darkSpyro

Since people said there's so much nintendo discussion in here, why not bring up something that encompasses many more games! What are your favorite mechanics in a game, be they a strange gimmick that works or a system that ties everything together?

I've got 3 at the moment:

1. Visions in Xenoblade 1. So many RPGs have the "oh no the enemy is charging an attack, time to defend" which eventually gets old if used too much, but in combination with the topple system, this really stands out. It can come up with many enemies and they don't even have to be story related, and it shakes up strategy to either topple the target before the vision comes true, change its behavior in some way to do something else, or just let it happen since you know the attack won't be that big of a deal.

2. Rewarding taunts. No, not multiplayer taunts. Ingame taunts usually are a fun addition that does nothing, but in games like Bayonetta where it increases points at the cost of faster enemies is so much more interesting. Also, it helps with catharsis if you get through a tough section

3. Hollow Knight. This is a minor spoiler but since the game is still new -

in splatoon when you're in squid form and you dive into the ink whatever music's in the background gets realistically muffled and i find that mildly interesting

Agreed with the Xenoblade 1 visions.

Also Gravity Rush 2. The first game was unique too but the sequel heavily expanded upon and refined the gravity manipulation mechanics, making it one of the most satisfying movement systems I've ever experienced.

The Bravery System of the Dissidia games is also simple yet very satisfying and rewarding. At the best of times at least.

I've always liked the Command Menu system of Kingdom Hearts 1 and it's numerical sequels. It takes some mastery but it's a great little system for giving you a lot of commands on a console controller.

Wrecking Ball in Overwatch is also a lot of fun to play around with, he can just latch onto any surface and swing around with physics. I'm not good with the character competitively or anything, I just find him to be a lot of fun.

Reaction commands and limits in Kingdom Hearts II. They make the battles more exciting than just repeatedly bashing your keyblade and they give your party members more involvement.

Music changing depending on which part of a level you're in (i.e. Skylanders), depending on the time of day (i.e. Pokemon DPPt and SM) or whether or not you're in combat (i.e Kingdom Hearts). I also like when layers are added to music depending on where you are or what you're doing (i.e. Jak and Daxter, Pokemon BW).

Toys to life. I like how a character's level, upgrades and collectables are saved on the figure so that they'll still be there even if you start a new game or play on somone else's system.

Gliding. I find it so satisfying to reach further platforms by flying.

The capture mechanic in Mario Odyssey. It gives the Mario gameplay more variety.

Character customisation. It gives the protagonist a more personal touch and it makes me feel more like it's me on the adventure.

In DKC Returns and DKC Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong has three jumping animations

Extra animations and song variations are so nice. Not every dev does them right (sometimes a variation is just extra drums or a jumping animation looks stiff), but usually those extras make the game just feel more homely.

The boost/break system in Octopath
Path Actions and Talents in Octopath
Defending yourself in any of the Mario and Luigi games
Traps in Skylanders
The iPhone you get in BOTW
The "3 Days Before the Moon Faceplants The Earth" from Majora's Mask
Any jukebox mode ever
The Team Switching in Sonic Heroes
Jigglypuff's Down B

That's all I got for now.

Oh man defending in Mario RPGs is amazing. It's all the visceral reaction of a parry in a spectacle fighter but it's made an entire phase of the fight rather than an advanced technique.

Thinking about it, the spin in Crash games is a very welcome mechanic for 3D platformers, since those types of platformers can't ask too much precision from the player, so an attack that has a wide range and hits anything around the character is perfect for it.

Also any kind of move in platformers that gives extra speed and keeps the flow going. Stuff like the Drop Dash in Sonic Mania, the Roll in Donkey Kong Country, that spinning punch in Rayman Origins/Legends or the Long Jump/Triple Jump in 3D Mario. It gives the player more stuff to do while walking through the level and makes speedruns all the more satisfying.

The Skyhook in Bioshock Infinite. It makes combat flow even faster and makes it even more exciting. The combat would've been already fantastic without it but this just adds an extra layer of depth to Infinite's combat system.

The rope in Uncharted 4. It's such a little detail but it makes platforming or scaling in the game much more interesting and exhilarating.

The slow motion in Breath of the Wild. It's not overused at any point, and it makes the action in intense fights easier to follow.

Definitely EXP in Undertale. It's basically the entire game, and it's genius.

Swimming in the Ty the tasmanian tiger series. There's really no way to explain it, either you've played it and completely understand it, or you don't.

-Naval Combat: Assassin’s Creed III, IV, Odyssey
The naval combat in the Assassin’s Creed series has always felt so smooth and nice. It’s an absolute treat to play, and it always makes the battles feel more epic, especially in Black Flag.

-.chr Files: Doki Doki Literature Club
To say that DDLC is one of my favorite games would be an absolute understatement. I really enjoy everything about the game, and I like how it builds upon Undertale-like concepts of messing with actual save files, especially the .chr ones.

-Web Swinging: Marvel’s Spider-Man
Dear lord the web slinging in Marvel’s Spider-Man is slick as hell. Insomniac really built off of the Sunset Overdrive traversal system, and made the web slinging not only feel natural, but insanely fun.

-Faithfulness: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ryu facing his opponent in 1v1s and using the same combos as his home game. Bayonetta’s focus on combos. Robin’s weapon breakage. Inkling’s ink tank. There’s so much more I can say, but I won’t. Nearly every Smash fighter has some mechanic that makes them faithful to their home games, and that makes it feel all the more amazing. If you know the character, you practically already know how to use them.

-amiibo Support: Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem Fates, Breath of the Wild
I’ve always liked amiibo, and making them a Toys to Life without a real game tied to them was a fairly smart move. I feel like it’s a little lazy for a developer to smack on an amiibo function and say “hey this gives you some random item once a day” or whatever, the inventive ones are the ones that I love. Training an elite computer player? Getting a special themed villager? Getting a legendary warrior on your side for the rest of the game? Weapons and armor from previous entries? It’s those little functions that really make amiibos worth while.

Other little things of note:
-The health restoring Kirby hug
-Giving your teammates a high five in Super Mario Party
-Mettaton’s essay question in Undertale
-Pokemon avoiding moves/surviving a fatal blow/critting because of their affection
-The box in Metal Gear Solid
-Getting blasted on Valentine’s Day for romancing everyone in Persona 5
-That satisfying “kerplunk” when you jump into ink from high up in Splatoon

Eggmanland in Sonic Unleashed is a hybrid level between Sonic and the Werehog and I liked switching from one to another multiple times, the game having separate levels for both gameplay styles and ending with one big level involving them both is a really cool idea.

Combat in Rayman 3 feels really smooth, charging punches while locked onto an enemy and dodging their shots at the same time is simple and satisfying. The extra challenge of defeating multiple enemies quickly for bonus points only makes the controls feel even better.

Context Sensitive pads give Conker whatever he needs at that moment in time.
Dung beetles in the way? Slingshot.
Strong button? Turn into an anvil.
Need to go underwater? Confidence pills.
Guards in the way? Slow down time and shoot them all matrix style.
The list could go on, all by simply pressing B.

I know I've been talking about Danganronpa a lot lately, but I love the times where you can just walk around and talk to the other people


Not only is it fun to talk to the other characters, it's also a genius emotional manipulation, as when that character dies, you feel much sadder than you did if you never really talked to them.