Summary
Many games, for better or worse, offer instant gratification. Be it quick and easy rewards, a fast pace, accessibility, or simply strong, tactile controls, games such asPost VoidorVampire Survivorsare concerned primarily with keeping players engaged from the very starting moments of the game.
However, there are a great number of games that take time and patience to truly shine. These games offer deeply rewarding gameplay, but this frequently comes at the cost of pace and accessibility. Be it the competitive strategy ofStarCraft 2or the unforgiving environments ofRain World, these experiences are worthpushing past those initial hurdles to become immersed in everything they have to offer.
Rain Worldis a deeply unforgiving exploration game that takes place in a unique and utterly hostilepost-apocalyptic world. The exploration-heavy gameplay is supported by a simulated ecosystem that cares little for the player’s survival, resulting in a steep learning curve that, while rewarding, can often be frustrating to begin with.
Once players begin to get a grasp ofRain World’smechanics and the ways of its fluid, dangerous world, fun can begin to emerge from its intricate design. However, those with little patience may findRain World’srefusal of easy gratification too tough of a pill to swallow.
Resident Evil, even in its HD remake form, is a slow and methodical game that requires patience on the part of the player. This is thanks in large part to the slow controls and animations, as well as the emphasis on precision during combat. Furthermore, the lock-and-key design ofResident Evil’sexploration and the frequency of puzzles works to constantlyslow the player down, resulting in an experience that gets more and more rewarding as it goes on.
This is also thanks to dynamic environments and the simple fact that familiarity with the game’s variety of locations often results in greater success; the survival horror gameplay loop and inability to save outside specific areas emphasizes map knowledge. Players can always check the map, but it’s knowing the locations of threats, where is and isn’t safe — gaining this knowledge as the game progresses can be particularly satisfying. Furthermore, many items can be combined and used to solve puzzles later down the line, providing a constant sense of curiosity that pays off as the game goes on.
Dark Souls 2is somewhat of a maverick in FromSoftware’s iconic trilogy, offering unorthodox mechanics and world design that won’t appeal to everyone. Furthermore, this unconventional and practically experimental approach makesDark Souls 2a particularlyunfriendly experience to newcomers, and even those who enjoyed the first game will likely have a tough time acclimating.
However, as players begin to learn the intricacies ofDark Souls 2’sunfriendliness, the game begins to open up; once these new twists on the original game have been learned, the fresh flow of combat digested,Dark Souls 2’sunique personality finally begins to shine. As a result, it’s a game worth pushing past first impressions.
RimWorld isan immersive colony-simthat excels with its sci-fi western setting and deep management mechanics. The heavy simulation of its world and the people that populate it make for a detailed experience, but keeping a burgeoning colony alive under near-constant threat can be an initially frustrating experience.
There are many tricks to be learned and knowledge to be gained surrounding the management of colonists, the planning of structures, and the mounting of a defense. It can be hard to know how to react to certain obstacles, how to deal with specific scenarios, but learning is simply part of the fun; as a result,RimWorldcan get off to a slow and potentially frustrating start, but this only makes the eventual victories, however small, all the more rewarding.
StarCraft 2remains an enthralling competitive real-time strategy game despite its advancing age, thanks in large part to its tight-knit community, continued support, and wildly unique asymmetric factions. Unfortunately, the standard play that has evolved over the course ofStarCraft 2’shistory makes it a rather inaccessible experience for newcomers.
A great deal of knowledge is required of the factions, units, and general flow ofStarCraft 2in order to be successful in the game’s multiplayer. As a result,StarCraft 2, as a multiplayer experience, is a game that simply gets better as players acquire more knowledge of its intricate systems.
Caves Of Qud, with its minimalist visualsand old-school gameplay, won’t be an immediately accessible experience for many.Qudis simply unforgiving, dropping players into an exotic, hostile world packed with undiscovered threats and unpredictable behavior; a world that becomes more forgiving — and more fun to explore — as players gain the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate it.
Caves Of Qudalso excels with its diversity, specifically in character creation. As a result, there’s plenty to discover and experiment with right at the start of the game, and the addition of permanent death ensures players will get to make their fair share of characters. Newcomers can only begin to scratch the surface of the possibilitiesQudmakes available, but as time goes on, the sheer diversity in both the character creator and the expansive science-fantasy environments becomes all the more apparent.
Kenshiisan open-world sandboxRPG with a complete disregard for the player. However, this works to its benefit, as it’s able to champion player agency with emergent gameplay and a hands-off approach that gives players near complete control.
As a result of this lack of hand-holding, however, players must find their own fun inKenshi’sworld. This can take a while, with RPG systems that require patience and a world that’s more than a little dangerous to traverse. But the eventual sense of achievement that results from overcomingKenshi’smany threats and building something in its desolate world, however small, makes it more than worthwhile.
Dune: Spice Warsis a unique blend of real-time strategy and 4X gameplay, made all the more distinct via tremendouslydiverse asymmetric factions. The mash-up of RTS and 4X mechanics, however, results in a slow-burning gameplay loop made all the more methodical via the multitude of victory conditions and sheer hardiness of most factions.
With such unique factions and victory conditions, a great deal of knowledge is required to succeed inDune: Spice Wars. Furthermore, each faction tends to become more fun to play as players gain a better understanding of the game, with more possibilities opening up as players begin to recognize strategic opportunities.
