with the (thankfully optional) hint system. Even the Zelda series has turned from action-adventure to just action. If Shadow Complex, one of the best downloadable titles last year, didn't hold the player's hand so much, I'd have given it game-of-the-year honors.

Although plenty of hidden items are still found through exploration, this does not encourage players -- especially those new to the genre -- to snoop around for things that might not be in plain sight. The most enjoyable parts of these Metroidvania games are when you'd accidentally stumble upon something while trying to progress further.

An easy solution is available -- make these hand-holding hints optional, as Prime did seven years ago.

A furor on the Internet erupted over the Super Guide system (introduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii), but was the commotion really necessary? The feature is optional; in fact, the assistance is only available after you've died on one level eight times. This is not a title with much exploration, and the Super Guide doesn't dive into that portion of the game, anyway.

Meanwhile, an entire genre is being hijacked by titles with "go here next" signs all over their maps. Am I saying that games shouldn't have minimaps with arrows and icons? No. I couldn't imagine The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Assassin's Creed, or Grand Theft Auto without them. Exploration is not the focus here.

But when exploration is a central component of the game's design, like the action-adventure genre, I'd rather not be told exactly where to go.

Until then, my suggestion is to do what I do -- go everywhere except where the map points you.

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George

January 07, 2010

I felt the same way about Prime, and early on decided to opt-out of the hint system. I don't think I was as pleasantly surprised with a game as I was with Prime--went into it skeptically, since it wasn't developed by Nintendo, thought it wasn't going to live up to the name...Slightly off-topic, but I'm confused as to why Konami still hasn't really followed up with a currently generation non-handheld remake/sequel/successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Allistair Everett

I have mixed feelings about this. Fundamentally, I agree with you in that having hints/icons hidden from the player by default, an option, is the best route. However, I've always found myself liking not loving A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, and Symphony of the Night due their large environments that don't hold the players hand. It's one thing to remember a previous location and go back, but its another to search for some esoteric spot on the world map, that you may or may not have visited before, that has a secret item nestled away that is essential toward progress. When I was a kid, these sort of things were far easier to forgive because I had the time and patience to explore every nook of the world but as an adult I'm finding more and more that I just want a quick, carefree experience with a game. Shadow Complex made the guide optional, like Prime, which I appreciated since I avoided using the blue line until I felt it necessary.

I think the larger, continuous world of these games contributes to a greater feeling of being part of a large, believable environment, regardless of them holding your hand or not. Resident Evil 4 and God of War aren't Metroidvanias but they have a similiar feeling since they take place in a continuous environment that interconnects as you progress. Its something that's hard to describe but there is a magic to it.

Clint Carr

Action-Adventure is a blanket term, not a genre.

Carlos Macias

From what I remember, the guide system in Shadow Complex was also optional If you choose hard difficulty. But maybe that's missing the point?

Daniel Feit

It's a shame, Fusion isn't a bad game by any means, but it really took Metroid down a linear path that it never fully recovered from.

I think arrows and guides are valuable resources but they need to be non-intrusive. I wouldn't have made it through BioShock without some nudging, but the game never interrupted my exploration with a voice or cutscene - the arrow simply hung on the screen silently while I searched for random crap.

Contrast that with Batman Arkham Asylum where, in the early stages, I was actually chastised for not sticking to the quest at times. Fortunately that game recovered and let me play my own way.

I think Symphony of the Night (and the subsequent Castlevanias) handled the issue well. There is no direct on-screen push to go anywhere, but the map clearly indicates where you have been and where you have not. Whenever you acquire a new skill or weapon that gives you more mobility, your own curiosity will lead you to those unexplored corners of the map instead of having someone tell you what's next.

Karl Thomson

Even though a game may say "go here", you still need to a.) work out how to get there, and b.) explore it to find/accomplish whatever you are in the area for. By saying "go here", there is no sense of aimlessness as there is no impetus to travel in a set direction.

Consider this: If a game says you need X but doesn't tell you where you could find it in a open world present by Zelda or Metroid, how much fun would that be?

Nick Munson

I think there should be a choice for the user to use the clues/hints or not. Most games successfully employ this now.

For me, I'm not looking to spend time wandering around a map looking for what to do next. I don't have time for that. I like being told where to go next and get bored if I'm not. Some recent games that stand out in memory: Dead Space's click of the button draws a path, and Uncharted 2's "hit up for a hint" just before you start feeling frustrated.

Spencer Gregory

January 08, 2010

Some games that discard exploration as a necessity still want to have continuity within their environment. I have to say, traversing a complete world inside a game, like Oblivion, is always more enjoyable than getting from the left of the screen to the right like in Super Mario Bros. The latter feels more like a challenge: the game's difficulty stems from obstacles that keep you from traversing the level. The former takes a different approach: you exist inside the world, not against it.

There are many design choices that make up how a player navigates through a game. It isn't as black and white as "is this an exporation game? If not: segmented, sequential levels."