Playing games (Patreon)

Hi, we're going to talk about games! I kind of suffered a minor mental health lapse over the last week and a half, and on top of that the Switch 2 released, so I haven't been working. As of today, I feel like I'm on my feet and feeling like I can start on V75. But there's not much development to talk about besides some brainstorming for Welcome To The Dark Place, so I'll talk about my thoughts on some Switch games that I've been putting off playing for quite some time--Super Mario Wonder and Metroid Prime (remastered).

Super Mario Wonder is awesome. The entire game is gimmicks, reminding me a little bit of Rayman Origins/Legends. One part of me keeps thinking "Is this the only place there is left for 2D mario to go?" while the other part of me is just having a great time. Some of these gimmicks are legitimately awesome mechanics though, like the speedy, extended "coyote time" that basically lets you fly. The badge challenges are some of the most fun, and I wish badges were more utilized in the rest of the game, since most of the time they just feel like an easy mode that lets me bypass the level designer's intentions.

Since the Switch era began (and probably a little before that), Nintendo seems to have become allergic to difficulty and challenge in games; so they make their games absurdly easy and confine the last 90% of the difficulty curve to the last 1% of the game, which feels really bad to me. To me this felt the absolute worst in Super Mario Odyssey. Super Mario Wonder does this exact same thing, but I think this might be the best job they've done with this strategy. Partly because the 1% difficulty spike is scattered throughout the game's worlds instead of jumpscaring you after the end credits. And it's usually hidden behind secret goalposts; this way they're very deliberate and careful about the way they filter hardcore players from the kids and grandmas. When I played with my friends, I noticed when we were diverging onto a more difficult path through multiple secrets and tests, and then the game felt like it took its gloves off very suddenly. In some ways I like that a lot more than a traditional difficulty curve. Besides that, the game is just more concerned with delighting you with surprises rather than a satisfying challenge, and I'm okay with that. I just hope Nintendo hasn't forgotten how to make games with a medium difficulty or a gradual difficulty curve.

As for Metroid Prime Remastered, I've been stuck for several days and I am refusing to resort to a guide.

Oh right, I love Mario Kart World. Everything about it is like perfect to me. I am annoyed by mega mushrooms through, and I think they shouldn't make you invincible; that way, mega mushroom users would have to think a little to avoid hitting a player with bananas or shells. Also blue shells should change targets on the fly, because that would encourage players to play chicken to avoid getting hit, which would be really funny and fit the game's design flawlessly. As it is, I keep seeing blue shells slamming down on the crowd in like 15th place, and it's absolute injustice.