The Tremendous Ten: Unsung Marvels (1-5)

Despite the depth I usually go into when I write about games, I actually don’t play very many of them anymore. The usual cavalcade of explanations – not enough time, money, interest, etc. – applies for me like most people. But, the biggest reason is that I frankly don’t think many good, or even interesting, games have come out over the past few years. I have a handful of theories as to why that’s the case, but that’s a subject for another post.

Here, I’d like to take a moment to instead honor some of the more impressive games I’ve had the pleasure of playing over these past couple of years. Each of these games has colored the way I look at games, and discussing them should shed some light on why I’m so critical of many recent titles. At the same time, I’d like to recognize these games for excelling in certain areas so as to point out what future games can learn from them. They all really deserve their own dedicated mini-maps, but there’s another, more pressing project I’m working on that is likely to eat most of my free time for the rest of this year, so a series of brief paragraphs each will have to suffice. I am aware that I’m fairly long-winded so I’ll just frame discussion of each game through three straightforward questions: “What is the game, what’s impressive about it, and what should other games take away from it?” And no, this is not a top 10 list and the order doesn't matter, though there is another reason why I chose these 10 games specifically, which I’ll expand upon in the final analysis of FE: Fates next next week.

1. Dragon’s Dogma (2012)

The future of the RPG genre starts here

What is it? – An action RPG co-developed by Capcom’s Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter teams. Unlike most Action-RPGs, this game’s lineage means that it plays like a spectacle fighter with an RPG’s character progression, as opposed to a Diablo game – i.e. exactly what I said action RPGs should be 5 years ago.

What is impressive about it?
– Its ability to create “perfect exploration” in its early hours

Before we even begin, know that this game is HEAVILY flawed, suffering from lackluster characters, character interactions, a world that’s two sizes too small, a bewilderingly small-minded use of multiplayer, and a plot that doesn’t develop with the depth that it needs to immerse players into its story (which is actually pretty good). However, during the early hours of Dragon's Dogma, before you know where everything is and how to prepare for every encounter – before you discover the game’s many limitations – it is nothing short of a masterwork of quest design.

To this day, Dragon's Dogma is still the only game, RPG
 or otherwise,  I've ever played where the oncoming
dark of night can fill me with adrenaline pumping fear.

One of the earliest quests requires you to go to capture a Goblin Fortress. The journey takes almost an entire day, requires navigating forests, hills, valleys, possibly a coastline & (if you’re a boring sod who knows the shortcut) a cave, and will force you to confront a wide array of enemies large & small…without being able to save your progress or rest at a town. There’s serious risk to this quest, and that risk compels you to make a lot of decisions both before and during the quest, common in dungeon crawlers, but exceedingly rare in open-world games. Preparing just the right amount of supplies (not an excess b/c of item burden), hiring a team that functions together, minding the time so as to preempt the pitch darkness of night, harvesting resources out in the field, making numerous fight or flight decisions, et cetera. All of these considerations are what one would normally expect a real quest to consist of, yet very few games actually capture that granularity, and instead opt to focus on the quest's conclusion. And yes, the act of taking the fortress in Dragon's Dogma is surprisingly well thought out and an absolute blast to play through. But it is merely the brief climax to the long and perilous travail that is what makes that game truly special. Essentially, Dragon’s Dogma exemplifies mastery of rising action within open-world quest design.

Basic traversal weaves seamlessly into the combat, and both
confer a satisfying amount of control & power, But what really
sets this game apart from its contemporaries is that the enemies are
challenging enough to warrant their sophistication.

What should other games learn from it?
– How to properly set up a quest in an open world game

These are video games. They should not rely wholly on the rising action of its written story to lead players into its climax, but should instead synthesize the action of the gameplay with the action of the story to create a wholly compelling experience. Dragon’s Dogma does so by creating and exploiting the player’s limited mobility and a (comparatively) harsh save system. Other games, need not create the same limitations, but should find ways to create risk as that is an inherent component of exploration.

2. Tales of Xillia 2 (2012)

Came out 2 years earlier. Somehow more
sophisticated than Zestiria. Get your shit
together Scamco.

What is it? – As its name indicates, Tales of Xillia 2 is the sequel to Tales of Xillia, part of a long series of action RPGs with bewilderingly competent 2D fighting game-esque combat and shounen anime-inspired writing. The stories in Tales of games are almost universally bad-mediocre, but their characters are usually endearing/entertaining enough to maintain one’s interest throughout the game’s duration. Xillia 2 is no different in either respect, but the way it handles its plot and characters is a cut above the other games in this long-running franchise.

What is impressive about it?
– Its structure

In 2014, I deliberately avoided purchasing this game, because I had read from several critics and users that it deliberately wastes your time in between story events by forcing you to do BS quests. Later that year, I played Dragon Age Inquisition because – aside from being invested in that series’ story – I had read that it handles the time spent in between plot movements much more deftly. Lo and behold, DA:I was the one that screwed players over, and Tales of Xillia 2 – despite being on a last gen console - was the dark horse that actually did everything right.

*The fight choreography in this game is also ridiculously well composed, though it is a shame that it doesn't get shown off more often.*

Unlike the other games in the series, Xillia 2 is divided into explicit chapters, each containing its own introduction, rising action, and climax. The denouement is reserved for the spaces in between each chapter which is where the interesting stuff happens. At the start of the game, your protagonist Ludger (pronounced “Looger,” like the pistol) gets into a “train accident” that leaves him with a colossal medical bill. A “generous party” paid off the bill without your asking, but demands that the debt be paid or they’ll break your legs/throw you into a river/a loan shark screwed you over. The debt is far too large to be paid at once, so Ludger works out a plan to pay it off in smaller increments. Annnnd, you can probably see where this is going. In between the game’s chapters you have to make a payment on your debt in order to continue the story, and unfortunately, you don’t have a salary (and monster blood isn’t made of money). So, you have to take odd jobs from people around the world to earn money. Because of the way I’ve framed this discussion, you’ve also probably figured out that these “odd jobs” are, like Dragon Age: Inquisition, typical MMO quests like kill 20 wolves and collect 10 bear asses. HOWEVER, what you may NOT know is that Tales of Xillia 2 doesn’t have an MMO bone in its body.

All maps indoors and outdoors consist of narrow corridors
and are littered with treasure chests. It's actually hard
not to see its dungeon-crawler roots.

This game is actually continuing off of the legacy of the Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology Trilogy for the PSP. Those games were a series of dungeon crawlers in which you controlled a silent protagonist, befriended characters from previous Tales of games, and performed odd jobs for the people around the town/city to earn guild points to unlock more story missions. The locales you explored were always some moderately labyrinthine dungeon and the quests you undertook never interfered with the advancement of the story. The reason I bring up this unfortunately obscure series, is because unlike DA:I, the quests of Tales of Xillia 2 are also not offensive in the slightest.

The battle system of Xillia 2 is among the best in both the
action and RPG genres. Needless to say, it's a blast to play.

When dungeon crawlers evolved to contain stories, they noticed that their plots didn’t synergize very well with the eccentricities of the genre (read: grinding). So, in order to keep the game unified they made the gameplay work in service of the plot. Tales of Xillia 2 follows this tradition by using the space in between chapters to reinforce mastery of the gameplay mechanics, and build up the characters who would otherwise be extraneous*. In contrast, DA:I has MMO lineage giving its quests a completely different purpose. MMO quests are almost exclusively designed to give you an excuse to explore the environment or work with other people. Few games in the genre ever bothered to make a story their centerpiece, and understandably, Bioware never figured out how to incorporate menial quests into a game with a story, thus resulting in the trainwreck that is DA:I. See? This is one of the perks to knowing some basic history of gameplay mechanics. You can see how an idea from one genre can evolve in two completely different directions to serve completely different purposes – one as a powerful tool for harmonizing disparate components of a game, and the other being an audacious affront to everything that makes this medium enjoyable.

*The game also gives you a new sub-boss battle each chapter that always rewards you with enough money to immediately pay off your debt, so that you don't have to bother with the quests if you don't want to. This simple fact is why the debt is never offensive, and why any criticisms regarding it are blatantly based on ignorance or stupidity. It's also doubly confounding how few critics bothered to level the criticism at Dragon Age: Inquisition (the Power system) where it's actually applicable.

What should other games learn from it? 
– How to develop characters without using the plot

As I mentioned earlier, one of the things Tales of Xillia 2 lets you do in between story chapters is get to know the characters better. They do this in a very structured way by giving each character their own personal set of chapters that progress along with the story, occasionally play off of it, and sometimes influence dialogue in very small, but unmissable ways. Mind you, Tales of Xillia 2’s execution of this is questionable at best in that it explicitly mentions in an on-screen prompt when “bonus scenes” are added to the story. But, they got the idea right; if one is to develop characters outside of the plot, do so in a way that works with the plot, not adjacent to it.

"Some lies are worth living" - hell of a box quote

3. Wild Arms XF [“Crossfire”] (2008)

What is it? – The final entry in the Wild Arms franchise of CRPGs. This game is a tactical RPG for the PSP developed by a company who had never made a tactical RPG or a PSP game…and it’s fantastic, still comparing favorably to the tactical RPGs of 2015 & 16. Unfortunately, it is also another example of the damage caused by our shitty game critics. This game received almost universally middling to bad reviews for being too difficult and inconvenient for players, didn’t sell too well, and as we can now see, marked the death knell for the franchise.

Numerous high quality action shots>>>a handful of
8 second scenes where nothing happens. 

I never enjoyed any other Wild Arms games (too slow and archaic for my tastes), but I love this game so much that I played it annually from ‘08-11 to burn its brilliance into my mind. It wasn’t until I started listing possible games for The Tremendous Ten, however, that I realized that Wild Arms XF was why I could never justify recommending FE Fates: Conquest. It came out 8 years before it, yet does EVERYTHING better. The plot is actually engaging and pleasantly surprising. The characters all have actual plot relevance, and most develop over the course of the story. The classes and their abilities are exceedingly well thought out. The map and scenario design is peerless. Even the production values are inexplicably higher in most respects (sharper environments, cleaner effects, more informative and aesthetically pleasing UI, FULL VOICE ACTING, etc.). To put this in perspective, if I had to rate FE Fates: Conquest – the best version of that game – against WAXF, I’d give the former a 4.5/10 (for having a single, but important, redeeming quality) and the latter a solid 8/10, only docking it for inconsistent VA quality, length (it’s a little too long at 50-60 hours), and no post-game (though it does have NG+). It’s so good that if you have a PSP or Vita and were thinking about getting FE Fates, I’d recommend getting this 8 year-old game instead. It’s $20 cheaper and will provide you with more enjoyment in a greater variety of ways for a longer span of time.

What is impressive about it? – Wholly Unique Story Battles

One of the characters in your party always provides a
rundown of the map you're on. This way, you don't have
to experiment on a map blindly, and get some extra
 characterization.

This game has around 60 story battles – twice as many as a single version of FE Fates (which is to say it has as many unique maps as all three games put together for a quarter of the price SERIOUSLY, HOW HAVE YOU NOT BOUGHT THIS YET) – and nearly all of them take place on unique maps. For many games (read: FE Fates), having that kind of quantity necessitates a drop in individual map/battle quality. And yet, WAXF not only retains its high scenario quality from start to finish, it simultaneously manages to make each encounter reflect the exigencies of the story while being wholly unique. Best of all, XSEED didn’t rely on hyper specific gimmicks crudely explained by narrative breaking pop-ins to do so, but instead built about 80% of the encounters around specific enemies and the other 20% around core gameplay mechanics. Players are challenged to apply the game’s core mechanics in creative ways, as opposed to exploiting the gimmick(s) of individual maps. There are dozens of reasons why this approach results in better games than FE Fates’, but for the purposes of this post, let’s focus on tutorialization.

This is also the only strategy game I've ever played
that made classes and class changing a legitimate
part of the story. It's quite the coup de grace

There are a little over 24 playable classes in this game and each contains a highly specific set of parameters, equipment, and abilities. Like a lot of games with multiple player classes, they are introduced gradually over the course of the game. However, unlike those other games, classes are always used by the enemies first, usually introduced one at a time, and all have entire maps devoted to showing them in the best light. This performs three main functions all of which many class-based RPGs desperately need: 1) it demonstrates how the class should be used, 2) forces players to learn how to defeat it, and 3) facilitates the creation of unique and interesting tutorials that don’t break the game’s flow. Basically, no matter where you are in the game, you will always know how to use the tools available to you in a competent manner. That’s a magic trick that countless games across every genre have been trying to figure out for decades and yet WAXF pulls it off so elegantly, that you almost don’t notice it’s even happening.

What should other games learn from it?
– How to design unique encounters without resorting to gimmicks

Battle animations are quick and reasonable to keep up
the game's fast pace.

WAXF demonstrates that tutorializing mechanics and strategies through gameplay serves as a reliable basis for creating unique gameplay scenarios. Other games can apply that knowledge by building tutorials for each of their game systems into REAL gameplay situations. This would actually kill three birds with one stone as it allows the dev to design an interesting bit of gameplay, teach the player something that will help them later/throughout the game, and assess the validity of the core gameplay mechanics. That said, tutorials need not be the only means for creating unique scenarios. As WAXF also demonstrates, if a game needs to show off the strength of a character or illustrate some other aspect of the game’s plot, then it should systematize those components to make them comprehensible to the player on more than one level. The gameplay reinforces a story; it does not stand outside of it.

4. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008)

Ecclesia is the only Castlevania game with a female
protagonist, and by all that is unholy she is a badass.

What is it? –  The last original, Symphony of the Night-inspired, 2D Castlevania game Konami will ever publish, both because Konami is run by idiots, and that Koji Igarashi (the series creator) left the company to make another 2D Castlevania game in all but name. Order of Ecclesia actually has a lot of serious differences that elevate it above set it apart from its predecessors, but the most prominent one is its structure. From SotN onwards, Castlevania games always took place in Dracula’s ridiculously spacious terrarium castle, but Portrait of Ruin – the game immediately preceding Ecclesia - tried to bring back the old school Castlevania flair with smaller levels contained within the titular portraits. Unfortunately, the devs couldn’t figure out how to harmonize the two dungeon types (Mario 64 was NOT the way), or legitimize the character switching mechanic for that game. However, Ecclesia learned from its predecessor, dropped the gimmicky character swap mechanic, and perfected the structure PoR introduced by dividing the game up into 2 distinct and disproportionate halves.

Unlike Simon's Quest, the town in  Ecclesia
 isn't an eyesore and the townspeople aren't
 all trying their best Riddler impersonations

The first half of the game is a less absurd spiritual successor to Simon’s Quest where you visit the game’s different areas from a town hub, while trying to help the townsfolk out with their problems. In contrast, the optional second part is a less gratuitous successor to SotN, in which you have to explore Dracula’s castle again. Unlike the other Castlevanias, the castle is much denser in Ecclesia, containing a smaller overall size, but a comparatively heavy quantity and diversity of monsters and bosses. Lastly, the game takes one of the best features from PoR, lvl 1 mode, allowing Ecclesia to reflect the style of the pre SotN Castlevanias as well. The combination of the dual structure with “classic” gameplay modes allows the game to appeal to Castlevania players of all generations kind of like the 3DS Fire Emblems were supposed to making it the perfect sendoff for the franchise.

What is impressive about it? 
– Level 1 Hard Mode is somehow perfectly designed to work within the game’s normal framework

I played this game three times back in 2008 and had a pretty good time with it. So, in 2013 when there weren’t any 3DS games to bother with, I decided to blow on the cart and give it another spin. I loaded up my save to see if a new game+ would yield a fun gameplay experience, but it was ABSURDLY easy. So to challenge myself, I saw that I could either start the game over from scratch, play the game on Hard mode, or play the game with 1 as my level cap. I tried all three, and all of them seemed too easy, so like the sadist that I am, I took a fourth option and said “‘D’ all of the above, motherfucker,” to see just how hard the game could kick my ass. Apparently, the answer to that question was beyond the Kuiper Belt as even the first enemy in the tutorial can 1-2HKO you with its attacks. Fuck around this game does not. And yet surprisingly, it never once was unfair though Emerald Mist can suck the fattest chode biology can concoct.

Some of Shanoa's spells summon weapons. So, if you'd prefer
to play this Castlevania more like SotN, you are free to do so.

Despite the absurdly thin line between life and death on this difficulty, the game actually supplies you with everything you need to overcome its obstacles unscathed. Your mobility tools are always superior to the threats the game throws at you, allowing you to block or dodge everything in the game despite the lack of a Z axis. And at the same time, your spells/weapons are strong enough to kill enemies off ‘reasonably’ quickly thanks to the weakness system. On the lower difficulties, you don’t really need to pay attention to enemy weaknesses because your damage naturally rises through level ups. But on lvl 1 hard mode, using the correct spells are all but required for maintaining your sanity. Ostensibly, this difficulty setting requires you to possess the knowledge of how to defeat enemies and the skills to apply that knowledge properly. Because levelling up isn’t a factor though, it’s usually up to you to determine whether it’s better to slip past an enemy or fight through them. Now, the REALLY impressive part about Ecclesia’s design is that nothing about it changes from one difficulty to another except for the power of the enemies (and your self-selected level cap); if you can get through this game on one difficulty, you can do so on all difficulties.

What should other games learn from it?
– How to design an entire game (that isn’t a platformer) around a core set of base mechanics, as opposed to gimmicks

Shanoa has spells for all foes of every class.
Finding clever and creative ways to use her
arsenal is infinitely more effective and
empowering than simply levelling up.

Okay, yes, Metroidvania games are all action-platformers, and Order of Ecclesia is no exception. But, what allows the game to work as both a Metroidvania with RPG elements, and a straight action-platformer at the same time is its adherence to the philosophy that the entire game be designed around its most basic mechanics. I am of the belief that games should be designed with an intended difficulty in mind, and then, should the mechanics allow it, have the obstacles’ strength adjusted for lower and higher difficulties in order to ease players into the intended setting, or challenge those who have already mastered it. Order of Ecclesia’s lvl 1 Hard Mode, exemplifies this idea more prominently than any game I’ve ever played, and is why I’ve selected it as a game for designers to look to when designing difficulty settings. Discern the game’s inflexible core mechanics, assess whether mastery of those mechanics is sufficient enough to carry players through the entirety of the game, THEN design your difficulty settings such that this dynamic never changes.

*Final Fantasy IX is another, older game that actually implements this philosophy to spectacular effect, but I’m saving a more comprehensive discussion of that gem for another occasion*

5. Dark Souls 3 (2016)

Let the fires fade...

What is it? –  Honestly, I shouldn’t have to explain what this game is considering that it’s the highest profile release of the last two months. But, in case you’ve been living under rock or in Detroit for the last 5 years, Dark Souls 3 is an action RPG (falsely) known for its unforgiving difficulty. In actuality, it’s the final entry in a franchise of Quiet games with high fantasy themes and aesthetics that focuses on instilling a sense of patience and observance in the player. There, that’s all you get out of me, watch this video instead if you’re somehow still unsure of what the hell these games are or why they're great.

What is impressive about it?
– The way in which it amalgamates design elements from all 4 prior Souls game

I’ve played every (real) entry in this franchise, written small guides for three of them, (most of) an essay on one of them, and dove heavily into each of their PVP communities. I know all of the Souls games preceding DS3 like the back of my hand. So, when I finally played through the series swansong a couple of weeks ago, the thing that immediately caught my eye was how brightly the game’s bloodline radiates from its each and every pore. Smooth movement and horrifying monster design jumped straight out of Bloodborne. Focus attacks, dual weapons, the Estus system, and numerous armor sets all emerged from Dark Souls 2. The unity of the kingdom, atmosphere, and story elements all developed from those of Dark Souls 1. And the level design, equipment upgrades, boss weapons, and FP/MP system all evolved from Demon’s Souls. Dark Souls 3 is a game that could only have come about through each of those other games’ existence. And though the game doesn’t present any wholly new ideas of its own, it comprehensively serves its role as the end of a storied series.

What should other games learn from it? – How to properly end a series

The ideal end to a franchise contains “finality” within all of its narratives. The gameplay of Dark Souls 3 achieves it by weaving together the elements of all prior souls games into a single harmonious experience. But, while I could probably write an entire essay performing a historical analysis of the game’s mechanics, the real highlight of the game that earned it a spot on this list is its story. As someone who became deeply invested in Dark Souls’ story (yes, that game has a story, and no, I don’t mean its lore), and willingly chose not to link the fire for unselfish or RP reasons, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the last game in the series finally acknowledged the veracity of my decision. Man must gain the strength to walk through the darkness by the light of his own fire – welcoming the age of darkness is the only way to truly end the degenerative cycle of this damned kingdom. Based on the sequels’ existence, the canon ending of Dark Souls was necessarily that the player linked the fire and perpetuated the cycle. But here, since this is the end of this franchise, the “canon” ending – or at least the one that ends the story – is the new third path added to the game. And yet, despite that ending being the absolute perfect way to end this franchise, FROM’s handling of it is the game’s one and only critical flaw.

You win the climactic final battle, summon the last fire keeper, and allow the first flame to die by her hand…annnnd then get some brief words from nowhere about how everything worked out in the end. Roll credits. For the first and ONLY time in this franchise, the game tells rather than shows, and for a series in which words are deliberately shown to be unreliable, this approach casts a veil of ambiguity over what should be a decisive conclusion. The other endings in the series, excluding Bloodborne’s “good” ending, all leave you with the same feeling of uncertainty - as though all of the struggles and tribulations you persevered through may have been for naught. But, that was appropriate in those games because none of them (again, except Bloodborne) offered you this third ending – they didn’t give you a conclusion in the story, so you shouldn’t have felt any catharsis from the narrative. Basically, this game should have had a montage at the end showing the result of your decision. The opening cinematic proves that they had the ability, and the concluding song is the perfect music to play over all three (technically four) of the game’s endings. So, future games that seek to end their franchises should emulate Dark Souls 3’s successes and correct its error. If they are to be the end, then they must end in every sense of the word, and make us believe it.

CONTINUED in Part 2