The interactivity of games creates far more expectations than most media, as players desire engaging gameplay above all other forms of a title’s artistic expression. A “good” game can look beautiful through cutting-edge graphics, or tell an impressive story, but if the gameplay falls short, many will drop a game long before reaching its credits. Some games have been unfortunate examples of this, with their initial promise being scarred by lackluster gameplay elements players quickly grew tired of.
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Performance can play a hand in a title’s gamplay being poorly received, as its intended execution was misleading due to controllable factors. Examples like the extremely poor launch of Cyberpunk 2077 come to mind, with its gameplay winning players over time due to diligent performance fixes throughout the title’s life cycle. However, many games don’t get a second chance, with horrible gameplay impressions usually disregarding any other incredible qualities they might have.
3. The Order: 1886
The world and presentation of The Order: 1886 is stellar, with fascinating visuals that capture its titular time period better than most games ever try. Details are abundant in this title, from character designs to set pieces and locations the player visits as they play. The story is also unique, albeit somewhat short compared to other third-person action-adventure titles. The steampunk aesthetic of this game combines dark fantasy and alternative history into a narrative players largely praise, ever since its initial 2015 launch.
That being said, the gameplay of this title is simply bland. The Order: 1886 is defined by cinematic gameplay, but it fails to reach the heights of other titles like the Uncharted series that take the same approach. No features in this game make it memorable, and the ones that do exist are agonizingly linear, almost asking players to play for a few minutes before a big cutscene takes away from interactive spotlight. Quick time events, predictable enemy patterns, and slow pacing all prevents a single feature from standing out, creating a game with no real substance.
2. Death Stranding
Don’t get me wrong, Death Stranding is absolutely an acquired taste that every self-proclaimed game enthusiast should try at some point. Yet, that doesn’t detract from the game’s strange and off-putting mechanics that persist throughout a player’s experience. Jokingly called a “walking simulator” by its harshest critics, Death Stranding is a game of patience, where a single misstep could cost hours of progress as you try to deliver items and connect a dissonant world. For many, the odd story and infuriating systems is enough to dismiss the game entirely.
Those who persevere past the sometimes awful gameplay of Death Stranding, though, can find a title that only someone like Hideo Kojima could create. The more progress you make, the easier the game gets as interconnected infrastructure from across worlds helps ease the wounds of initial gameplay. The visuals of Death Stranding are top-notch as well, a fact that remains in its sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Even with this promise, those who don’t buy into Death Stranding‘s intentional flaws are unlikely to find anything worth praising.
1. Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 has one of the most visually impressive worlds the iconic JRPG series has ever produced, crafting a truly intricate world of cities, roads, and landscapes you could explore for hours. At the same time, this strength is also a curse, as this scale forces players to do nothing but travel for minutes at a time to reach their destinations. While driving a car down a long highway with Noctis and his friends helps create bonds with those characters through road trip banter, it’s about as engaging as a real road trip that’s gone on for too long.
This Final Fantasy is far from perfect in other ways too, mainly through its combat and RPG mechanics. Progression is practically meaningless, as enemies automatically scale to your party’s level. Speaking of your party, unlike other Final Fantasy games, you barely get any time to customize or diversify your group, even with character specializations offering some variety. Fighting is somewhat of a monotonous loop, with very few moments of backstabbing, dodging, or performing a parry to spice things up.
Despite all of these faults, the story of Final Fantasy 15 is grandiose in all of the best ways, truly feeling on par with some of the best narratives told in the series. Some moments are unforgettable, with a soundtrack that builds a distinct atmosphere that might keep you playing regardless of flaws. Terrible gameplay might be present in this game around ever corner, but it can stun players when it wants to, showing how much potential it had when it first released.
What title with horrible gameplay do you think had some elements worthy of praise? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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