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Persona 5 first level and it’s villain are so good that persona 5 is famous for having boring villains after the first level and they only fixed this in royal
Hey, buying games on Steam using a VPN is against their TOS and sometimes can get your account in trouble, not sure if advertising it as one of the intended uses is such a good idea.
I think this one of the few videos about first levels that didn't bring up World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. Which is nice, but it still works a great tone setter and tutorial.
Ive seen 1-1 analysed so much, this is why I avoided watching this video for so long. I'm glad to see a "great first levels analysis" video not featuring 1-1
@@theog2306 I'd argue that a lot of those are down to mechanical improvements between Original and New; New 1-1 is more obvious about the checkpoint system not because New 1-1 is better designed as a level, but because the checkpoint system in Original is hidden from the player while the checkpoint system in New is explicit; New has hidden star coins, Original doesn't, and so forth. The real takeaway from 1-1 that's often overlooked in analysis of it that gets way too focused on 'the level is designed so that it's very difficult to avoid the first power up' (and wasn't brought up as a general point here) is that you're often best off designing the first level towards the end of development, and not to be afraid to add new elements into the game for the first level if you need to simplify something to help teach the player. Goombas, IIRC, were added into SMB1 because they solved a design need - None of the enemies already in the game were simple enough to teach the player the basic mechanics.
Even Mario 64’s first actual level serves as a great introduction to 3D video games. The first Star is basically just, “make it to the top of the level,” teaching people how to navigate vertically in 3D, and introducing safe versions of different terrain types.
I will say it isn't intuitive enough if you don't understand instructions - played a Japanese version of it before and I didn't get that I need to grab the back at first (and that you shouldn't throw King Bob-Omb outside the summit).
I remember looking through the development history of Hollow Knight, and King's Pass (the starting area) received so many changes that makes it the extremely effective teaching tool it is now (probably the best I've seen in a search-action game). To start, the Crawlids originally had no spikes on them, and so players tried stomping on them like Goombas. When the devs gave them spikes, it communicated that touching an enemy in this game will result in you taking damage, which is a very crucial detail for combat. Pits with spikes just became empty holes in the ground, which forces the player to learn how to jump without risking death. Things like Lifeblood and soul usage are also taught without much fourth wall breaking, but my favourite part is how if you immediately turn left, you'll find a secret stash of money. This gives the player a big realization; secrets can be anywhere, and you shouldn't always go forward. While some players won't see this secret, for those players who got curious and got rewarded for it, it makes them want to explore every nook and cranny of the world. And for a search-action game, that is an amazing thing to put in your player's head.
That secret stash at the beginning also serves as a fun nod to many other metroidvanias, which typically ask you to go left first to progress. People who have played those games may defiantly try walking into the left wall, only to be rewarded for doing so.
One of my favorite first levels ever has to be The First Turnabout in Ace Attorney. I mean come on, you have a slow paced mystery game, what will you do to grab the player's attention ? a) Set up some clues and ask questions about an overarching storyline ? Or b) Somehow take the Bayonetta approach and make it absolutely bombastic This case basically skips to the final part of every other case and shows exactly what is so unique about the series. It makes the player want more of that feeling which helps them go through any following case, no matter how long. I don't think I can imagine a better hook for this game than that.
The First Turnabout is so damn good that it got me into the series through watching Simpleflips play it modded into Mario 64. I was like "Damn, I've been sleeping on this?", and picked up the trilogy on 3DS.
@@TheWrathAbove Same ! I watched it on Yt for some reason and got sold on it. It doesn't even spoil anything since it's so simple, this case is actual magic.
What’s really fun about that case is that it actually wasn’t originally planned to be in the game. Originally Turnabout Sisters was meant to be the intro, but due to changes made to the case’s script and concerns that it was too big as an introduction, The First Turnabout was made to take it’s place as an intro.
I'm really interested on your thoughts on Fighting Game design and how they present and introduce themselves to their players. I think itd be an interesting angle to look at.
It certainly would be. IMO fighting games have some of the steepest difficulty curves of any genre, yet have the least engaging and worst overall teaching tools. Seeing someone else’s ideas for what could be done about it would be fascinating.
It would be interesting especially if you compare with the early fighting games, and how they (don't) handle a tutorial. Special moves were "hidden commands", you don't know what a button do until you press it, then once special commands becomes common they add super specials, then a resource bar, then a second resource bar, then... It may also work as a lesson on player expectations. Someone that have been playing fighting games since Street Fighter 2 and someone that is entering the scene with anything released in the last year will be welcomed by a very different experience. Modern fighting games can easily overwhelm a newbie with their UI elements alone.
@@ShinoSarna having played that tutorial personally, I can’t say it’s necessarily bad. However, it comes with the caveat that it’s still not a particularly functional tutorial, because of how it jumps from concept to concept. It’s like a standardized education class; it works for most people who know what they’re getting into, but for people jumping in blind, it’s hardly doing anything for the curve. It gets you familiar with the terms of fighting games, and some of the execution, but it does so in such an artificial way that it doesn’t strike me as a learning experience, but rather as a list of things people need to know, and a short lecture on each, only engaging you by the fact that it asks you to do the thing before moving on.
The more games I play, the more I appreciate things like Portal's start, where you learn everything you absolutely NEED right away and then the tutorial bleeds into the next three-quarters of the game. It's so easy to get sidetracked or put off when I'm frontloaded with "here's how to do this and that!" without a good context to test whatever I'm being taught.
As many Sonic games, Heroes starts with a Bang, but then the pace of the game slows down, you get janky plataforming sections and they want you to replay the game a lot for some reason. Not many Sonics games were able to keep to the standard their first level set up.
Sonic Heroes is sooooo janky, but I played it years and years after it came out, and was honestly struck by just how FUN it is. It might be rough, but it's so sunny and upbeat and (usually) fun to play that I found myself having a blast with it.
@@SuzukaYuka I get tired of playing Sonic Heroes long before I reach the end of just Team Sonic's playthrough. And then the game wants me to play through it 3 more times? LOL no, not a chance. If Sonic Heroes is lucky, I'll finish the Team Sonic playthrough and then reload my old save where I did that crap already to fight the final boss.
I'm surprised you didn't bring up Team Rose's first level in Sonic Heroes since it's the definition of hand holding, with Omochao stopping you every single time to talk about the games mechanics.
It's weird that they wouldn't put the hand-holding tutorial in the Sonic stage. As the title character, he'd be the greatest interest to completely new players. Mentioned your comment to my sister (who plays way more Sonic games than I) and she said she's "tired of Amy stages getting babied all the time".
@@BonaparteBardithion They probably thought that Amy, Big and Cream; being the cutest characters would be of a greatest interest to kids and they thematically fit with being the most in-line to needing a tutorial. Though it's probably not any thematic/story reason since they basically fucked over the story writer for Heroes who was used to writing the story first and then basing the game around it like in SA2's development but during Heroes development, the writer was brought in after all the levels and characters were decided upon which is why Heroes story is more simplistic and problems like Shadow's amnesia and Sonic seeing Shadow alive aren't touched or gone into detail with.
Team Rose's intro is such a bizarre spot in the game, especially because it's the only one out of four opening levels that doesn't follow the same style of background tutorial as Team Sonic's. It would be one thing if they were just meant to be the "kid-friendly" version for people who needed more guidance to play the game (especially since, as I recall, Team Dark and Team Chaotix were meant to be somewhat more difficult than Team Sonic, and have less guidance in their opening levels to match)... but you have to beat the game with all four teams to reach the final boss, so why have the third team be such a sore thumb? It makes me wonder if Team Rose wasn't meant to be the first team you played as - given Amy's motive is finding Sonic, it would be an easy way to say "You found Sonic! You can play Team Sonic now!" much like in Sonic Adventure - only to be pushed back in favor of Sonic coming first.
Yeah, and Chaotix was the hardest... which is where I tried to start when I played because I liked the characters. Trying to run around their maps in circles being unable to find whatever I was looking for made me end up dropping the game and not playing it again. I do want to go back though, for. Nostalgia and seeing what I missed out on as a kid. I probably would have enjoyed it a great deal if I just played as Sonic, but who knows.
@@ignorethis214 Team Dark is actually the game's Hard mode, with more enemies, which are taking more hits. Team Chaotix just has unique missions in each level.
I've heard great things about Shovel Knight in regards to its first level. For each of the four campaigns, the devs specifically designed the first level at the very end of the development process, in order to ensure that the first level was as polished and best representative of the rest of the game as possible.
That seems to be pretty common, I've first heard about it as the John Romero approach, as the first level of Doom was designed last so that it could be the best designed level of the bunch.
I personally think that some of the best first levels belong to the 3DS Kirby games (Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot). The opening cutscene for both games sets the stage immediately, stating what the goal is right off the bat (rescue Dedede/revert the world to its natural state), and the first levels ease the player in with any sort of dialogue. If a player doesn't know what to do, a handy billboard will pop up to show you exactly how to overcome a challenge. This way, the player is eased into the game, and returning players can skip right through. But another factor of these games is the second level. In both instances, the second level acts as a secondary tutorial, in that it shows the new mechanic of the game (Hypernova/Robobot armour) with puzzles and enemy interaction, but it doesn't hold your hand: once it tells you how to do something, you're left to experiment on your own
I was just thinking about those games when I saw this video pop up. Also been listening to the intro cutscene song for Triple Deluxe because it's fantastic.
Just one correction, hypernova actually appears halfway through the first stage. But I do feel like that might be better, as there isn't a stage that is entirely hypernova, so introducing it halfway through the stage makes sense
1:40 i love that VPN ad reads have gone from dubious claims of security to just straight up breaking the tos of other services, that's real comedy right there
Well this may not be considered a 'First level' but I feel this is a great example In Rayman origins there's one level in each world that gives you a power up, but instead of gaining the power-up automatically, you have to chase the enemy, while you chase it, the game starts showing how the power-up works almost like environmental tutorial.
I feel something similair with kirby and the copy abilities. In order to get the copy ability, you have to eat the enemy, and more times than not, the enemy attack patterns gives you hints as to how to use the ability. Rocky jumps into the air and turns into a rock, most fire enemies breath a constant stream of fire. It's a great way of teaching players how to use the ability
Mario Sunshine does something similar. When you're chasing Shadow Mario, if you take too long, he'll start doing techniques like wall kicks and spin jumps to show the player the diversity of Mario's moveset
@@christiannorton9400 Baby Bowser does the same thing in Yoshi's Island. You'll notice that Baby Bowser tries to attack the player by using a butt stomp attack that's almost identical to Yoshi's that creates shockwaves through the ground when he hits the ground. This is intended to communicate to the player that you have to copy Baby Bowser's actions & use the butt stomp in order to beat him. This is important because the butt stomp-shockwave mechanic doesn't pop up anywhere else in the game so players would most likely be completely lost if Baby Bowser's attack didn't mimic Yoshi's.
Splatoon and splatoon 2's intro is pretty great, pretty good at teaching you the basics of movement and lets you have the moment to try and lean gyro aiming, if you are willing to learn it anyways. And then once you go into octo canyon that first hub just helps reinforce the movement and the rules of splatoons gameplay. And then we get into the first actual level. And the game helps you learn how to deal with a few basic enemies, including one where you have to throw a splatbomb behind it to get it to turn around so you can shoot it in the back. Or ink it's feet so it turns slower allowing you to swim behind it to do the same thing. Octo canyon as a whole is a great tutorial on how to play splatoon especially in splatoon 2 where it gives you other weapons for certain levels, then let's you replay older levels with the all the weapons. But that is a septal subject. Speaking of the octo expansion also acts as a great tutorial for a few other things too. Like the specials. But thats a discussion for another time.
13:40 Another great example of this is xenoblade 1! It starts off with dunban (lvl 30) at sword valley fighting with the monado,it shows basics controls and how you can shred through the mechon with ease thanks to the monado,but because he gets injured for abusing it's power he has to rest. A year later the real game starts and you play as shulk (without the monado) so when the mechon invade where he lives and you try fighting them it's incredibly hard (having to topple them to actually damage them) ,that is,until dunban comes back,still injured, with the monado and fights them off...for a short time,he's still unable to control the monado,so shulk has to pick it up thinking it will injure his arm as well for tapping into the monado's power only to find out he's actually meant for it! So you destroy the mechon that you were running from earlier,breeze through them thinking you've got it figured out but then the true enemy appears... a faced mechon.Turns out the mechon came prepared and had already developed a counter to the monado in just a year time so you're almost back at square one, showing,you might have gotten stronger but the enemy also has. So cool :D
I think a good contrast between good and bad first “levels” would be GTA 5 and GTA 4. GTA 5 starts with an exciting shootout following a botched bank robbery that introduces two of the playable characters as well as the central gimmick of switching between characters. The opening of GTA 4 on the other hand consists of going on a date to a carnival that turns out to be closed, buying new clothes that look like the ones you’re already wearing, and, of course, going bowling with your cousin. One of these games I happily played for hours and hours until completion and the other I played for about an hour and never picked up again.
A couple of my favorite intro levels are Frigate Orpheon from Metroid Prime and Welcome to Rapture from Bioshock. They both do so well in establishing their respective games' tone and setting
I think that City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2 is my favourite first level in a game. It's action-packed, and introduces a lot of the game concepts in a fun way. You learn how to do stunts to get a higher score and the platforming gets a bit harder throughout the level. The truck chase is intense, but you're in very little danger since you won't die as long as you keep the control stick forward. It leaves a great first impression and it gets you hyped.
City Escape in SA2 is a hallmark "first level". Likewise, the sandbox game "Infamous" is pretty damn good insofar as it can be said to have a "first level". In terms of "Beat-em-Up", I sufficiently enjoy how God of War 2 does its de-power such that when "Infamous 2" pulls a similar opening I also loved it. However, I'm partial to the 'first dungeon' in "Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past".
@@onijester56 I'm just seeing this comment. I agree wholeheartedly. Infamous 1's opening places you in little danger but introduces the electric powers in a way that is mysterious, and keeps the player intrigued. God of War 2's opening is also great. Going back to the past to avoid death and fight Zeus brings everything full circle.
One of my favorite opening areas is Final Fantasy 7's bombing mission. It's intense, it gives player control quickly, and it has a bunch of little details that make second playthroughs more interesting. As someone who plays RPGs a lot, not enough of them have the courage to give the player control of a character that quickly.
The one issue is that they drop you into a time limit section in the first area. That wouldn't be bad if time limits were a regular thing, but they only show up two or three more times. This adds extra stress to a player that might be playing their first RPG and is just finally getting the hang of controls. In my case, it was my second RPG and the first with non-standard camera angles. If I remember right, I wasted time accidentally climbing back on a ladder several times.
@@BonaparteBardithion It was a long time since I played the original, but I don't remember the time limit to be particularily difficult. It's a bit stressful though, since you don't know how much time you actually need. Also, the remake opening works just as well.
@@BonaparteBardithion FF7 was my first time playing an RPG and I actually failed the first time due to that time limit. I remember it didn't bother me much though. In fact, the time limit probably gave a sense of action that helped me get over myself about playing an RPG (which I looked down on at the time--what a silly kid I was!)
@@BonaparteBardithion The time limit was very off-putting. I started playing yesterday and I even backtracked in the second bombing because there wasn't a time limit, despite being the exact same structure.
Forest Frontiers in _Roller Coaster Tycoon_ is possibly the best first level of any management simulator. It doesn't hold your hand the whole way through, but it also doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed as you learn how to build and run your first amusement park. The park also has plenty of extra space for expansion and more attractions to research than you can possibly obtain in the one in-game year you're given to meet its objective, so the game in that sense encourages you to grow the park after its first year just to see what you can do.
You know what really stands out about Bob-omb Battlefield now? All the 'how to' stuff is on signs you can just run past if you already know how. Then someone had the bright idea to have a fairy or sword spirit YELL CONSTANT UNSKIPPABLE INSTRUCTIONS AT YOU just in time for the release of Zelda. The Minor Circuit of Punch-Our Wii is a great first level. Each of the boxers shows off a core mechanic, such as Von Kaiser's fatal allergy to Star Punches or how Disco Kid telegraphs all his fancy moves. You also won't get bored on repeat playthroughs since part of the game is about refining your technique to KO fools even faster, and like the rest of the cast these guys are very animated and funny to take down (pauvre Glass Joe... tu ne peux jamais gagner). It creates that sense of accomplishment while also showing you the basics.
I remember playing the demo for the first Bravely Default game before it released and falling in love with it almost immediately. The demo itself was set in the second area of the game and was structured a bit differently than the actual second level in the full release. It was a little bit V-Slice, and a little bit In Media Res but altogether it worked REALLY well in getting me invested in the game. The demo even had a system where, even though you couldn't transfer your progress directly to the full game, progressing in the Demo and finding secrets unlocked items you could send to the full game, to give you a small edge in the beginning. I feel like the actual first chapter in the full game was a bit slower to get through than the demo, but the demo already had me invested enough to push through the slower bits. it may not have been the first level, but that demo being my first EXPERIENCE with the game, I feel was pivotal in my buy-in to what is now one of my favorite RPG franchises. I will probably always point to it as the perfect example of the type of demo most games should have.
I still think the Great Plateau is one of the best tutorial sections in any game. I know praising BOTW has been done to death but when you have a tutorial/first level that doesn't feel like a tutorial/first level, and you don't even want to LEAVE, then you've done it right.
I think a really good first level is Three-Seven Speedway in "Daytona USA". It may just seem like a simple oval shaped track at first glance, but it's much more than that. For starters, the race begins with a rolling start so the player can get into the racing action right away. And because there are 40 cars on the track, the player will figure out that they can slipstream behind them and realize that slipstreaming is a great way to pick up speed. And finally, the player will come across the third turn, which is at a much sharper angle than the previous turns. An inexperienced player will inevitably crash on that turn, but then come back around and use the brake to slow down. And as they use the brake, they'll realize that the car does a bit of a drift, so now the player is learning how to power slide around corners. The player may struggle getting the power slide to work the first few times, but once it clicks, it feels awesome! All these little game design decisions, along with the catchy music, really do set the tone for the rest of the game.
Hmm. How about Gateway to Glimmer from Spyro 2? After being introduced to the main allies and antagonists of the game, you're immediately presented with an open area with lots of cowardly enemies to charge or burn, a whole lot of treasure to collect and plenty of varied terrain to practice jumping and gliding - all the core mechanics of the game. There are no instant death pits and the only enemy type that can actually damage Spyro is a large slow brute that is vulnerable to every dragon's signature attack - the ability to breathe fire. In fact, all the enemies AND chests in the first level can be defeated or broken open respectively with that attack! There are three other things about the first level that set the tone for the rest of the game too: 1. Moneybags, who acts as a gatekeeper, an additional "incentive" to collect gems and a source of catharsis later 2. The Ladder, which requires a skill you don't have yet in order to use, providing an incentive to return to the level 3. The hidden flying area just past the stage exit, which has two of the level's side quests, a demonstration that levels will often have additional secret areas, challenges and rewards for those with the patience to find and pursue them!
The forsaken fortress in Windwaker is an awful first level that very poorly shows off what you will be doing (its a stealth level in a non-stealth game.) in an otherwise fantastic game.
I'd argue the forest on Outset Island serves as more of a first level. That being said the Forsaken Fortress is still a pretty bad early dungeon and only really has the satisfaction that comes from the second visit going for it.
While I do adore the forsaken fortress, I do agree it’s a strange first dungeon. (An argument could be made about outset as a first level but not the point)The mechanics in it are far removed from the rest of the game. I think the only thing introduced is that you can pick up other enemy weapons
The first level of a game is absolutely the most important part of any game. You touched on the main points, but I feel like this cannot be overstated. Just look at Mario maker 2 worlds. Your first level can't just be good--it needs to be amazing if you want a good chance of retaining players.
Brawl’s Subspace Emissary is also good because first thing they do is basically showing what Smash Bros is usually and then let’s you fight the common enemies
Egoraptor did a video on why Mega Man X's intro level is so good, and he talked about a lot of the things that you mentioned. Sick video as always, thanks for all your hard work!
Might be a bit divisive, but I think Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 have amazing first levels. It teaches you mechanics, incentivises you to explore the space, and puts you up against relatively low stakes fights with drastically different enemy mechanics. All this while setting up story beats that will follow through all the way to the end of the game. Roxas crying through Sora's eye when saying goodbye to his friends is worth three hours in Simulated Twilight Town.
I agree! And by contrast, Birth by Sleep is a showcase of what NOT to do. The intro is too quick, overcompensating for the mere possibility that people will replay it on subsequent playthroughs. You barely get to know anything about these 3 main characters, or their playstyles, before you have to pick one. And the entire rest of the game's emotional engagement hinges on investment in the connection and friendship between these three, a relationship you get to see like two minutes of before it already starts to fray.
I still love BBS, but yeah it definitely fails on it's opening. That's mostly because it suffers from basically being a fan-fic. Like, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua are so obviously foils for Sora, Riku, and Kairi that the game just assumes you'll project three games worth of their development onto these new three characters.
My favorite first levels are probably green hill and the first mission in metal slug 3. Green hill is brilliant because it's based around momentum. There are moments of failure that you either have to build the speed to get out of or continue on the path to practice your skills more. The game naturally teaches you the use of the roll with it's s curve tunnels and it even leaves room for spectacle with the looks of the zone and the loop de loops. Metal slug 3's first mission is crafted very well. The crab enemies are big but weak targets with slow firing attack patterns so you can easily adjust to the gameplay. After the beach section you're teased with 2 paths, one of which more experienced players will know how to get to by crouching. If you decide not to take the sub path you're given another 2 path option really allowing for fun multiple playthroughs. Each path has spectacle and introduces different weapon types offering something amazing. Then at the end of it all you're given a vehicle and chased by the boss. Not only is this moment awesome but it tests your ability to run and gun, understanding when to dodge and when to hit. It's sort of a difficult boss at first but you realize most of it's patterns are simple and predictable plus you get the vehicles to take a couple hits and have a better time attacking the boss, especially if you get the mech.
Honestly, green hill zone from mania, act 2 specifically, was such a good one. Act one is bringing back the original 2 acts, what we all remember, running through shuttle loops and crossing waterfalls, and a new boss that’s very much like the original first boss, but then, act 2 begins. Suddenly a brand new remix that’s very different than the normal style starts playing and gets you hyped, new players are excited as it’s all new, and veterans are as well, as that’s the point many realized this truly is a brand new, amazing sonic game in years. Seeing a reimagining of green hill zone set the scene for so many other classics, like chemical plant or flying battery. They hit the nail on the head with that design of green hill zone act 2, especially with the boss there. To think, the final boss of the second game is literally the second boss of this game.
The first Chapter of Portal 2 does a pretty good job as a first level. It hooks you into the story with the charming character and comedy of Wheatley and The Announcer, and the desolation of Aperture Science you can see as you crash through the Relaxation Chambers. Then the game part uses the first few tests to explain the fundamentals of tye game and it's puzzles: Cubes and Buttons, Navigation, and Momentum, all separate, but slowly combining them together until you continue with the story, and get into the real meat of it all. And it keeps from being stale thanks to the environmental design and the comedy. Can't wait for the Companion Collection.
My favorite description of portal is the game(s) are 90% tutorial and you didn't even notice. The core loop is enter chamber, heres a thing, use that thing to get out while also using the skills previously learned, rinse and repeat until you take an unscheduled trip to the moon.
@@jasonreed7522 This is especially the case in the first one where for at least half the game everything is clean, surfaces are well marked and there's helpful signs telling you which skills to use at the start of each stage. And then they rip that all off and you have to start exploring what abilities work on which surfaces and trying different combinations of skills based on environmental cues alone. Don't get me wrong. The second one is great, but since you go behind the scenes from the begining it doesn't have that abrupt shift in player expectations.
I like the start of the Legend of Zelda. You can go east, west, north, and into a cave. The choice is yours. Instantly sets the tone of the entire game.
Okay so I have a bit of A Thought. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness begins with a dramatic cutscene, whrere a mysterious group wielding a shadowy Lugia just takes a ship- before a bit of an in media res- you're using a Salamence against an opponent Metagross in a cool battlefield, which are both some of the most powerful Pokémon in the game, with a relatively fast-paced and intense (if quickly-looping) theme to boot. The moves are all powerful and if you know anything about Pokémon- or even just feel like button-mashing- you'll be selecting Earthquake. What does this do? Well, it's something cool! The Metagross' health goes down. Then it uses something on you. Your health goes down. If you've been looking closely, you'll see the "It's super effective!" line. Maybe you wonder what it means? Either way, the Metagross goes down, and the screen warps, before a cheery theme comes on. You pretty quickly find that the battle was just a simulation, but the game tells you you have a real Pokémon of your own- an Eevee. Now, that's a whole other thing about the game design of an Eevee starter, but at this point you know what a Pokémon battle is and... oh god this is a lot of looking around in a lab and going back and forth. It picks up by the time you get free reign over the first major area of the game, though.
An interesting failure I've run into recently is Horizon: Zero Dawn. The game starts very slow, and even after you're out of the tutorial and finally playing as Adult Aloy, it takes a good few hours playing with only combat and sneaking mechanics available (and you can't even use sneaking approaches during most of that playtime due to the way the plot is set-up). So, while the introduction to movement mechanics and combat is good, the introduction to exploration and machine interaction is pushed back, and it makes the early hours always feel weirdly lacking in a way the plot has never quite made up for me.
Agreed. I dropped that game after 4 hours. I was utterly unimpressed by the plot so far, I had no idea why Aloy wanted so badly to be associated with this tribe after they showed how she was bullied by them as a child. I didn't understand why all the characters hated technology and told her to get rid of that ear thing but then would immediately turn around and rely on the technology she was using for help. I was laughing out loud at how stupid it was when they revealed that their god or whatever was a giant door. And then the game takes off the leash, so to speak, and asks me to just play a Ubisoft game: go climb that radio tower to unlock the map. Now go sneak around this enemy camp. I was already utterly unengaged by the story, and unthrilled by the idea of yet another goddamn Ubisoft style open world. And then as I'm sitting in some bushes waiting for an opportunity to do a stealth kill at an enemy camp, they do that video game thing where characters start having attitude if you don't play. Aloy says something like "Don't you have anything better to do?" Absolutely the wrong thing for me to hear at the time, because I thought about it, realized that yes. Yes I do have plenty of better things to do. And removed the game from my PS4, never to touch it again.
@@mjc0961 Bro "Don't you have anything better to do?" is what Aloy says in reaction to the guards starting to search for her lmao it's not directed to you. I agree that the game does start out quite slow, but after around the 10-hour mark it picks up quite nicely. A great game that I highly recommend if you can endure the beginning.
A good example for a first level in an RPG is one of the big classics: Final Fantasy VII. Specifically the original, though the remake does it well too I hear. You're thrown into the action without much of an introduction to the world, in an era of RPGs that tended toward long, slow burn starts. You get a broader view of the city the game takes place in and see a character who one can assume will be important later going about her day, carrying flowers through a dark and almost decaying looking area to set the tone, then after a sweeping view of the expansive city, the camera zooms in on a train pulling into station near one of the larger structures- and out flip a few ragtag looking sorts who knock out the guards on the platform. Out comes out lead character, who is given some orders from his distrusting... employer, it seems? He fights two more guards on his own, making short work of them with his massive sword in the same time it took three others to deal with two. The intro section intersperses some basic gameplay with bits of exposition, keeping the group moving with purpose and the high energy feel of the scene while still giving out needed information. It does a good job of introducing key terms through context- Cloud is an ex-SOLDIER, the way it's said and the all caps making it clear he was no ordinary grunt, but formerly some sort of elite. "Mako Energy" is used and described in a way to both convey it is the life energy of the planet and an obvious electricity/oil analogue. We find out who Cloud and Barret are as a people by watching them bounce off of each other and the three secondary characters serving as members of AVALANCHE (another all-caps word used in context to indicate rebels, or basically eco-terrorists given the gritty framing of the game to contrast prior games having unambiguously heroic rebellions). Jargon terms are introduced quickly and early, normally a blunder in writing, but it works here thanks to how the information is presented and paced out. We get enough from the events going on, banter, and usage of each term to have a solid idea of what everything is and why the characters care (and why we should care, too), all while feeling natural, establishing characters, creating a natural rise and fall of action that carries us forward and slowly abates as we coast forward from that point and bringing us to a mellow and restful moment in the Sector 7 slums' relative safety. It's a fantastic vertical slice that sets up the immediate conflict as well as events down the line (Cloud seeming to hallucinate hearing someone right before the bomb is placed). Aside from a hiccup in translation, the boss at the end of the section also establishes that the player will need to watch and study enemy behavior patterns and animations or be punished for blindly mashing through menus- ensuring the player knows they'll need to think about their moves. Turn-based RPGs live or die on how much thought they make you put into choices in and out of combat, whether it be resource management, puzzling out enemy patterns, weighing risk and reward, or a combination thereof, as that serves as the core of the genre's engagement. That little bit makes sure that players are putting more thought into their play as they go on, and start thinking about the game's mechanics when they equip their characters with abilities and put them to use in battle. Midgar as a whole is a fantastic first segment any RPG would boast about, but that starting section gives the game momentum and teaches you everything you need to know about the setting, characters, and mechanics to dig into the meat of the game.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag has one of the most amazing opening levels I've ever seen in a game. The game starts right off with a naval battle and a boarding sequence in the middle of a storm. You're meant to fail it so don't worry too much, but if you've played AC3 it very quickly gives you a feel for how combat works in this game. What's important though is you get a look at a hooded figure, who happens to be Duncan Walpole, an Assassin who will be your target for the tutorial section. Your ship gets destroyed and you have to swim to a nearby island. As you do, the storm clears as you wash up on a beautiful tropical beach. As luck would have it, Walpole survived too and now you have to chase him through the island. The game teaches you the fundamentals of climbing and parkour, synchronizing to reveal parts of the map, and lets you air assassinate Walpole, who you learned was carrying some documents of great value whom he was planning to sell to the Templars. You, enterprising pirate Edward Kenway, decide you'll cash in on the bounty yourself, having no idea who the Assassins and Templars even are. But first you have to get off this island. Going further into the island, you meet Stede Bonnet who is captured by British soldiers. At this point the game teaches you how to stealthily take out the soldiers by using bushes and air assassinations, but if you fail that you can just go to regular combat. After reaching Bonnet, the two of you set out towards Havana on his ship, giving you a low stakes tutorial on so controls as you sail out of the lagoon. In one gorgeous, carefully orchestrated tutorial section, the game teaches you the basics of combat, parkour, stealth, and sailing, and establishes who the protagonist is was what his motivations are.
I think one of the better "take power away" openings was Prototype because it also played with the in medias res opening into flashback. You start out the city in chaos, you are fully powered up, and wrecking everything. End game Mercer. Then it rewinds and you see how the whole thing spun out of control over time and you powered up bit by bit, gaining all the powers along the way.
Not gonna lie, that DMC boss thing sounds incredible. I've never played a game with anything like that but damn would that make an impact on me. That's amazing.
Colony 9 in Xenoblade 1 is a pretty nice first level because it introduces you to basic, uniques, and very high level enemies to showcase how lived in the world feels. It also teaches you about how platforming is also a thing in the game and entices you to find far off areas in a relatively safe environment. Also, the music is just great.
Fire Emblem 7 (know in Japan as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade) is what I think is the perfect first level for the Fire Emblem series - and is just a great first level, and why I recommend FE7 for first time players, even if newer games are more casual friendly. The game immediately introduces you to Lyn, and moments later you two are attacked and the game throws you into the first battle. It explains how to move Lyn on the grid system, how to move, how to Wait to finish an action, how to Attack, and the pre-determined critical hit on the boss sets up Lyn to be this cool badass swordswoman, but after the battle you get to know her better as a person too. Considering this was the first international release of a Fire Emblem game, they did an amazing job explaining to new players in the west how the game will work from the get-go.
@@TheRealBatabii It's complicated by the fact that the game was just called "Fire Emblem" when it was released on GBA outside of Japan. No subtitle or anything.
Because I have a niche, Guitar Hero games and which songs you start with can really make a difference. In Guitar Hero 2, your first song is “Surrender” by Cheap Trick, a banger of a song that doesn’t have a big flying solo. Same in Guitar Hero 3’s “Slow Ride” by Foghat. That one does have some solos, but barely any complex hammer ons and pull offs. Then we get to World Tour’s “Living On a Prayer” that has alternating fingering and even a tapping section. It introduces all the mechanics and is a great song, but it should’ve been one that got introduced later in the game once players have been accustomed to the speed of the note Highway and how much leeway you have to miss notes.
Strangely enough, there are some characters that appear in the opening scene in Chrono Cross that you can't possibly have in your party when you get to that scene later
Glory of Heracles 4 opening is a very interesting one. You start as a dog, in an empty place, with another dog that call you by a different name. Trying to leave will makes you encounter a character that will bring all your memories back from your past live, and you will be able to see the fall of Atlantis, your home. It accomplish everything a first level should do, though with varying degree of success. It's an excellent set piece, first of all, intriguing, presenting the major themes of the game, and the main characters. Battles don't give Exp or Money, but allows you to freely try the complex terrain effect of the game (each boosting and lowering certain elements), allowing you to set up all terrains and use all elements. Granted I didn't realize that during my 1st playthrough, but still it's there. And seeing how strong your original body is compared to what you can do as a dog gives you both a taste of power, and your main motivation for playing : finding back your original body, and returning to your home.
Im honestly shocked you didnt talk about The Great Plateau from Zelda:BotW. While its not a "level" in a strict sense, its a near perfect microcosm of the world. It introduces so much near flawlessly, from environmental hazards to secrets to the creative ways you can solve situations. I actually spent as long as i could finding everything and doing everything on the plateau before moving on and it gave me a much deeper appreciation of the larger world when i looked at the map and this seemingly massive varied environment i had spent hours in was only a tiny part of a MUCH bigger world. Its such a complete experience by itself that i could have paid half the price and had the entire game set just on the plateau and i would have been satisfied with my purchase.
Warframe has an amazing tutorial sequence in the "Vor's Prize" quest. It adequately shows how awesome you will eventually get (via a pre-game cutscene), explains WHY you need to relearn everything (you've been asleep for centuries, if not millennia), assumes you already know how to walk around (WASD) before you start, allowing it to teach you how to use your first ability even before how to run, and doesn't weigh you down with dialog boxes that stop you in your tracks, while properly introducing you to the game's primary conflict and mechanics. Throughout it, disembodied speech bubbles tell you how to run and jump, but can be easily breezed past because of how intuitive those are. But, when it comes to bullet and wall jumping, swapping between different weapons, and general melee combat, the game puts obstacles in front of you that require you to learn them, and announces this through an NPC called "The Lotus", that the fanbase has lovingly dubbed "Space Mom".
I give you props Design Doc. Whenever I think of on a topic to approach my very first game design. Lately you have been making videos on what I'm thinking on inputting to implement on my flowchart. For my first game I'm trying to go simple to get my feet wet in GameDev with a Arcade Shooter with a fun simplistic story and fun mechanic. Basiclly this specific video has helped me comeup with a idea for my first few levels. Thanks for the help. Also you make great videos on different topics.
One of my favorite intros in games is the first few levels of Hitman 1 (the new one, not Codename 47). You start off in a little sandbox, looking out over a cliff, and the game leaves it up to you to figure out how to turn around and move on. Then you start the actual tutorial, which is pretty handholdy. After you beat that, you play that same level again, but with more freedom (and introducing you to the idea that you'll be replaying levels). Then you get what amounts to mission 0, which is basically a full level, just smaller and simpler than the actual levels. And then finally, you get into the actual game (starting with one of the best levels in the entire franchise, too) I might be a little off in my order of events, I'm just working from memory, but the point is that I think it does a great job of establishing the many systems and concepts they need the player to understand, without being too overwhelming or too boring.
Okay two examples here: first off for me personally, Hades. I was already looking forward to the game, but what sealed the deal for me was my initial Boon from Athena. Athena is a deeply personal god to me for many reasons, so knowing she would be on my side for this journey was amazing. Then meeting Dionysus, another personal favorite gave me the motivation to see more despite dying five rooms in. I had never played a rogue-like before and so meeting characters and advancing the story, both through Zagreus’s personal narrative and the people he meets along the way was more than enough motivation to keep going despite the early struggles. My second is one mentioned in the vid: DMC5. I’m a DMC veteran, and found the first level great, it’s a perfect microcosm of what DMC is all about, flashy combat, fun characters and a mountain of a foe waiting at the end. The other day my spouse, who has never played a DMC game, only watching me play, decided to try it out, with me coaching them. By the time we stopped at Goliath, who I would argue is the end of the first level as opposed to Urizen, but that’s just me, they were fully invested, if on a bit of a learning curve. They managed to defeat Goliath with a sliver of health left and the victory put us both on cloud nine. It was an amazing moment watching edge out a difficult first boss fight in a new game.
Project Wingman has a pretty good tutorial; it tosses you right into the middle of things in a pretty chill way. You're flying the starter jet to go blow up some pirates with nothing more than speedboats and seaplanes. Then they launch jets of their own, and then their reinforcements show up; and then you get introduced to what "Cordium" is and also why the plot is happening by some reinforcements who showed up late.
"Shadow has a branching path that requires you to play a tedious first level at least 10 times." Me: That sucks... Should have gone with Star Fox 64 as an example of a good first level for a branching path. "And then there's Star Fox 64."
Forewood Forest from Rocket Slime is a pretty neat first level. Once you've rescued Swotsy which really doesn't take long, the real meat and potatoes of the game begins. Basically just like every other level in the game that isn't Backwoods, it's a large open 2D area for you to explore to your heart's content. Take it as in a way like Peach's Castle if it was a level. There's some items lying around in vases and stuff, a bunch of Platypunks, Jailcats and Mischevious Moles to fight, some Slimes waiting for a rescue and it all culminates with a boss fight against a Treevil known by the name of the Brough Beater which, while it's pretty basic, it gets the job done I guess. Oh wait did I say fighting the Brough Beater was where it ends? Sorry, I seem to forget how the level really ends (at least how it ends before you get introduced to the Tomb Of Tootinschlemian(heh. Tootinschlemian)). The end has you going on a wild goose chase running away from the Platypanzer (the tank that destroyed your home town) while carrying His Wobbliness as they fire pebbles and Bombrocks at you which isn't the most exciting chase sequence, but for The Legend Of Slime, it's pretty good.
A Blurred Line, an old RPG Maker title, nailed the intro I think. You start off following a small team attempting to stop a man from sabotaging some kind of global energy supply system, ending on a cliffhanger. It then cuts to you waking up some time before, now playing as the saboteur, almost late for your job working for said energy company. It really gets you interested in what kind of wild junk has to end up happening to you to get you to that point later on.
For good first levels, Bioshock has one of the best. It near perfectly sets the tone, narrative, and gameplay for the whole game. For a bad first level, and this might be controversial, but I'd say Witcher 3. While it's overall an amazing game, the intro area takes way too long, and sets incorrect expectations about how difficult the game will be early on. Witcher 3 very much starts off as a "do not stray from the roads" game, but because of how flat the difficulty is in the first zone you don't get that impression at all.
I think Half-Life has a pretty interesting approach for a first level. Chapter one doesn't have much gameplay aside from moving, jumping, walking (you sprint by default), and crouching, but it's not needed to progress as you just wait in a train surrounded by world building. Chapter two is when you can start testing out the movement and controls better, and acquire the reason you become such a bullet sponge with the HEV Suit Mk. IV, and you get just that much more world building. Chapter three is when you could consider the game actually starting as the first level, as you get your first weapon, a crowbar in your melee slot, doing good enough damage to use all game long, and could get your hands on a Glock by either killing a guard in a every man for himself, or wait and salvage one from a fallen guard you stumble across, knowing that they likely wanted a survivor to take their stuff after they died for your safety, letting *you* build Gordon as a character.
Really enjoy your videos. No one can rush perfection but I do wish your videos came out a bit more. But that's just me being impatient and wanting more because all this channel's videos are so good.
One of my favourite first levels in any game is the Plains from Shovel Knight. It does a great job of teaching the player the game's fundamental mechanics, without any intrusive tutorials, somewhat akin to something like Megaman X.
Shovel Knight's first levels in all 4 campaigns are amazing and just every level and their mechanics in general, but I'll just go over the first levels. They teach you everything you can do in the first level with no need for a tutorial outside of the single "Hold the button down for a sec and something happens" with Plague Knight, and the best part is that it's all just through simple and effective gameplay that forces you to take a mental note of what that character can do without arbitrarily halting your progress, and the game always makes sure the design will teach you the limits of your character in a safe and fair way before throwing you into the harder stuff that requires more knowledge of those limits and abilities to get through.
I believe that A Hat in Time's first level does a great job setting up the rest of the game as even before you start playing the actual first level it gives you time for you get used to the controls in a safe place (that being the hub world of Hat Kid's Ship who's theme was composed by Grant Kirkope as a little fun fact) and get a feel for how smooth and precise the controls are as well as showing off the quirks, motivations and charms behind the Player Character of Hat Kid as well as establishing the game's wacky and somewhat dark sense of humor and and the just as wacky and somewhat dark (or at times very dark) set of characters you're going to meet along the way. In addition to that it puts things in the level that incentive revisiting later to due to curiosity like the translucent boxes, the strange propeller things, and the blue platforms with snowflakes on them (those being the Dweller's Mask, Hookshot Badge, and the Ice Hat respectfully). Not to mention how good the Soundtrack is.
The point of the first level is to properly introduce the player to the game by, setting the mood, starting the story, and demonstrating key mechanics that will be used throughout the entire game. That's how I view it
My favourite implementation of the 'taste of power' approach to first levels was in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1. In the first level, you play as a fully-powered Darth Vader wrecking face. After that you switch to the main player character, who spends the rest of the game getting strong enough to beat him. It accomplishes multiple goals at once, giving you the taste of power and a look at and motivation to face your enemy, and it avoids loss aversion because you technically didn't lose anything.
I think Kamoshida's dungeon from Persona 5 served as a great first level and really showed me what to expect while remaining just easy enough. That, and the framing of suddenly being locked in a dungeon by a weird naked version of a teacher you met, and the introduction of Morgana and his goals, was more than enough to motivate me to keep playing. (The game keeps up this pace of slowly introducing and developing things in a way that's usually very easy and satisfying to follow, and the difficulty curve feels very natural)
Kamoshida is the first boss, not first level. He is a great first boss for the stuff you said, but the tutorial is the Casino Scene a the start of everything. You learn the basic combat system and controls moving around the casino and defeating some random enemies, you learn how to hide and be sneaky since the cops are following you and story wise, knowing that one of the teammates you heard betrayed you is really cool and really nice to get the player intrigued.
first levels in a traditional level-based game like those of Nintendo or indie devs, is hype as hell when you hear the music and take in the wonderful visuals and then that feeling sets in, and you realize you have a whole adventure waiting for you
Good levels are like good rivals in games. If it can teach you the game and you can kick ass or get your ass kicked as well, then you know it's gonna be a banger.
Here's an idea for a first area, at least one that I have: You start the area by being activated by some kind of computer, and being told that you are an antivirus unit, the 17 before you were sent out but ended up being infected by the virus that was damaging the main system, as you walk out you learn you have two main weapons, a powerful melee attack and a weaker but faster ranged attack. Certain enemies will block the ranged attacks but can be hit using the melee attack, and vice versa. As you enter the room the computer told you to run to, you find that the antivirus before you, AV-17, was waiting for you to show up. As you quickly learn, the virus has gained control of the system and has remotely deactivated you. You then wake up in some sort of room filled with trash, and now have to start from rock bottom, where you obtain a new melee and ranged attack. This is to give the player a taste of the strenth they could have, and show them that this final boss is nobody to be scoffed at, the boss itself is the same height as the protagonist, as the two are part of the same group, but has gained control the entire building. And for a small peak forward, you learn that after being deactivated, you were removed from the system by the main computer before it gets infected.
The Trails series have examples ranging from not-so-good to great begginnings across the first games of each of its arcs. Trails in the Sky FC: The prologue is VERY slow. Between cutscenes and learning non-combat mechanics it can take 30~40+ minutes until your first couple of fights, and they are all heavily scripted tutorials with enemies that don't even fight back, so you might be around the 1 hour mark when you get a taste of real gameplay. Plus, storywise it's all quite uneventful until almost chapter 2. Trails from Zero: Storywise they do the In Medias Res to get your atention, but it's just a cutscene that quickly goes back to the present where once again you won't have a real battle until the 30+ minute mark. Trails of Cold Steel: This time there's the In Medias Res AND you get to battle right away, with late game gear, and even do a boss fight, before cutting back to a slower-paced present.
I actually found the prologue to Trails FC quite fun and enjoyable, and very effective! The slow pacing makes it feel like a slice-of-life/iyashikei style visual novel, and with characters as good as Estelle and Joshua, I absolutely loved the comfy vibes. It also makes a nice contrast with the later, more action and combat focused story of the game--giving you that peaceful vibe to begin with, to destroy later on as the story ramps up. It felt like Estelle's character progression was represented by the pacing and gameplay style.
@@davidguthriemusic That's fair. I was enjoying the begining of the game and it does work for the reasons you said, but I wasn't really hooked until a bit later and I can totally see someone less patient dropping it early, which is a shame.
Can't talk about first levels without bringing up Arin Hanson's Sequelitis on Megaman X. Probably the best video about analyzing first level tutorials.
I was hoping someone would bring this up. Megaman X features a lot of the first level ideas talked about in this video as well: - No starting cutscene when you start a new game. Only a couple lines of text at the end of stage one - Masterfully designed "tutorials" that introduce the player to X's skillset intuitively. - The unwinnable boss fight and Zero's introduction show you how much room there is to grow. Megaman X also succeeds in building past the first level. By the end of the game you'll have grown past Zero who seemed so much more powerful than you at the start.
2002 Ratchet & Clank. Veldin is easily one of the most iconic planets in the entire 20+ year old franchise. After watching a cutscene, the game kicks you straight into the "training grounds" of your home planet, with kickass music and comfy 50's scifi visuals. You're learning how to move, whacking frogs with a wrench, aiming, listening to the gadgetron helpdesk lady and using your first weapon - the bomb glove. After picking up your new best pal Clank, getting out of "this dump" Veldin and crashing your ship, the game starts for real on Novalis, with three new routes to explore, more kickass music, and a new weapon to buy, all set to a *very* welcoming alien invasion going on.
Ori and the blind forest is an amazing game with a terrible opening. Slippery controls feel good while zipping around, but not in the dark with time based precision platforming. So many of my friends quit after that point and missed a beautiful game.
A cautionary note on in medias res are two games that (for both mechanically, for one of them narratively) get it wrong. In Awakening, they manage to pick a very good narrative point to start out at, being the battle against Validar in which Robin betrays and murders Chrom, which serves as an excellent plot hook, but in terms of gameplay, it kinda sucks. You only get to control two units each of whom carry only two weapons, both have no skills and you're fighting only one enemy. Sure, Robin and Chrom are both at level 20, as opposed to level 1 as they are in the following proper start to the story, but they're both in their starting classes, Tactician and Lord respectively, as opposed to any reclass or promotion options. The immediately following map on the other hand is much more mechanically involved, seeing you controlling four characters against 10 enemies, one of your characters being a healer, as opposed to the in medias res premonition giving you two combat characters, and all of your characters having skills. Hell, Robin and Chrom even both carry two weapons here as well. This means that instead of starting out with the player having a mechanically overwhelming amount of options, but an easy task to solve them with, before the game scales down the mechanics and slowly reintroduces them, the game starts out with almost none of the mechanical variance and then introduces most of the mechanics immediately after leaving the flashforward. The flashforward could be argued to be a tutorial, except the following map also serves as a tutorial on all of the base mechanics, so ultimately this map does not offer anything mechanically, although I stress again that it's still an excellent plot hook. Fates flashes you forward to the Branch of Fate, which while the most narratively important point in the game, isn't a very exciting in medias res to snap away from and is also reached very shortly after in the normal progression anyways. While they do have a slightly wider fan of mechanics here than the Awakening premonition, they are also much more handholdy, basically telling you what to do at each point and denying you if you try to do anything else. In medias res can be used to tutorialize the player instead of presenting them with lots of future mechanics and options, sure, but Fates then goes on to have two maps that basically teach you everything that tutorial taught you anyways, causing this in medias res to feel a bit wasted. It does not provide a strong plot hook, nor does it provide a taste of future mechanics or even that good (or necessary) of a tutorial, so it's a bit hard to justify its inclusion.
Great games with subpar beginnings are difficult to recommend to people. For example I love Xenoblade 2, once you learn how the game works it's a joy to play. But learning how to play the game is its own issue since the game itself doesn't tell you much aside from text box tutorials you can't view again, so it's very easy to miss or forget crucial elements of the gameplay, and all the fun combat mechanics come after several hours of gameplay a lot of people don't want to slog through
Dam from Goldeneye 64 is pretty great first level. It shows you how the game works, guides you to your main objectives and above all, there is more to accomplish if you play it in the difficult mode, the 00 Agent Mode. A pretty good one for beginner and veteran.
I'm honestly surprised you never mentioned the classic style shmup genre. Most of those types of games really have to show you what kind of game it is or you will be heading back to the beginning before even getting to see anything.
Row of enemies on the top/left, powerup on last, row of enemies on the bottom/right, powerup on last, repeat once or twice, introduce shooting enemies in similar patterns...
In Ocarina of Time and Majoras mask, they start the games off differently, in OOT, you go to your first dungeon pretty quickly and then that’s the big focus of the game, but in MM they start you doing stuff around town and waiting for the clock tower, as the region of termina is the big focus of the game.
IMHO The Resident Evil series has some great intro levels. From RE1's main hall and dining room to the streets of raccoon city in RE2, the village in RE4, the lower decks in revelations, the Guest house in RE7, the Gas Station in RE2 remake, and the Winters home in Village. And what makes them good first levels is they usually serve as both vertical slices of gameplay AND set up the overarching mystery the players will encounter in the game. Like how in RE2 the basic question is 'How did the virus spread to Raccoon City?'
Radiant Historia's first level was so good that I bought the full game after having pirated it. I played the first level and was convinced to give them full money
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1-3 have the same general structure for their level 1's I think 2 does it best with the level, Hangar, however. It starts you out in a narrow hall on a steep incline. First time players will be thrown right into the action, an open half pipe. Easy to get out of. Returning players will drop in quickly and have options off that half pipe. The level is split into 4 sections. Two main sections and two secret sections at the far ends of the level A first time player will be in the main starting section until they start getting a handle on the controls. It's small but open enough, with collectables and tutorial messages guiding them. Which sets up the player to discover that they can impact the level around them if they interact with the right objects, setting the tone of discovery that 2 introduces to the series. With almost every level having a set piece or two that you as the player have a part in activating. As the new player gets comfortable they will explore the rest of the level, and hopefully find the other secret area activated by grinding the tantalizing helicopter blades. Opening a new secret area and causing the helicopter to take off. While not the deepest level for returning players, I think it does it's job as level 1 remarkably well, with it introducing basic lines to teach how to combo, a small but not cramped area to learn it all in, and setting the overall tone going forward!
Id say another advantage for giving players all the OP powers in the beginning, it prevents you from looking online for potential spoilers and just playing the game straight through
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a neat combination of "Take Power Away" and In Medias Res." It begins near the end of the game and introduces its main mechanics. Then, it flashes back to the beginning of the game, where it shows Spider-Man fighting Venom, and getting a black suit from him, introducing another important aspect of the mechanics. In the story, Peter makes a promise to MJ that he won't use the black suit, serving as an explanation as to why you couldn't use it when you first start playing.
bayonetta has been my favorite video game for years now and nothing is more true than how bombastic those first levels are, can’t wait for the third game this year !!
I like the way that Enter the Gungeon did it. It was separate from the real game, however it set up a point of interest for you to find when going into the gungeon.
Please allow me to use your "GOOD Design, BAD Design" idea ;) GOOD - Noah's Park (Mega Man X8): That game had a LOT of things to fix since X7, and its intro level deserves a mention. In the regular levels, you will select a team of 2 characters, chosen between X, Zero and Axl. However, in the intro level, the game will cycle the characters until the end. You start with X and Axl, then X leaves to be replaced by Zero, then Axl leaves to be swapped back by X. You get the feel of every mechanic in the game, including all 3 characters' special moves. You get to play as each character solo as well. BAD - Abandoned Factory (NieR: Automata): This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm surprised you haven't brought this one up. It's a 45 to 60-minute long level... without a checkpoint. You die... and it's back to the title screen. The game starts with a shmup section that you might not expect and like in all Platinum Games entries, those games don't ease you into the mechanics and expect you to mash the attack button and perfrom frame-perfect dodges from the get-go. I understand that saving is "part of the world", but having 1 or 2 checkpoints is far less immersion-breaking than restarting from the beginning. Platinum Games players might be fine, but newcomers might not be able to dodge and counter the boss's attacks. GOOD - Kraven's jungle (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions): Aside from Madame Web's tutorial with each version of Spider-Man, Kraven's level is a good way to learn how to play without Web's assistance. You'll get to know more about the items, Amazing Spider-Man's own combat abilities and the challenges. There's also a good feel of the wider range of movement you will be utilizing. BAD - Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog): This is actually a case of the first level being... misleading. Green Hill Zone has everything to introduce the mechanics... only to be followed by 3 levels where Sonic has to wait for slow-moving platforms, tedious platforming sections, instant-kill traps and even the lacking nuber of rings, as later zones sometimes don't have 100 rings to earn an extra life. Emerald Hill Zone from Sonic 2 is similar to Green Hill Zone, but fortunately, Chemical Plant and Aquatic Ruins are just as fast-paced, and that includes alternate paths to NOT run into the underwater sections :P GOOD - G.F.S. Olympus (Metroid Prime 3): It's one of those rare Metroid games where Samus doesn't lose her power-ups. You get to know the controls (which were more focused on motion controls this time around), the characters and the stakes, as you get to see both Dark Samus and Meta Ridley. You get a new upgrade near the end with the Phazon Suit, but Samus has her basic tools from the get-go (or she gets these early), including the Morph Ball and Missiles. BAD - First mission (Driver): You have 90 seconds to execute 9 maneuvers with your car... and you also 3 strikes before failing the mission. Unless you have skiing knowledge, you might not know what's a slalom (swerving between posts from left to right in a S pattern). Many players succeed this mission with barely any time remaining. As a PS1 game, this was before videos and walkthroughs.
Something that's often overlooked in first levels (And games in general) is music. Music is such a good hook, it enhances everything about an opening or beginning. I'm sure you don't even have to think to remember the intro to Star Wars or Harry Potter, for example. It works in games too. Nintendo loves to tie their properties to music early-on. Look at Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Or Green Greens from Kirby's Dream Land. Or Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic! Tying that first-level experience to a memorable piece of music can go a long way in helping your game stand the test of time.
Need for Speed Most Wanted's first (couple) levels are fantastic imo. You get a super fast *and grippy* car, which not only lets you experience speed, but also control it. You easily winning all those early tutorial races also makes sense narratively too, since you're sitting in an actual racecar against some weekend street racers. And then seeing the no.15 guy on the Blacklist rise to the top effortlessly with your car after rigging your race against him and taking it, which gives you the motivation to climb up the list and take it back
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Persona 5 first level and it’s villain are so good that persona 5 is famous for having boring villains after the first level and they only fixed this in royal
Hey, buying games on Steam using a VPN is against their TOS and sometimes can get your account in trouble, not sure if advertising it as one of the intended uses is such a good idea.
Also, a VPN is not a security tool. All apps and almost all websites already are encrypted.
Can you do a video on what makes a quest/mission reward good?
@@adriantaylor5778 he already did that
I think this one of the few videos about first levels that didn't bring up World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. Which is nice, but it still works a great tone setter and tutorial.
I thought this video was going to bring that level but instead it brings other so it surprised me.
It's been talked about to death at this point. He probably wouldn't have anything new or unique to say about it.
He also thankfully didn't revisit Mega Man X, which was already covered by egoraptor.
Ive seen 1-1 analysed so much, this is why I avoided watching this video for so long. I'm glad to see a "great first levels analysis" video not featuring 1-1
@@theog2306 I'd argue that a lot of those are down to mechanical improvements between Original and New; New 1-1 is more obvious about the checkpoint system not because New 1-1 is better designed as a level, but because the checkpoint system in Original is hidden from the player while the checkpoint system in New is explicit; New has hidden star coins, Original doesn't, and so forth.
The real takeaway from 1-1 that's often overlooked in analysis of it that gets way too focused on 'the level is designed so that it's very difficult to avoid the first power up' (and wasn't brought up as a general point here) is that you're often best off designing the first level towards the end of development, and not to be afraid to add new elements into the game for the first level if you need to simplify something to help teach the player. Goombas, IIRC, were added into SMB1 because they solved a design need - None of the enemies already in the game were simple enough to teach the player the basic mechanics.
Even Mario 64’s first actual level serves as a great introduction to 3D video games. The first Star is basically just, “make it to the top of the level,” teaching people how to navigate vertically in 3D, and introducing safe versions of different terrain types.
Bro what?? how do you kill that stupid bomb? I've been stuck at this fight for years
@@psycless you're joking... right?
@@psycless On N64 you grab his butt. On DS, you throw the babies.
I will say it isn't intuitive enough if you don't understand instructions - played a Japanese version of it before and I didn't get that I need to grab the back at first (and that you shouldn't throw King Bob-Omb outside the summit).
@@zjzr08 *Plays a version of a game with information they can't read*
*Also gets surprised when they don't understand what to do*
the point of a first level is that it is physically impossible to start on the second level
Zelda 1 disagrees. 😛
@@SeppelSquirrel The first level of Zelda 1 is the overworld, so no it doesn't.
@@mjc0961 Are you saying, then, that level 1 is the second level of the game?
It's even harder than starting at the second gear.
Well smw gives you two levels at the start
I remember looking through the development history of Hollow Knight, and King's Pass (the starting area) received so many changes that makes it the extremely effective teaching tool it is now (probably the best I've seen in a search-action game).
To start, the Crawlids originally had no spikes on them, and so players tried stomping on them like Goombas. When the devs gave them spikes, it communicated that touching an enemy in this game will result in you taking damage, which is a very crucial detail for combat. Pits with spikes just became empty holes in the ground, which forces the player to learn how to jump without risking death.
Things like Lifeblood and soul usage are also taught without much fourth wall breaking, but my favourite part is how if you immediately turn left, you'll find a secret stash of money. This gives the player a big realization; secrets can be anywhere, and you shouldn't always go forward. While some players won't see this secret, for those players who got curious and got rewarded for it, it makes them want to explore every nook and cranny of the world. And for a search-action game, that is an amazing thing to put in your player's head.
That secret stash at the beginning also serves as a fun nod to many other metroidvanias, which typically ask you to go left first to progress. People who have played those games may defiantly try walking into the left wall, only to be rewarded for doing so.
I know a person who died in kings pass on accident and gave up
@@Smoldragoncat ...at least they didn't waste too much of their time before deciding the game was too hard!
I love well designed first levels. Especially ones that don't try to hand hold you but let you learn the basics on your own.
"invisible tutorials" as they are called
I like your channel name and logo.
One of my favorite first levels ever has to be The First Turnabout in Ace Attorney. I mean come on, you have a slow paced mystery game, what will you do to grab the player's attention ?
a) Set up some clues and ask questions about an overarching storyline ?
Or b) Somehow take the Bayonetta approach and make it absolutely bombastic
This case basically skips to the final part of every other case and shows exactly what is so unique about the series. It makes the player want more of that feeling which helps them go through any following case, no matter how long.
I don't think I can imagine a better hook for this game than that.
The First Turnabout is so damn good that it got me into the series through watching Simpleflips play it modded into Mario 64. I was like "Damn, I've been sleeping on this?", and picked up the trilogy on 3DS.
@@TheWrathAbove Same ! I watched it on Yt for some reason and got sold on it. It doesn't even spoil anything since it's so simple, this case is actual magic.
Yeah it showcases all of the game's best parts and hits all of the key notes in an hour long package. Well, aside from investigations
What’s really fun about that case is that it actually wasn’t originally planned to be in the game. Originally Turnabout Sisters was meant to be the intro, but due to changes made to the case’s script and concerns that it was too big as an introduction, The First Turnabout was made to take it’s place as an intro.
It is so good that I used it with my cousins when they were younger and still learning English as a second language.
I'm really interested on your thoughts on Fighting Game design and how they present and introduce themselves to their players. I think itd be an interesting angle to look at.
It certainly would be. IMO fighting games have some of the steepest difficulty curves of any genre, yet have the least engaging and worst overall teaching tools.
Seeing someone else’s ideas for what could be done about it would be fascinating.
It would be interesting especially if you compare with the early fighting games, and how they (don't) handle a tutorial. Special moves were "hidden commands", you don't know what a button do until you press it, then once special commands becomes common they add super specials, then a resource bar, then a second resource bar, then...
It may also work as a lesson on player expectations. Someone that have been playing fighting games since Street Fighter 2 and someone that is entering the scene with anything released in the last year will be welcomed by a very different experience. Modern fighting games can easily overwhelm a newbie with their UI elements alone.
@@NibelungJ Modern games have also gotten way better with actual tutorials. Skullgirls comes to mind.
@@ShinoSarna I feel like Skullgirls is also an exception, with Them fighting herds.
@@ShinoSarna having played that tutorial personally, I can’t say it’s necessarily bad. However, it comes with the caveat that it’s still not a particularly functional tutorial, because of how it jumps from concept to concept.
It’s like a standardized education class; it works for most people who know what they’re getting into, but for people jumping in blind, it’s hardly doing anything for the curve. It gets you familiar with the terms of fighting games, and some of the execution, but it does so in such an artificial way that it doesn’t strike me as a learning experience, but rather as a list of things people need to know, and a short lecture on each, only engaging you by the fact that it asks you to do the thing before moving on.
The more games I play, the more I appreciate things like Portal's start, where you learn everything you absolutely NEED right away and then the tutorial bleeds into the next three-quarters of the game. It's so easy to get sidetracked or put off when I'm frontloaded with "here's how to do this and that!" without a good context to test whatever I'm being taught.
Your subtitle efforts do not go unnoticed Doc!
I love that Sonic Heroes was used as an example of good design. That game can be janky as hecc, but it isn't irredeemable.
As many Sonic games, Heroes starts with a Bang, but then the pace of the game slows down, you get janky plataforming sections and they want you to replay the game a lot for some reason.
Not many Sonics games were able to keep to the standard their first level set up.
Sonic Heroes is sooooo janky, but I played it years and years after it came out, and was honestly struck by just how FUN it is. It might be rough, but it's so sunny and upbeat and (usually) fun to play that I found myself having a blast with it.
@@SuzukaYuka I get tired of playing Sonic Heroes long before I reach the end of just Team Sonic's playthrough. And then the game wants me to play through it 3 more times? LOL no, not a chance. If Sonic Heroes is lucky, I'll finish the Team Sonic playthrough and then reload my old save where I did that crap already to fight the final boss.
@@Semudara Just don't play the PS2 version.
@@rjd-kh8et I never will, but thank you for the warning. xD
I'm surprised you didn't bring up Team Rose's first level in Sonic Heroes since it's the definition of hand holding, with Omochao stopping you every single time to talk about the games mechanics.
It's weird that they wouldn't put the hand-holding tutorial in the Sonic stage. As the title character, he'd be the greatest interest to completely new players.
Mentioned your comment to my sister (who plays way more Sonic games than I) and she said she's "tired of Amy stages getting babied all the time".
@@BonaparteBardithion They probably thought that Amy, Big and Cream; being the cutest characters would be of a greatest interest to kids and they thematically fit with being the most in-line to needing a tutorial.
Though it's probably not any thematic/story reason since they basically fucked over the story writer for Heroes who was used to writing the story first and then basing the game around it like in SA2's development but during Heroes development, the writer was brought in after all the levels and characters were decided upon which is why Heroes story is more simplistic and problems like Shadow's amnesia and Sonic seeing Shadow alive aren't touched or gone into detail with.
Team Rose's intro is such a bizarre spot in the game, especially because it's the only one out of four opening levels that doesn't follow the same style of background tutorial as Team Sonic's. It would be one thing if they were just meant to be the "kid-friendly" version for people who needed more guidance to play the game (especially since, as I recall, Team Dark and Team Chaotix were meant to be somewhat more difficult than Team Sonic, and have less guidance in their opening levels to match)... but you have to beat the game with all four teams to reach the final boss, so why have the third team be such a sore thumb?
It makes me wonder if Team Rose wasn't meant to be the first team you played as - given Amy's motive is finding Sonic, it would be an easy way to say "You found Sonic! You can play Team Sonic now!" much like in Sonic Adventure - only to be pushed back in favor of Sonic coming first.
Yeah, and Chaotix was the hardest... which is where I tried to start when I played because I liked the characters. Trying to run around their maps in circles being unable to find whatever I was looking for made me end up dropping the game and not playing it again. I do want to go back though, for. Nostalgia and seeing what I missed out on as a kid. I probably would have enjoyed it a great deal if I just played as Sonic, but who knows.
@@ignorethis214 Team Dark is actually the game's Hard mode, with more enemies, which are taking more hits. Team Chaotix just has unique missions in each level.
I've heard great things about Shovel Knight in regards to its first level. For each of the four campaigns, the devs specifically designed the first level at the very end of the development process, in order to ensure that the first level was as polished and best representative of the rest of the game as possible.
That seems to be pretty common, I've first heard about it as the John Romero approach, as the first level of Doom was designed last so that it could be the best designed level of the bunch.
I personally think that some of the best first levels belong to the 3DS Kirby games (Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot). The opening cutscene for both games sets the stage immediately, stating what the goal is right off the bat (rescue Dedede/revert the world to its natural state), and the first levels ease the player in with any sort of dialogue. If a player doesn't know what to do, a handy billboard will pop up to show you exactly how to overcome a challenge. This way, the player is eased into the game, and returning players can skip right through.
But another factor of these games is the second level. In both instances, the second level acts as a secondary tutorial, in that it shows the new mechanic of the game (Hypernova/Robobot armour) with puzzles and enemy interaction, but it doesn't hold your hand: once it tells you how to do something, you're left to experiment on your own
I was just thinking about those games when I saw this video pop up. Also been listening to the intro cutscene song for Triple Deluxe because it's fantastic.
@@peco595 absolutely agreed
Just one correction, hypernova actually appears halfway through the first stage. But I do feel like that might be better, as there isn't a stage that is entirely hypernova, so introducing it halfway through the stage makes sense
@@greatestbud750 thanks. I just watched a playthrough when I noticed your comment. I apologise
@@theshadygentleman7575 no problem what-so-ever. I was just making a simple correction that didn't even need to be made
1:40 i love that VPN ad reads have gone from dubious claims of security to just straight up breaking the tos of other services, that's real comedy right there
at least from what i've heard from tom scott that's probably one of the only actual uses for a vpn
Well this may not be considered a 'First level' but I feel this is a great example
In Rayman origins there's one level in each world that gives you a power up, but instead of gaining the power-up automatically, you have to chase the enemy, while you chase it, the game starts showing how the power-up works almost like environmental tutorial.
I feel something similair with kirby and the copy abilities. In order to get the copy ability, you have to eat the enemy, and more times than not, the enemy attack patterns gives you hints as to how to use the ability. Rocky jumps into the air and turns into a rock, most fire enemies breath a constant stream of fire. It's a great way of teaching players how to use the ability
Mario Sunshine does something similar. When you're chasing Shadow Mario, if you take too long, he'll start doing techniques like wall kicks and spin jumps to show the player the diversity of Mario's moveset
@@christiannorton9400 Baby Bowser does the same thing in Yoshi's Island. You'll notice that Baby Bowser tries to attack the player by using a butt stomp attack that's almost identical to Yoshi's that creates shockwaves through the ground when he hits the ground. This is intended to communicate to the player that you have to copy Baby Bowser's actions & use the butt stomp in order to beat him. This is important because the butt stomp-shockwave mechanic doesn't pop up anywhere else in the game so players would most likely be completely lost if Baby Bowser's attack didn't mimic Yoshi's.
Splatoon and splatoon 2's intro is pretty great, pretty good at teaching you the basics of movement and lets you have the moment to try and lean gyro aiming, if you are willing to learn it anyways. And then once you go into octo canyon that first hub just helps reinforce the movement and the rules of splatoons gameplay. And then we get into the first actual level. And the game helps you learn how to deal with a few basic enemies, including one where you have to throw a splatbomb behind it to get it to turn around so you can shoot it in the back. Or ink it's feet so it turns slower allowing you to swim behind it to do the same thing. Octo canyon as a whole is a great tutorial on how to play splatoon especially in splatoon 2 where it gives you other weapons for certain levels, then let's you replay older levels with the all the weapons. But that is a septal subject. Speaking of the octo expansion also acts as a great tutorial for a few other things too. Like the specials. But thats a discussion for another time.
13:40 Another great example of this is xenoblade 1!
It starts off with dunban (lvl 30) at sword valley fighting with the monado,it shows basics controls and how you can shred through the mechon with ease thanks to the monado,but because he gets injured for abusing it's power he has to rest. A year later the real game starts and you play as shulk (without the monado) so when the mechon invade where he lives and you try fighting them it's incredibly hard (having to topple them to actually damage them) ,that is,until dunban comes back,still injured, with the monado and fights them off...for a short time,he's still unable to control the monado,so shulk has to pick it up thinking it will injure his arm as well for tapping into the monado's power only to find out he's actually meant for it!
So you destroy the mechon that you were running from earlier,breeze through them thinking you've got it figured out but then the true enemy appears... a faced mechon.Turns out the mechon came prepared and had already developed a counter to the monado in just a year time so you're almost back at square one, showing,you might have gotten stronger but the enemy also has. So cool :D
One of the many reasons why 1>2
I think a good contrast between good and bad first “levels” would be GTA 5 and GTA 4. GTA 5 starts with an exciting shootout following a botched bank robbery that introduces two of the playable characters as well as the central gimmick of switching between characters. The opening of GTA 4 on the other hand consists of going on a date to a carnival that turns out to be closed, buying new clothes that look like the ones you’re already wearing, and, of course, going bowling with your cousin. One of these games I happily played for hours and hours until completion and the other I played for about an hour and never picked up again.
I agree, GTA V started waaay too intense for the first level of an open world game.
It's kinda funny to see both stances here. Personall, I like the openings of both games a lot.
A couple of my favorite intro levels are Frigate Orpheon from Metroid Prime and Welcome to Rapture from Bioshock. They both do so well in establishing their respective games' tone and setting
I think that City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2 is my favourite first level in a game. It's action-packed, and introduces a lot of the game concepts in a fun way. You learn how to do stunts to get a higher score and the platforming gets a bit harder throughout the level. The truck chase is intense, but you're in very little danger since you won't die as long as you keep the control stick forward. It leaves a great first impression and it gets you hyped.
City Escape in SA2 is a hallmark "first level". Likewise, the sandbox game "Infamous" is pretty damn good insofar as it can be said to have a "first level". In terms of "Beat-em-Up", I sufficiently enjoy how God of War 2 does its de-power such that when "Infamous 2" pulls a similar opening I also loved it.
However, I'm partial to the 'first dungeon' in "Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past".
@@onijester56 I'm just seeing this comment. I agree wholeheartedly. Infamous 1's opening places you in little danger but introduces the electric powers in a way that is mysterious, and keeps the player intrigued.
God of War 2's opening is also great. Going back to the past to avoid death and fight Zeus brings everything full circle.
One of my favorite opening areas is Final Fantasy 7's bombing mission. It's intense, it gives player control quickly, and it has a bunch of little details that make second playthroughs more interesting. As someone who plays RPGs a lot, not enough of them have the courage to give the player control of a character that quickly.
The one issue is that they drop you into a time limit section in the first area. That wouldn't be bad if time limits were a regular thing, but they only show up two or three more times. This adds extra stress to a player that might be playing their first RPG and is just finally getting the hang of controls.
In my case, it was my second RPG and the first with non-standard camera angles. If I remember right, I wasted time accidentally climbing back on a ladder several times.
@@BonaparteBardithion It was a long time since I played the original, but I don't remember the time limit to be particularily difficult. It's a bit stressful though, since you don't know how much time you actually need.
Also, the remake opening works just as well.
@@BonaparteBardithion FF7 was my first time playing an RPG and I actually failed the first time due to that time limit. I remember it didn't bother me much though. In fact, the time limit probably gave a sense of action that helped me get over myself about playing an RPG (which I looked down on at the time--what a silly kid I was!)
@@BonaparteBardithion The time limit was very off-putting. I started playing yesterday and I even backtracked in the second bombing because there wasn't a time limit, despite being the exact same structure.
Forest Frontiers in _Roller Coaster Tycoon_ is possibly the best first level of any management simulator. It doesn't hold your hand the whole way through, but it also doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed as you learn how to build and run your first amusement park. The park also has plenty of extra space for expansion and more attractions to research than you can possibly obtain in the one in-game year you're given to meet its objective, so the game in that sense encourages you to grow the park after its first year just to see what you can do.
It didn't make it in but RCT's first scenario was originally planned to appear in this.
You know what really stands out about Bob-omb Battlefield now? All the 'how to' stuff is on signs you can just run past if you already know how. Then someone had the bright idea to have a fairy or sword spirit YELL CONSTANT UNSKIPPABLE INSTRUCTIONS AT YOU just in time for the release of Zelda.
The Minor Circuit of Punch-Our Wii is a great first level. Each of the boxers shows off a core mechanic, such as Von Kaiser's fatal allergy to Star Punches or how Disco Kid telegraphs all his fancy moves. You also won't get bored on repeat playthroughs since part of the game is about refining your technique to KO fools even faster, and like the rest of the cast these guys are very animated and funny to take down (pauvre Glass Joe... tu ne peux jamais gagner). It creates that sense of accomplishment while also showing you the basics.
I remember playing the demo for the first Bravely Default game before it released and falling in love with it almost immediately. The demo itself was set in the second area of the game and was structured a bit differently than the actual second level in the full release. It was a little bit V-Slice, and a little bit In Media Res but altogether it worked REALLY well in getting me invested in the game. The demo even had a system where, even though you couldn't transfer your progress directly to the full game, progressing in the Demo and finding secrets unlocked items you could send to the full game, to give you a small edge in the beginning. I feel like the actual first chapter in the full game was a bit slower to get through than the demo, but the demo already had me invested enough to push through the slower bits. it may not have been the first level, but that demo being my first EXPERIENCE with the game, I feel was pivotal in my buy-in to what is now one of my favorite RPG franchises. I will probably always point to it as the perfect example of the type of demo most games should have.
I still think the Great Plateau is one of the best tutorial sections in any game. I know praising BOTW has been done to death but when you have a tutorial/first level that doesn't feel like a tutorial/first level, and you don't even want to LEAVE, then you've done it right.
Yeah. That game is awesome. The old man is helpful, but not too overbearing. That balance is a sign of an amazing teacher.
I think a really good first level is Three-Seven Speedway in "Daytona USA". It may just seem like a simple oval shaped track at first glance, but it's much more than that. For starters, the race begins with a rolling start so the player can get into the racing action right away. And because there are 40 cars on the track, the player will figure out that they can slipstream behind them and realize that slipstreaming is a great way to pick up speed. And finally, the player will come across the third turn, which is at a much sharper angle than the previous turns. An inexperienced player will inevitably crash on that turn, but then come back around and use the brake to slow down. And as they use the brake, they'll realize that the car does a bit of a drift, so now the player is learning how to power slide around corners. The player may struggle getting the power slide to work the first few times, but once it clicks, it feels awesome! All these little game design decisions, along with the catchy music, really do set the tone for the rest of the game.
I always liked the opening bombing mission in Final Fantasy VII
Hmm. How about Gateway to Glimmer from Spyro 2?
After being introduced to the main allies and antagonists of the game, you're immediately presented with an open area with lots of cowardly enemies to charge or burn, a whole lot of treasure to collect and plenty of varied terrain to practice jumping and gliding - all the core mechanics of the game. There are no instant death pits and the only enemy type that can actually damage Spyro is a large slow brute that is vulnerable to every dragon's signature attack - the ability to breathe fire. In fact, all the enemies AND chests in the first level can be defeated or broken open respectively with that attack!
There are three other things about the first level that set the tone for the rest of the game too:
1. Moneybags, who acts as a gatekeeper, an additional "incentive" to collect gems and a source of catharsis later
2. The Ladder, which requires a skill you don't have yet in order to use, providing an incentive to return to the level
3. The hidden flying area just past the stage exit, which has two of the level's side quests, a demonstration that levels will often have additional secret areas, challenges and rewards for those with the patience to find and pursue them!
The forsaken fortress in Windwaker is an awful first level that very poorly shows off what you will be doing (its a stealth level in a non-stealth game.) in an otherwise fantastic game.
Absolutely. So many players get stuck and discouraged there.
I'd argue the forest on Outset Island serves as more of a first level. That being said the Forsaken Fortress is still a pretty bad early dungeon and only really has the satisfaction that comes from the second visit going for it.
While I do adore the forsaken fortress, I do agree it’s a strange first dungeon. (An argument could be made about outset as a first level but not the point)The mechanics in it are far removed from the rest of the game. I think the only thing introduced is that you can pick up other enemy weapons
Forreal. That was my first Zelda game, and I got so lost in that level. Then when I got to later levels, I realized what was the point of that?
@@TheGloryXros I think the focus was more on narrative than gameplay but still it was a strange decision
The first level of a game is absolutely the most important part of any game. You touched on the main points, but I feel like this cannot be overstated. Just look at Mario maker 2 worlds. Your first level can't just be good--it needs to be amazing if you want a good chance of retaining players.
Hello there Loup&Snoop
Brawl’s Subspace Emissary is also good because first thing they do is basically showing what Smash Bros is usually and then let’s you fight the common enemies
This is also why the first battle in Pokémon doesn't cost you money of you lose.
Egoraptor did a video on why Mega Man X's intro level is so good, and he talked about a lot of the things that you mentioned. Sick video as always, thanks for all your hard work!
Might be a bit divisive, but I think Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 have amazing first levels. It teaches you mechanics, incentivises you to explore the space, and puts you up against relatively low stakes fights with drastically different enemy mechanics. All this while setting up story beats that will follow through all the way to the end of the game. Roxas crying through Sora's eye when saying goodbye to his friends is worth three hours in Simulated Twilight Town.
I agree! And by contrast, Birth by Sleep is a showcase of what NOT to do. The intro is too quick, overcompensating for the mere possibility that people will replay it on subsequent playthroughs. You barely get to know anything about these 3 main characters, or their playstyles, before you have to pick one. And the entire rest of the game's emotional engagement hinges on investment in the connection and friendship between these three, a relationship you get to see like two minutes of before it already starts to fray.
I still love BBS, but yeah it definitely fails on it's opening. That's mostly because it suffers from basically being a fan-fic. Like, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua are so obviously foils for Sora, Riku, and Kairi that the game just assumes you'll project three games worth of their development onto these new three characters.
My favorite first levels are probably green hill and the first mission in metal slug 3.
Green hill is brilliant because it's based around momentum. There are moments of failure that you either have to build the speed to get out of or continue on the path to practice your skills more. The game naturally teaches you the use of the roll with it's s curve tunnels and it even leaves room for spectacle with the looks of the zone and the loop de loops.
Metal slug 3's first mission is crafted very well. The crab enemies are big but weak targets with slow firing attack patterns so you can easily adjust to the gameplay. After the beach section you're teased with 2 paths, one of which more experienced players will know how to get to by crouching. If you decide not to take the sub path you're given another 2 path option really allowing for fun multiple playthroughs. Each path has spectacle and introduces different weapon types offering something amazing. Then at the end of it all you're given a vehicle and chased by the boss. Not only is this moment awesome but it tests your ability to run and gun, understanding when to dodge and when to hit. It's sort of a difficult boss at first but you realize most of it's patterns are simple and predictable plus you get the vehicles to take a couple hits and have a better time attacking the boss, especially if you get the mech.
Honestly, green hill zone from mania, act 2 specifically, was such a good one. Act one is bringing back the original 2 acts, what we all remember, running through shuttle loops and crossing waterfalls, and a new boss that’s very much like the original first boss, but then, act 2 begins. Suddenly a brand new remix that’s very different than the normal style starts playing and gets you hyped, new players are excited as it’s all new, and veterans are as well, as that’s the point many realized this truly is a brand new, amazing sonic game in years. Seeing a reimagining of green hill zone set the scene for so many other classics, like chemical plant or flying battery. They hit the nail on the head with that design of green hill zone act 2, especially with the boss there. To think, the final boss of the second game is literally the second boss of this game.
The first Chapter of Portal 2 does a pretty good job as a first level. It hooks you into the story with the charming character and comedy of Wheatley and The Announcer, and the desolation of Aperture Science you can see as you crash through the Relaxation Chambers. Then the game part uses the first few tests to explain the fundamentals of tye game and it's puzzles: Cubes and Buttons, Navigation, and Momentum, all separate, but slowly combining them together until you continue with the story, and get into the real meat of it all.
And it keeps from being stale thanks to the environmental design and the comedy. Can't wait for the Companion Collection.
My favorite description of portal is the game(s) are 90% tutorial and you didn't even notice.
The core loop is enter chamber, heres a thing, use that thing to get out while also using the skills previously learned, rinse and repeat until you take an unscheduled trip to the moon.
[Press SPACE to say "Apple"]
"Okay, you just jumped; what you did was jumping."
@@jasonreed7522
This is especially the case in the first one where for at least half the game everything is clean, surfaces are well marked and there's helpful signs telling you which skills to use at the start of each stage.
And then they rip that all off and you have to start exploring what abilities work on which surfaces and trying different combinations of skills based on environmental cues alone.
Don't get me wrong. The second one is great, but since you go behind the scenes from the begining it doesn't have that abrupt shift in player expectations.
Portal 2 has the best jumping tutorial of any game ever
I like the start of the Legend of Zelda. You can go east, west, north, and into a cave. The choice is yours. Instantly sets the tone of the entire game.
Okay so I have a bit of A Thought. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness begins with a dramatic cutscene, whrere a mysterious group wielding a shadowy Lugia just takes a ship- before a bit of an in media res- you're using a Salamence against an opponent Metagross in a cool battlefield, which are both some of the most powerful Pokémon in the game, with a relatively fast-paced and intense (if quickly-looping) theme to boot. The moves are all powerful and if you know anything about Pokémon- or even just feel like button-mashing- you'll be selecting Earthquake. What does this do? Well, it's something cool! The Metagross' health goes down. Then it uses something on you. Your health goes down. If you've been looking closely, you'll see the "It's super effective!" line. Maybe you wonder what it means? Either way, the Metagross goes down, and the screen warps, before a cheery theme comes on. You pretty quickly find that the battle was just a simulation, but the game tells you you have a real Pokémon of your own- an Eevee. Now, that's a whole other thing about the game design of an Eevee starter, but at this point you know what a Pokémon battle is and... oh god this is a lot of looking around in a lab and going back and forth. It picks up by the time you get free reign over the first major area of the game, though.
An interesting failure I've run into recently is Horizon: Zero Dawn. The game starts very slow, and even after you're out of the tutorial and finally playing as Adult Aloy, it takes a good few hours playing with only combat and sneaking mechanics available (and you can't even use sneaking approaches during most of that playtime due to the way the plot is set-up). So, while the introduction to movement mechanics and combat is good, the introduction to exploration and machine interaction is pushed back, and it makes the early hours always feel weirdly lacking in a way the plot has never quite made up for me.
Agreed. I dropped that game after 4 hours. I was utterly unimpressed by the plot so far, I had no idea why Aloy wanted so badly to be associated with this tribe after they showed how she was bullied by them as a child. I didn't understand why all the characters hated technology and told her to get rid of that ear thing but then would immediately turn around and rely on the technology she was using for help. I was laughing out loud at how stupid it was when they revealed that their god or whatever was a giant door. And then the game takes off the leash, so to speak, and asks me to just play a Ubisoft game: go climb that radio tower to unlock the map. Now go sneak around this enemy camp.
I was already utterly unengaged by the story, and unthrilled by the idea of yet another goddamn Ubisoft style open world. And then as I'm sitting in some bushes waiting for an opportunity to do a stealth kill at an enemy camp, they do that video game thing where characters start having attitude if you don't play. Aloy says something like "Don't you have anything better to do?" Absolutely the wrong thing for me to hear at the time, because I thought about it, realized that yes. Yes I do have plenty of better things to do. And removed the game from my PS4, never to touch it again.
@@mjc0961 Bro "Don't you have anything better to do?" is what Aloy says in reaction to the guards starting to search for her lmao it's not directed to you.
I agree that the game does start out quite slow, but after around the 10-hour mark it picks up quite nicely. A great game that I highly recommend if you can endure the beginning.
A good example for a first level in an RPG is one of the big classics: Final Fantasy VII. Specifically the original, though the remake does it well too I hear. You're thrown into the action without much of an introduction to the world, in an era of RPGs that tended toward long, slow burn starts. You get a broader view of the city the game takes place in and see a character who one can assume will be important later going about her day, carrying flowers through a dark and almost decaying looking area to set the tone, then after a sweeping view of the expansive city, the camera zooms in on a train pulling into station near one of the larger structures- and out flip a few ragtag looking sorts who knock out the guards on the platform.
Out comes out lead character, who is given some orders from his distrusting... employer, it seems? He fights two more guards on his own, making short work of them with his massive sword in the same time it took three others to deal with two. The intro section intersperses some basic gameplay with bits of exposition, keeping the group moving with purpose and the high energy feel of the scene while still giving out needed information. It does a good job of introducing key terms through context- Cloud is an ex-SOLDIER, the way it's said and the all caps making it clear he was no ordinary grunt, but formerly some sort of elite. "Mako Energy" is used and described in a way to both convey it is the life energy of the planet and an obvious electricity/oil analogue. We find out who Cloud and Barret are as a people by watching them bounce off of each other and the three secondary characters serving as members of AVALANCHE (another all-caps word used in context to indicate rebels, or basically eco-terrorists given the gritty framing of the game to contrast prior games having unambiguously heroic rebellions).
Jargon terms are introduced quickly and early, normally a blunder in writing, but it works here thanks to how the information is presented and paced out. We get enough from the events going on, banter, and usage of each term to have a solid idea of what everything is and why the characters care (and why we should care, too), all while feeling natural, establishing characters, creating a natural rise and fall of action that carries us forward and slowly abates as we coast forward from that point and bringing us to a mellow and restful moment in the Sector 7 slums' relative safety. It's a fantastic vertical slice that sets up the immediate conflict as well as events down the line (Cloud seeming to hallucinate hearing someone right before the bomb is placed).
Aside from a hiccup in translation, the boss at the end of the section also establishes that the player will need to watch and study enemy behavior patterns and animations or be punished for blindly mashing through menus- ensuring the player knows they'll need to think about their moves. Turn-based RPGs live or die on how much thought they make you put into choices in and out of combat, whether it be resource management, puzzling out enemy patterns, weighing risk and reward, or a combination thereof, as that serves as the core of the genre's engagement. That little bit makes sure that players are putting more thought into their play as they go on, and start thinking about the game's mechanics when they equip their characters with abilities and put them to use in battle.
Midgar as a whole is a fantastic first segment any RPG would boast about, but that starting section gives the game momentum and teaches you everything you need to know about the setting, characters, and mechanics to dig into the meat of the game.
Definitely the best, most action-packed intro level in that series, even more so than the assault on Narshe from the previous game.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag has one of the most amazing opening levels I've ever seen in a game. The game starts right off with a naval battle and a boarding sequence in the middle of a storm. You're meant to fail it so don't worry too much, but if you've played AC3 it very quickly gives you a feel for how combat works in this game. What's important though is you get a look at a hooded figure, who happens to be Duncan Walpole, an Assassin who will be your target for the tutorial section.
Your ship gets destroyed and you have to swim to a nearby island. As you do, the storm clears as you wash up on a beautiful tropical beach. As luck would have it, Walpole survived too and now you have to chase him through the island. The game teaches you the fundamentals of climbing and parkour, synchronizing to reveal parts of the map, and lets you air assassinate Walpole, who you learned was carrying some documents of great value whom he was planning to sell to the Templars. You, enterprising pirate Edward Kenway, decide you'll cash in on the bounty yourself, having no idea who the Assassins and Templars even are. But first you have to get off this island.
Going further into the island, you meet Stede Bonnet who is captured by British soldiers. At this point the game teaches you how to stealthily take out the soldiers by using bushes and air assassinations, but if you fail that you can just go to regular combat. After reaching Bonnet, the two of you set out towards Havana on his ship, giving you a low stakes tutorial on so controls as you sail out of the lagoon.
In one gorgeous, carefully orchestrated tutorial section, the game teaches you the basics of combat, parkour, stealth, and sailing, and establishes who the protagonist is was what his motivations are.
I think one of the better "take power away" openings was Prototype because it also played with the in medias res opening into flashback.
You start out the city in chaos, you are fully powered up, and wrecking everything. End game Mercer. Then it rewinds and you see how the whole thing spun out of control over time and you powered up bit by bit, gaining all the powers along the way.
Not gonna lie, that DMC boss thing sounds incredible. I've never played a game with anything like that but damn would that make an impact on me. That's amazing.
Colony 9 in Xenoblade 1 is a pretty nice first level because it introduces you to basic, uniques, and very high level enemies to showcase how lived in the world feels. It also teaches you about how platforming is also a thing in the game and entices you to find far off areas in a relatively safe environment. Also, the music is just great.
Fire Emblem 7 (know in Japan as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade) is what I think is the perfect first level for the Fire Emblem series - and is just a great first level, and why I recommend FE7 for first time players, even if newer games are more casual friendly. The game immediately introduces you to Lyn, and moments later you two are attacked and the game throws you into the first battle. It explains how to move Lyn on the grid system, how to move, how to Wait to finish an action, how to Attack, and the pre-determined critical hit on the boss sets up Lyn to be this cool badass swordswoman, but after the battle you get to know her better as a person too. Considering this was the first international release of a Fire Emblem game, they did an amazing job explaining to new players in the west how the game will work from the get-go.
@@TheRealBatabii It's complicated by the fact that the game was just called "Fire Emblem" when it was released on GBA outside of Japan. No subtitle or anything.
@@TheRealBatabii Hmm.... good question. Not sure, but I do agree with you!
Because I have a niche, Guitar Hero games and which songs you start with can really make a difference. In Guitar Hero 2, your first song is “Surrender” by Cheap Trick, a banger of a song that doesn’t have a big flying solo. Same in Guitar Hero 3’s “Slow Ride” by Foghat. That one does have some solos, but barely any complex hammer ons and pull offs. Then we get to World Tour’s “Living On a Prayer” that has alternating fingering and even a tapping section. It introduces all the mechanics and is a great song, but it should’ve been one that got introduced later in the game once players have been accustomed to the speed of the note Highway and how much leeway you have to miss notes.
Strangely enough, there are some characters that appear in the opening scene in Chrono Cross that you can't possibly have in your party when you get to that scene later
World 1-1 in Super Mario Bros and Green Hill Zone act1 in Sonic the Hedgehog are the best examples of first levels.
Glory of Heracles 4 opening is a very interesting one.
You start as a dog, in an empty place, with another dog that call you by a different name. Trying to leave will makes you encounter a character that will bring all your memories back from your past live, and you will be able to see the fall of Atlantis, your home.
It accomplish everything a first level should do, though with varying degree of success.
It's an excellent set piece, first of all, intriguing, presenting the major themes of the game, and the main characters.
Battles don't give Exp or Money, but allows you to freely try the complex terrain effect of the game (each boosting and lowering certain elements), allowing you to set up all terrains and use all elements. Granted I didn't realize that during my 1st playthrough, but still it's there.
And seeing how strong your original body is compared to what you can do as a dog gives you both a taste of power, and your main motivation for playing : finding back your original body, and returning to your home.
Im honestly shocked you didnt talk about The Great Plateau from Zelda:BotW. While its not a "level" in a strict sense, its a near perfect microcosm of the world. It introduces so much near flawlessly, from environmental hazards to secrets to the creative ways you can solve situations. I actually spent as long as i could finding everything and doing everything on the plateau before moving on and it gave me a much deeper appreciation of the larger world when i looked at the map and this seemingly massive varied environment i had spent hours in was only a tiny part of a MUCH bigger world. Its such a complete experience by itself that i could have paid half the price and had the entire game set just on the plateau and i would have been satisfied with my purchase.
Felt like I’ve gone back to botw a ton so I left it out for this one.
Warframe has an amazing tutorial sequence in the "Vor's Prize" quest. It adequately shows how awesome you will eventually get (via a pre-game cutscene), explains WHY you need to relearn everything (you've been asleep for centuries, if not millennia), assumes you already know how to walk around (WASD) before you start, allowing it to teach you how to use your first ability even before how to run, and doesn't weigh you down with dialog boxes that stop you in your tracks, while properly introducing you to the game's primary conflict and mechanics. Throughout it, disembodied speech bubbles tell you how to run and jump, but can be easily breezed past because of how intuitive those are. But, when it comes to bullet and wall jumping, swapping between different weapons, and general melee combat, the game puts obstacles in front of you that require you to learn them, and announces this through an NPC called "The Lotus", that the fanbase has lovingly dubbed "Space Mom".
I give you props Design Doc. Whenever I think of on a topic to approach my very first game design. Lately you have been making videos on what I'm thinking on inputting to implement on my flowchart. For my first game I'm trying to go simple to get my feet wet in GameDev with a Arcade Shooter with a fun simplistic story and fun mechanic. Basiclly this specific video has helped me comeup with a idea for my first few levels. Thanks for the help. Also you make great videos on different topics.
One of my favorite intros in games is the first few levels of Hitman 1 (the new one, not Codename 47). You start off in a little sandbox, looking out over a cliff, and the game leaves it up to you to figure out how to turn around and move on. Then you start the actual tutorial, which is pretty handholdy. After you beat that, you play that same level again, but with more freedom (and introducing you to the idea that you'll be replaying levels). Then you get what amounts to mission 0, which is basically a full level, just smaller and simpler than the actual levels. And then finally, you get into the actual game (starting with one of the best levels in the entire franchise, too)
I might be a little off in my order of events, I'm just working from memory, but the point is that I think it does a great job of establishing the many systems and concepts they need the player to understand, without being too overwhelming or too boring.
Okay two examples here: first off for me personally, Hades. I was already looking forward to the game, but what sealed the deal for me was my initial Boon from Athena. Athena is a deeply personal god to me for many reasons, so knowing she would be on my side for this journey was amazing. Then meeting Dionysus, another personal favorite gave me the motivation to see more despite dying five rooms in. I had never played a rogue-like before and so meeting characters and advancing the story, both through Zagreus’s personal narrative and the people he meets along the way was more than enough motivation to keep going despite the early struggles.
My second is one mentioned in the vid: DMC5. I’m a DMC veteran, and found the first level great, it’s a perfect microcosm of what DMC is all about, flashy combat, fun characters and a mountain of a foe waiting at the end. The other day my spouse, who has never played a DMC game, only watching me play, decided to try it out, with me coaching them. By the time we stopped at Goliath, who I would argue is the end of the first level as opposed to Urizen, but that’s just me, they were fully invested, if on a bit of a learning curve. They managed to defeat Goliath with a sliver of health left and the victory put us both on cloud nine. It was an amazing moment watching edge out a difficult first boss fight in a new game.
Project Wingman has a pretty good tutorial; it tosses you right into the middle of things in a pretty chill way. You're flying the starter jet to go blow up some pirates with nothing more than speedboats and seaplanes. Then they launch jets of their own, and then their reinforcements show up; and then you get introduced to what "Cordium" is and also why the plot is happening by some reinforcements who showed up late.
"Shadow has a branching path that requires you to play a tedious first level at least 10 times."
Me: That sucks... Should have gone with Star Fox 64 as an example of a good first level for a branching path.
"And then there's Star Fox 64."
They designed that level the same way you use bombs.
uses seaside hill and westopolis
only passingly acknowledges city escape
Forewood Forest from Rocket Slime is a pretty neat first level. Once you've rescued Swotsy which really doesn't take long, the real meat and potatoes of the game begins.
Basically just like every other level in the game that isn't Backwoods, it's a large open 2D area for you to explore to your heart's content. Take it as in a way like Peach's Castle if it was a level. There's some items lying around in vases and stuff, a bunch of Platypunks, Jailcats and Mischevious Moles to fight, some Slimes waiting for a rescue and it all culminates with a boss fight against a Treevil known by the name of the Brough Beater which, while it's pretty basic, it gets the job done I guess.
Oh wait did I say fighting the Brough Beater was where it ends? Sorry, I seem to forget how the level really ends (at least how it ends before you get introduced to the Tomb Of Tootinschlemian(heh. Tootinschlemian)). The end has you going on a wild goose chase running away from the Platypanzer (the tank that destroyed your home town) while carrying His Wobbliness as they fire pebbles and Bombrocks at you which isn't the most exciting chase sequence, but for The Legend Of Slime, it's pretty good.
A Blurred Line, an old RPG Maker title, nailed the intro I think. You start off following a small team attempting to stop a man from sabotaging some kind of global energy supply system, ending on a cliffhanger. It then cuts to you waking up some time before, now playing as the saboteur, almost late for your job working for said energy company. It really gets you interested in what kind of wild junk has to end up happening to you to get you to that point later on.
For good first levels, Bioshock has one of the best. It near perfectly sets the tone, narrative, and gameplay for the whole game. For a bad first level, and this might be controversial, but I'd say Witcher 3. While it's overall an amazing game, the intro area takes way too long, and sets incorrect expectations about how difficult the game will be early on. Witcher 3 very much starts off as a "do not stray from the roads" game, but because of how flat the difficulty is in the first zone you don't get that impression at all.
I think Half-Life has a pretty interesting approach for a first level. Chapter one doesn't have much gameplay aside from moving, jumping, walking (you sprint by default), and crouching, but it's not needed to progress as you just wait in a train surrounded by world building. Chapter two is when you can start testing out the movement and controls better, and acquire the reason you become such a bullet sponge with the HEV Suit Mk. IV, and you get just that much more world building. Chapter three is when you could consider the game actually starting as the first level, as you get your first weapon, a crowbar in your melee slot, doing good enough damage to use all game long, and could get your hands on a Glock by either killing a guard in a every man for himself, or wait and salvage one from a fallen guard you stumble across, knowing that they likely wanted a survivor to take their stuff after they died for your safety, letting *you* build Gordon as a character.
Really enjoy your videos. No one can rush perfection but I do wish your videos came out a bit more. But that's just me being impatient and wanting more because all this channel's videos are so good.
One of my favourite first levels in any game is the Plains from Shovel Knight. It does a great job of teaching the player the game's fundamental mechanics, without any intrusive tutorials, somewhat akin to something like Megaman X.
Shovel Knight's first levels in all 4 campaigns are amazing and just every level and their mechanics in general, but I'll just go over the first levels. They teach you everything you can do in the first level with no need for a tutorial outside of the single "Hold the button down for a sec and something happens" with Plague Knight, and the best part is that it's all just through simple and effective gameplay that forces you to take a mental note of what that character can do without arbitrarily halting your progress, and the game always makes sure the design will teach you the limits of your character in a safe and fair way before throwing you into the harder stuff that requires more knowledge of those limits and abilities to get through.
I believe that A Hat in Time's first level does a great job setting up the rest of the game as even before you start playing the actual first level it gives you time for you get used to the controls in a safe place (that being the hub world of Hat Kid's Ship who's theme was composed by Grant Kirkope as a little fun fact) and get a feel for how smooth and precise the controls are as well as showing off the quirks, motivations and charms behind the Player Character of Hat Kid as well as establishing the game's wacky and somewhat dark sense of humor and and the just as wacky and somewhat dark (or at times very dark) set of characters you're going to meet along the way. In addition to that it puts things in the level that incentive revisiting later to due to curiosity like the translucent boxes, the strange propeller things, and the blue platforms with snowflakes on them (those being the Dweller's Mask, Hookshot Badge, and the Ice Hat respectfully). Not to mention how good the Soundtrack is.
The point of the first level is to properly introduce the player to the game by, setting the mood, starting the story, and demonstrating key mechanics that will be used throughout the entire game. That's how I view it
"First levels are unique. Only one of them can be "first" after all".
Megaman: Allow me to introduce myself.
My favourite implementation of the 'taste of power' approach to first levels was in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1. In the first level, you play as a fully-powered Darth Vader wrecking face. After that you switch to the main player character, who spends the rest of the game getting strong enough to beat him. It accomplishes multiple goals at once, giving you the taste of power and a look at and motivation to face your enemy, and it avoids loss aversion because you technically didn't lose anything.
I think Kamoshida's dungeon from Persona 5 served as a great first level and really showed me what to expect while remaining just easy enough. That, and the framing of suddenly being locked in a dungeon by a weird naked version of a teacher you met, and the introduction of Morgana and his goals, was more than enough to motivate me to keep playing.
(The game keeps up this pace of slowly introducing and developing things in a way that's usually very easy and satisfying to follow, and the difficulty curve feels very natural)
Kamoshida is the first boss, not first level. He is a great first boss for the stuff you said, but the tutorial is the Casino Scene a the start of everything. You learn the basic combat system and controls moving around the casino and defeating some random enemies, you learn how to hide and be sneaky since the cops are following you and story wise, knowing that one of the teammates you heard betrayed you is really cool and really nice to get the player intrigued.
first levels in a traditional level-based game like those of Nintendo or indie devs, is hype as hell when you hear the music and take in the wonderful visuals and then that feeling sets in, and you realize you have a whole adventure waiting for you
Good levels are like good rivals in games.
If it can teach you the game and you can kick ass or get your ass kicked as well, then you know it's gonna be a banger.
Here's an idea for a first area, at least one that I have:
You start the area by being activated by some kind of computer, and being told that you are an antivirus unit, the 17 before you were sent out but ended up being infected by the virus that was damaging the main system, as you walk out you learn you have two main weapons, a powerful melee attack and a weaker but faster ranged attack. Certain enemies will block the ranged attacks but can be hit using the melee attack, and vice versa. As you enter the room the computer told you to run to, you find that the antivirus before you, AV-17, was waiting for you to show up. As you quickly learn, the virus has gained control of the system and has remotely deactivated you. You then wake up in some sort of room filled with trash, and now have to start from rock bottom, where you obtain a new melee and ranged attack.
This is to give the player a taste of the strenth they could have, and show them that this final boss is nobody to be scoffed at, the boss itself is the same height as the protagonist, as the two are part of the same group, but has gained control the entire building. And for a small peak forward, you learn that after being deactivated, you were removed from the system by the main computer before it gets infected.
The Trails series have examples ranging from not-so-good to great begginnings across the first games of each of its arcs.
Trails in the Sky FC: The prologue is VERY slow. Between cutscenes and learning non-combat mechanics it can take 30~40+ minutes until your first couple of fights, and they are all heavily scripted tutorials with enemies that don't even fight back, so you might be around the 1 hour mark when you get a taste of real gameplay. Plus, storywise it's all quite uneventful until almost chapter 2.
Trails from Zero: Storywise they do the In Medias Res to get your atention, but it's just a cutscene that quickly goes back to the present where once again you won't have a real battle until the 30+ minute mark.
Trails of Cold Steel: This time there's the In Medias Res AND you get to battle right away, with late game gear, and even do a boss fight, before cutting back to a slower-paced present.
I actually found the prologue to Trails FC quite fun and enjoyable, and very effective! The slow pacing makes it feel like a slice-of-life/iyashikei style visual novel, and with characters as good as Estelle and Joshua, I absolutely loved the comfy vibes. It also makes a nice contrast with the later, more action and combat focused story of the game--giving you that peaceful vibe to begin with, to destroy later on as the story ramps up. It felt like Estelle's character progression was represented by the pacing and gameplay style.
@@davidguthriemusic That's fair. I was enjoying the begining of the game and it does work for the reasons you said, but I wasn't really hooked until a bit later and I can totally see someone less patient dropping it early, which is a shame.
A great first level from a narrative perspective is persona 5. The casino level really sets the tone for the whole game.
City escape is what I believe to be one of, if not, the best first level of any game.
babe wake up, new design doc just dropped
As a child, there were SO MANY nes games that I only beat the first level, but I still think of them fondly.
Can't talk about first levels without bringing up Arin Hanson's Sequelitis on Megaman X. Probably the best video about analyzing first level tutorials.
I was hoping someone would bring this up. Megaman X features a lot of the first level ideas talked about in this video as well:
- No starting cutscene when you start a new game. Only a couple lines of text at the end of stage one
- Masterfully designed "tutorials" that introduce the player to X's skillset intuitively.
- The unwinnable boss fight and Zero's introduction show you how much room there is to grow.
Megaman X also succeeds in building past the first level. By the end of the game you'll have grown past Zero who seemed so much more powerful than you at the start.
2002 Ratchet & Clank. Veldin is easily one of the most iconic planets in the entire 20+ year old franchise. After watching a cutscene, the game kicks you straight into the "training grounds" of your home planet, with kickass music and comfy 50's scifi visuals. You're learning how to move, whacking frogs with a wrench, aiming, listening to the gadgetron helpdesk lady and using your first weapon - the bomb glove. After picking up your new best pal Clank, getting out of "this dump" Veldin and crashing your ship, the game starts for real on Novalis, with three new routes to explore, more kickass music, and a new weapon to buy, all set to a *very* welcoming alien invasion going on.
Ori and the blind forest is an amazing game with a terrible opening. Slippery controls feel good while zipping around, but not in the dark with time based precision platforming. So many of my friends quit after that point and missed a beautiful game.
A cautionary note on in medias res are two games that (for both mechanically, for one of them narratively) get it wrong.
In Awakening, they manage to pick a very good narrative point to start out at, being the battle against Validar in which Robin betrays and murders Chrom, which serves as an excellent plot hook, but in terms of gameplay, it kinda sucks. You only get to control two units each of whom carry only two weapons, both have no skills and you're fighting only one enemy. Sure, Robin and Chrom are both at level 20, as opposed to level 1 as they are in the following proper start to the story, but they're both in their starting classes, Tactician and Lord respectively, as opposed to any reclass or promotion options. The immediately following map on the other hand is much more mechanically involved, seeing you controlling four characters against 10 enemies, one of your characters being a healer, as opposed to the in medias res premonition giving you two combat characters, and all of your characters having skills. Hell, Robin and Chrom even both carry two weapons here as well. This means that instead of starting out with the player having a mechanically overwhelming amount of options, but an easy task to solve them with, before the game scales down the mechanics and slowly reintroduces them, the game starts out with almost none of the mechanical variance and then introduces most of the mechanics immediately after leaving the flashforward. The flashforward could be argued to be a tutorial, except the following map also serves as a tutorial on all of the base mechanics, so ultimately this map does not offer anything mechanically, although I stress again that it's still an excellent plot hook.
Fates flashes you forward to the Branch of Fate, which while the most narratively important point in the game, isn't a very exciting in medias res to snap away from and is also reached very shortly after in the normal progression anyways. While they do have a slightly wider fan of mechanics here than the Awakening premonition, they are also much more handholdy, basically telling you what to do at each point and denying you if you try to do anything else. In medias res can be used to tutorialize the player instead of presenting them with lots of future mechanics and options, sure, but Fates then goes on to have two maps that basically teach you everything that tutorial taught you anyways, causing this in medias res to feel a bit wasted. It does not provide a strong plot hook, nor does it provide a taste of future mechanics or even that good (or necessary) of a tutorial, so it's a bit hard to justify its inclusion.
Great games with subpar beginnings are difficult to recommend to people. For example I love Xenoblade 2, once you learn how the game works it's a joy to play. But learning how to play the game is its own issue since the game itself doesn't tell you much aside from text box tutorials you can't view again, so it's very easy to miss or forget crucial elements of the gameplay, and all the fun combat mechanics come after several hours of gameplay a lot of people don't want to slog through
I don't think XC2's beginning is subpar at all. I think XC3's was worse, despite the fact they throw you right into the action.
Doom's E1M1 is a masterclass
Dam from Goldeneye 64 is pretty great first level. It shows you how the game works, guides you to your main objectives and above all, there is more to accomplish if you play it in the difficult mode, the 00 Agent Mode. A pretty good one for beginner and veteran.
I'm honestly surprised you never mentioned the classic style shmup genre.
Most of those types of games really have to show you what kind of game it is or you will be heading back to the beginning before even getting to see anything.
Row of enemies on the top/left, powerup on last, row of enemies on the bottom/right, powerup on last, repeat once or twice, introduce shooting enemies in similar patterns...
@@AnotherDuck I see someone's played Gradius :)
(Yes I know those patterns are a trope)
@@markguyton2868 Yep. Never owned it, so I've not played it enough to beat it. Did beat Life Force, though.
In Ocarina of Time and Majoras mask, they start the games off differently, in OOT, you go to your first dungeon pretty quickly and then that’s the big focus of the game, but in MM they start you doing stuff around town and waiting for the clock tower, as the region of termina is the big focus of the game.
Not really a 'level' as such, but the opening to Far Cry Blood Dragon has the best tutorial imo
IMHO The Resident Evil series has some great intro levels. From RE1's main hall and dining room to the streets of raccoon city in RE2, the village in RE4, the lower decks in revelations, the Guest house in RE7, the Gas Station in RE2 remake, and the Winters home in Village. And what makes them good first levels is they usually serve as both vertical slices of gameplay AND set up the overarching mystery the players will encounter in the game. Like how in RE2 the basic question is 'How did the virus spread to Raccoon City?'
Radiant Historia's first level was so good that I bought the full game after having pirated it. I played the first level and was convinced to give them full money
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1-3 have the same general structure for their level 1's
I think 2 does it best with the level, Hangar, however.
It starts you out in a narrow hall on a steep incline. First time players will be thrown right into the action, an open half pipe. Easy to get out of.
Returning players will drop in quickly and have options off that half pipe.
The level is split into 4 sections. Two main sections and two secret sections at the far ends of the level
A first time player will be in the main starting section until they start getting a handle on the controls. It's small but open enough, with collectables and tutorial messages guiding them.
Which sets up the player to discover that they can impact the level around them if they interact with the right objects, setting the tone of discovery that 2 introduces to the series. With almost every level having a set piece or two that you as the player have a part in activating.
As the new player gets comfortable they will explore the rest of the level, and hopefully find the other secret area activated by grinding the tantalizing helicopter blades. Opening a new secret area and causing the helicopter to take off.
While not the deepest level for returning players, I think it does it's job as level 1 remarkably well, with it introducing basic lines to teach how to combo, a small but not cramped area to learn it all in, and setting the overall tone going forward!
Id say another advantage for giving players all the OP powers in the beginning, it prevents you from looking online for potential spoilers and just playing the game straight through
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a neat combination of "Take Power Away" and In Medias Res." It begins near the end of the game and introduces its main mechanics. Then, it flashes back to the beginning of the game, where it shows Spider-Man fighting Venom, and getting a black suit from him, introducing another important aspect of the mechanics. In the story, Peter makes a promise to MJ that he won't use the black suit, serving as an explanation as to why you couldn't use it when you first start playing.
bayonetta has been my favorite video game for years now and nothing is more true than how bombastic those first levels are, can’t wait for the third game this year !!
I like the way that Enter the Gungeon did it. It was separate from the real game, however it set up a point of interest for you to find when going into the gungeon.
Please allow me to use your "GOOD Design, BAD Design" idea ;)
GOOD - Noah's Park (Mega Man X8): That game had a LOT of things to fix since X7, and its intro level deserves a mention. In the regular levels, you will select a team of 2 characters, chosen between X, Zero and Axl. However, in the intro level, the game will cycle the characters until the end. You start with X and Axl, then X leaves to be replaced by Zero, then Axl leaves to be swapped back by X. You get the feel of every mechanic in the game, including all 3 characters' special moves. You get to play as each character solo as well.
BAD - Abandoned Factory (NieR: Automata): This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm surprised you haven't brought this one up. It's a 45 to 60-minute long level... without a checkpoint. You die... and it's back to the title screen. The game starts with a shmup section that you might not expect and like in all Platinum Games entries, those games don't ease you into the mechanics and expect you to mash the attack button and perfrom frame-perfect dodges from the get-go. I understand that saving is "part of the world", but having 1 or 2 checkpoints is far less immersion-breaking than restarting from the beginning. Platinum Games players might be fine, but newcomers might not be able to dodge and counter the boss's attacks.
GOOD - Kraven's jungle (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions): Aside from Madame Web's tutorial with each version of Spider-Man, Kraven's level is a good way to learn how to play without Web's assistance. You'll get to know more about the items, Amazing Spider-Man's own combat abilities and the challenges. There's also a good feel of the wider range of movement you will be utilizing.
BAD - Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog): This is actually a case of the first level being... misleading. Green Hill Zone has everything to introduce the mechanics... only to be followed by 3 levels where Sonic has to wait for slow-moving platforms, tedious platforming sections, instant-kill traps and even the lacking nuber of rings, as later zones sometimes don't have 100 rings to earn an extra life. Emerald Hill Zone from Sonic 2 is similar to Green Hill Zone, but fortunately, Chemical Plant and Aquatic Ruins are just as fast-paced, and that includes alternate paths to NOT run into the underwater sections :P
GOOD - G.F.S. Olympus (Metroid Prime 3): It's one of those rare Metroid games where Samus doesn't lose her power-ups. You get to know the controls (which were more focused on motion controls this time around), the characters and the stakes, as you get to see both Dark Samus and Meta Ridley. You get a new upgrade near the end with the Phazon Suit, but Samus has her basic tools from the get-go (or she gets these early), including the Morph Ball and Missiles.
BAD - First mission (Driver): You have 90 seconds to execute 9 maneuvers with your car... and you also 3 strikes before failing the mission. Unless you have skiing knowledge, you might not know what's a slalom (swerving between posts from left to right in a S pattern). Many players succeed this mission with barely any time remaining. As a PS1 game, this was before videos and walkthroughs.
Something that's often overlooked in first levels (And games in general) is music. Music is such a good hook, it enhances everything about an opening or beginning. I'm sure you don't even have to think to remember the intro to Star Wars or Harry Potter, for example. It works in games too. Nintendo loves to tie their properties to music early-on. Look at Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Or Green Greens from Kirby's Dream Land. Or Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic! Tying that first-level experience to a memorable piece of music can go a long way in helping your game stand the test of time.
Need for Speed Most Wanted's first (couple) levels are fantastic imo. You get a super fast *and grippy* car, which not only lets you experience speed, but also control it. You easily winning all those early tutorial races also makes sense narratively too, since you're sitting in an actual racecar against some weekend street racers. And then seeing the no.15 guy on the Blacklist rise to the top effortlessly with your car after rigging your race against him and taking it, which gives you the motivation to climb up the list and take it back
Surprised there was no mention of the Plains of Passage, but I guess that's been talked to death already.