Having Too Much To Do

It’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Artificially extending the existing content of video games to lengthen the overall experience is nothing new, and seems to be increasingly prevalent in some modern releases. But it doesn’t really add anything to the player experience. It’s not satisfying having to sit through repeated content over and over again, nor does it feel particularly engaging to continually grind to no discernible end. Having numerous mechanics to understand can be enjoyable, though. It just depends on how these are presented to players, and how natural it feels to interact with them on a regular basis.

It should never feel particularly forced.

Which it usually does. Whether it’s a tedious repeatable (or daily) quest that offers a paltry reward, or a dungeon that presents no inherent challenge but is integral to your eventual success. There are so many awful ways to do it. But there are some video games that have done it really well.

I’ve recently been playing Assassin’s Creed Origins and I’ve been continually surprised by how wonderful the overall experience is. Hundreds of question marks litter the world map signifying new cities to discover, tombs to explore, war elephants to challenge, and much more. You could also partake in gladiatorial combat in two different arenas, or race for glory in the Hippodrome. Not to mention there’s a compelling main campaign to follow. Something I need to remind myself of when I’m working through the absurd amount of content that there is. Yet I’ve not once abandoned an optional objective because I’ve grown tired of it. It’s slightly ludicrous how enthralling I find exploring the vast sands of Egypt to be. I also can’t wait to sail to Thebes and experience the majesty of the otherworldly The Curse of the Pharaohs DLC.

Found a bowling alley. Never leaving.

Yakuza 0 is another outstanding example of this. There were so many things you could do as either protagonist besides the two substantial minor campaigns, all of which would contribute in some meaningful way to their character development. There were also far too many mini-games to learn. I didn’t even attempt the majority of the optional challenges, as I likely would’ve spent hundreds of hours doing so. I know that I spent far longer in the bowling alleys than I should have done. I even acquired a chicken that helped me conquer the Kamurocho Real Estate Royale.

They certainly didn’t cluck up their job.

There are many other excellent examples of this. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Disco Elysium, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to name but a few. It’s so refreshing to have single player experiences which aren’t mindlessly lacklustre, featuring compelling main campaigns and optional objectives.

Most of the aforementioned video games have interesting and ever-expanding open worlds to explore, too. Which seems to be something that I’m drawn to nowadays. I’m not sure if that’s a conscious decision as I’ve had many good experiences with them recently, or whether it’s a mere coincidence and doesn’t influence me in any way before purchase. But whichever it is I don’t mind. I’m just glad that single player experiences haven’t entirely disappeared in modern releases. Not that I’m entirely opposed to co-operative experiences, as I’ve got quite a history with MMORPGs which are inherently co-operative. But single player experiences shouldn’t need to suffer (or disappear) because of those. Both can exist independently of one and other, and each provides their own benefits and drawbacks to their respective genres.

Have a nice week, all!

Moggie

Rebuilding the Jedi Order

Haunted by the past, hopeful for the future.

While being hunted by the ruthless and unwavering Galactic Empire, our diffident protagonist, Cal Kestis, attempts to retrace the journey of a Jedi Master and seeks to uncover the secrets of the Zeffo. An ancient civilization that had an unprecedented understanding of the mysteries of the Force. Who were also fascinated by rolling giant balls around, and who would bestow their knowledge unto those capable of doing so. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an extraordinarily engaging narrative-driven RPG in which you endeavour to rebuild the Jedi Order while collecting many stylish ponchos.

You’ll also be collecting various seeds for the Mantis’ terrarium.

Those, much like the ponchos, are of the utmost importance and contribute greatly to your success, should you ever wish to befriend Greez. Which has its benefits. He does become slightly less crotchety with every seed recovered, despite being incredibly vocal about his hatred of nature.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order also features vast landscapes to explore and it’s ridiculously fun to do so. While many of the rewards are cosmetic, secrets, such as Stim Canisters, are incredibly valuable and are always worth pursuing. Even if you’re being relentlessly pursued by the sadistic Second Sister. She can wait until you’ve discovered every chest, secret, and upgrade for BD-1 on every planet. It’s not like you’re the last hope for hundreds of Force-sensitive children. Which is not to suggest that exploration is always frivolous, as exploring each of the ancient tombs often results in Cal strengthening his connection to the Force and learning a new Force ability. Of which there are only a few but they are incredibly useful. Not that I’d necessarily agree that being able to jump twice requires a deeper connection to the Force, but I digress.

Surprisingly agile. Unsurprisingly bloodthirsty.

Character development is tied to Force abilities, as each one further expands the skill tree allowing for greater proficiency in combat and heightened character statistics. There aren’t too many ways to develop Cal besides that. You can fully customise the appearance of his lightsaber, and unlock new lightsaber styles throughout the main campaign. Each offering its own unique fighting style with its own advantages and disadvantages. Which is perfectly suited to the exhilarating lightsaber duels with the Sith, but doesn’t significantly alter the offensive (or defensive) capabilities of his lightsaber.

That’s reserved for the Lightsaber Mastery skill.

You can find equipment that allows you to explore previously inaccessible areas, but it doesn’t aid you in combat nor does it change Cal’s base statistics considerably. However, while limited, character development is meaningful, as each investment into the skill tree yields decent rewards.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Whether it would be a complex RPG experience akin to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, or whether it would favour an action-orientated approach emphasising storytelling. In retrospect I’d say it was mostly the latter. But that’s not to say that there aren’t RPG mechanics, and utilising them will only further the techniques and abilities available to you in combat. Or while exploring planets. Exploration certainly makes up the bulk of the experience but that’s not a bad thing. Not when the exploration is as enjoyable as it was, and when you’re actually excited about returning to Bogano for the fifth time. I’d highly recommend it to those who enjoy Star Wars (in any shape or form) or those looking for an in-depth single player RPG experience.

Have a nice week, all!

Moggie

Secrets of the Zeffo

A civilization fixated on rolling giant balls around.

Given that many of their secrets allow for greater understanding of the Force, and that you don’t need to be Force-sensitive to roll a giant ball around, it does seem like an odd way to assess the suitability of those searching for answers. It certainly makes exploring ancient tombs more interesting, though. If only the Galactic Empire didn’t have the Sith who could just as easily uncover these secrets, then we might have a chance to rebuild the Jedi Order. Not that the crew of the Mantis is without hope. We’ve rolled enough giant balls into their sockets to uncover the secrets of two ancient tombs.

Now we’ve just got to uncover the secrets of the third.

But, as we’ve gained additional Force abilities, and BD-1 has been upgraded with new technology, we’re going to completely ignore the Galactic Empire to explore planets. To acquire ponchos and other cosmetic rewards. Maybe uncover a few secrets, too. Those tend to offer the greatest benefits.

While ponchos and other cosmetic rewards are neat, unlocking new (or upgrading existing) equipment and technology allows for further exploration of each planet. Or allows for progression through the main campaign. Cosmetic rewards are only useful if you’re actually going to wear them, or apply them to BD-1 and the Mantis. Force echoes can also be discovered, and they serve to enrich your understanding of the history of the planet you’re currently exploring. So there are quite a few things to do on each planet and exploring them is ridiculously fun. I’d just be more enthusiastic to find anything other than secrets if the rewards from chests were more meaningful. Not that I’ve ever cared for cosmetic rewards. So the aforementioned probably says more about me than about the rewards themselves.

BD-1 is the bravest companion a Jedi could have.

I am intending to return to each planet to fully explore it, though. Collect all of the chests, secrets, and interesting technological upgrades present. Even if I’ll have more ponchos than any one Jedi knows what to do with. I’d personally prefer some robes. Not that we’d be able to hide from the Galactic Empire very effectively when we resemble the atypical Jedi, but at least we’d look stylish and that’s what truly matters. It won’t take too long as I’ll have my trusty (and sometimes confusing) Holomap to lead the way. It’s definitely one of the better maps I’ve had the pleasure of navigating planets with.

It just becomes confusing with larger planets.

Notably, it highlights the areas that you can (and can’t) reach with your abilities as they currently are. Which not only allows you to know what’s actually inaccessible, but also (rather conveniently) highlights the areas that have become accessible as a result of acquiring new equipment or technology.

I’ve greatly enjoyed my time with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It’s a very capable single player experience which doesn’t artificially extend existing content. Everything happens as you would expect it to, and besides Stim Canisters, which are arguably the most valuable secret, there are few reasons to revisit (and fully explore) every planet besides the cosmetic rewards. Which some may consider a failing of the exploration mechanics. But I find it very refreshing to revisit planets as and when I want to, without being required to grind through hours of thoughtless content. You’ve no obligation to collect everything but you can if you want to. Or you can continue with the main campaign. Or you can do some combination of both. It’s entirely up to you when you want to approach things, or if you want to approach them at all..

Have a nice week, all!

Moggie