Peter Ciliberti
Interactive Review 1
Videogames, since their creation, have been a way for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. You can raid the darkest dungeons, save damsels in distress or even raise creatures that you would never even dream of. Their have been the games that range from laughable to impossible depending on the franchise, the player, or the game itself. While both of the games to be listed can be considered difficult to the common player, they are considered such for very different reasons. The game Bloodborne made by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware, is one such game that can be considered frustrating and impossible for most, but it had become a game I could not put down since I purchased it. The protagonist, The Hunter, is controlled by the Playstation 4 controller with almost no lag after hitting a button. For example, the ability to dodge is controlled by the circle button on the right side of the controller. The action of dodging is almost instantaneous upon contact, which leads to an increased flow in the combat system. A distinct and unique sound effect in the game is featured whenever the player “parries” an enemy. The player must quickly react when an enemy is preparing an attack to stagger them with the left trigger, which usually fires a bullet. Once the stagger occurs, there is a chime that rings upon success, allowing for a follow up attack. While there is a good amount of flow to the combat system, people new to the game series would have trouble with the fact that there are no hints to advise the player where to go. This, plus the difficulty, results in large amounts of frustration and sometimes even rage. While it may be a frustrating game control wise, it encourages players to learn from mistakes as they play and to explore the environment for anything helpful.
While I did find Bloodborne frustrating at times, I never actually fully raged about it. it always had a way of pulling me back in even when I was angry. The game that I found infinitely more frustrating was the game Super Hexagon. Its gameplay is simple; the player controls a small arrow as it rotates about the center of the screen. The hard part comes from the games actual obstacles. Any wall that the player touches kills you instantly, and sends you back to a screen that asks you to try again. There is no indication of real score besides a timer in the top right hand corner. All of the obstacles are generated by the song playing in the background of each stage, and the only thing that actually tells you when something changes is a voice that is overwhelmed by the music. The fast pace, flashing colors and small player model makes the overall game incredibly challenging and sometimes even painful to look at. However, the controls themselves are tight and efficient, which helps with the pace along with the players reflexes. Both games are well loved and considered enjoyable by the public, but neither are perfect. All games have problems, whether its with controls, story, sound design, art design or any other effects that make a game great.
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