#gaeming

Okay, there're like ten thousand different interesting things to say about Hellblade, but I specifically want to pivot to the way I experience play. For me, there is a clear dividing line between "the game presents a character moment that you're meant to experience" (Hades refusing to fight Zagreus and just letting him pass that one time, Gordon Freeman in any extended narrative sequence where you can shoot but the shots don't register) and "the game presents you with a challenge you're meant to beat" (basically everything else). This framework recognizes when a game presents you with a wall you can technically climb, but aren't meant to, but it holds no respect for situations that call for, hmmm, ludographic approach. In Baldur's Gate 3, I reset several time on the giant mithtil robot fight several times to figure out the optimal placement, ability and resource use, I even burned the one banishment scroll I had to reconvene and heal near the end and I won! Just to then get an achievement for not bonking it with a giant hammer button. It was a satisfyingly mechanically difficult moment instead of a cool discovery moment. I experienced a good combat system instead of a good game. RPGs in general are unplayable for me because of this - I get laser focused on the optimal way to play and just completely miss out on the variety.

Ironically, the only time this worked out for me was in Fallout 4 when I looted a sniper rifle that got more damage the closer it was to midnight. I specced hard into stealth and crits, clothed like the mysterious stranger, fought only during nights whenever possible - it was fun, the game supported my approach. Hellblade didn't - I had fun with the combat system that was supposed to be gruelling, uncomfortable and overwhelming.

Another type of games that are impossible to me are the ones where you're supposed to have a party of characters you may lose and need to replace - your Darkest Dungeon, Into the Breach and so on. That just registers as a failure and inability to fix that instead of persevering through it drives me up the wall. That's why games like Cuphead or Transistor work so well for me - you play good and you are rewarded with story and more opportunity and variety of play. Hades is a step above since it offers those regardless of the level of play.