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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).
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.
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.
I know it's been said a thousand times, but Breath of the Wild's Great Plateau is an excellent "first level" of sorts. You're very quickly thrown into a microcosm of the game at large, able to start exploring, climbing, fighting weak (and avoiding a few strong) enemies, collecting things, and while you are given some direction you're very free to go your own way as well.
I agree. For a new player, it's a means to learning the mechanics of the game in a relaxed way. For subsequent runs, the time spent on the Plateau isn't necessarily wasted because you can spend time gathering resources for when you leave, like food and critters/monster parts.
The complete lack of hand holding is Nintendo putting trust in the player. There are enough hints for people who need it but it’s nowhere near the scrolling though tutorials you’d get in a Pokemon game even if you’ve played it before and know how a Pokémon Center works and how to catch a Pokémon (Sun and Moon/Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are very bad for this but Sword and Shield do deactivate tutorial markers if you demonstrate the contents before hitting the event marker point). You can do the four shrines in any order and there’s various ways of overcoming the obstacles like the cold weather, some of which are highly intuitive.
@@jonwallace6204 That's the one at Kakariko, right? I too found myself wishing I had visited it waaaaay earlier. Such an open-ended design is a double-edged sword.
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.
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'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
One fun approach to taking away the player's powers can be to start them out as some other character. I played a great game ages ago where you start out as a hero with a classic RPG party, and one of the party members mentors/tutorialises you through the first level... until you get killed by the first boss and it turns out the weak-but-wise mentor character is actually the main character of the game. It managed to be funny, set up the main themes of the game, and set you back to the bottom of the power curve without making you feel like someone took away your toys.
@@ignorethis214 Sadly no. The game itself was kind of frustrating, and I stopped playing it after a while, so I don't remember what it was called. But that intro chapter was really memorable.
Sounds familiar. I was thinking Final Fantasy 12, but the roles are slightly different than your description. I might browse tvtropes later, see what I can find
Not exactly first LEVELS per say, but I do want to point out a significant difference between the starts of Pokémon Sun and Moon, and Pokémon Sword and Shield. Sun and Moon, you have to go through every tutorial. Good for first time players, especially young players, but frustrating for veterans and repeat playthroughs. Sword and Shield on the other hand allows you to skip some of the tutorials easily, and even have special dialogue if, say, you catch a Pokémon before the catching tutorial. The latter is very much appreciated.
As someone who loved SuMo and loathed SwSh, I have to say that SwSh has a really good opening in comparison to SuMo's hour long slog. Neither are perfect, but SwSh really pulls you in, especially if you're a first time player. Thinking about it after playing Legends makes me hopeful for Gen 9 and its intro.
The mandatory catching tutorials never should have been a thing in the first place. It was optional in Gen 1 and I don’t think it even existed in Gen 2, right at the beginning of the series when nobody knew how it worked yet. Why the hell they made it a series staple to force you into a slow scripted battle every generation afterwards until SWSH, I have no fucking clue.
@@rainpooper7088 So mandatory catching tutorials start with Gen 3 or such? I'm a poor person so we never really had the chance to play pokemon as kids, but if the gen 1 one is optional and gen 2 didn't have one... It does make me wonder But I Do very much agree that it should be optional - and certainly automatically skipped if you've already caught a pokemon before the tutorial itself PLA's tutorial is pretty aight because it's a different feel altogether, but the main thing is that you're the one doing the catching, not some NPC whom you can't influence and are instead forced to sit idly by and watch as things slowly move across the screen
Oh Sun and Moon are notorious for excessive cut scenes. It isn't just about tutorials. Personally I didn't mind them. It is fair to only have enough mandatory events to allow the player to get thier first Pokemon from the professor. Otherwize they are free to go. There can be optional lessons for beggeners. It is just that veterans shouldn't be forced into that.
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.
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.
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'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.
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
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
I played Mario 64 when it first came out, and the opening playtime outside of the castle was such a revelation of how much pure joy could be wrought from a game's controls that I spent quarter of an hour just running and jumping around out there, happy and carefree.
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.
10:27 ...or you can take the neutral mission 10 times. You only need to complete the Hero or Dark missions in Westopolis if you want to visit the hero/dark stage that comes after, of to visit all stages, but to get all endings you could just go neutral all the way to the fourth stage, and then choose a path.
@@GoldenJLR Yes, you can. To get to the final stage and final boss, you need to see every regular ending (at 9:09, the ten circles on the right), but not necessarily every stage. Only the first stage is mandatory, since you can't start anywhere else.
Which makes no difference at all. 1, in terms of the bad design of the first level, even the neutral mission isn't fun 10 times over. It's a boring level. I don't want to do the neutral mission 10 times. 2, not a concern of this video, but at some point you still do have to engage with the very bad missions the game offers. So I didn't kill 45 soldiers in level 1. But now I have to kill 50 enemies in some other level to get a different ending. Delaying the tedious missions doesn't fix the problem at all.
@@mjc0961 Honestly, I agree with your points. Westopolis is not a good stage by itself (although it's a "good" representation of the rest of the game, in a ironic sense), and the mission system as a whole feels disconnected from the stages most of the time (with collect-a-thon/kill-a-thon missions in long linear stages). I do like some of the ideas in Shadow the Hedgehog, but the execution is sorely lacking. My original comment was just about pointing out Warbot's small slip up, since he contradicted himself in the space of two sentences. The internet loves to dunk on Sonic or Sega, but in this specific case, they weren't (completely) at fault =P
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.
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.
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 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.
The first week in Persona 4 Golden (and presumably the original P4, though I've never played it) did an incredible job of giving me that "This'll be good" feeling even in my second and third playthroughs. Its quick jumping between the protagonist's cryptic dream, the first murder, the introduction of the Midnight Channel, the second murder, the discovery of the mysterious TV world, and the initial summoning of Izanagi leading up to the combat tutorial makes for a great pace for easing a new player into the game's world while allowing a returning player to re-enter the action in a timely manner.
I want to start by saying Persona 4 is and will forever be one of my dearest games ever. However when I first started p4 on ps2 the beginning felt so incredibly slow that I almost quit before the game actually began. In p4 story plays a big part so it makes sense that they waned to setup it properly, but for me it felt like hours before I had any meaningful control or input aside of press to get the next textbox. Golden felt much smoother ride although I'm not sure if that was because I knew what to expect or was it actually paced better and the additional voice acting in golden definitely helped. Persona 5 perfected the beginning pacing in my opinion throwing you immediately in and teaching mechanics and the dumping lore in to your face with an enticing mystery right from the get-go.
@@varajalka I've never played it because I don't have a PlayStation, so I wouldn't know. I'll keep that in mind for when they port it to PC in 2045, though.
@@indecision6326 No real need to play original sense golden has everything original had and more. Only thing I liked more in the original was opening intro. Just wanted to write about p4 tbh 😅
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.
Prologue in NieR:Automata is probably my favorite "first level" of any game. The first line you hear ingame is "Everything that lives is designed to end.", which is a true statement and fairly neutral in tone. Then it suddenly turns very dark and ends with "I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him (speaking of God)." Yoko Taro's writing is all about subverting expectations, this line and the entire game really is no exception. First lesson learned. First actual gameplay is a Shmup, transitioning to a bullet hell style game of the vertical, horizontal and isometric variety. Then there is a regular foot soldier part, a 3D hack and slash style which also fluidly transitions between 3D, top down and 2D. All the while the game prompts tutorial messages for you such as ranged attacks and close range controls. Second important lesson: Game really likes to play with camera angles / you know how to move, congratulations. In the meantime, the second main character is briefly introduced and players are able to already get a feel for the connection of the Two. Again, setting up the stage to completely turn the image later on. It is also worth mentioning that the skill floor in this game is really low. In easy mode, you can even equip items to auto dodge & attack if the rather fast paced playstyle of Platinum Games is overwhelming for some who are just there for the story. That being said, the skill ceiling on the contrary is also incredibly high. Combo variations are seemingly endless with all the weapons to collect and their unique abilities, changing moveset depending on which character you play. Normal is "normal", hard mode makes enemies faster and stronger to the point of them easily killing you if you don't pay attention and properly interact with the game's mechanics. Very Hard is nuts and every hit you take is a guaranteed one shot every single time, making Prologue incredibly challenging for anyone willing to put themselves through it. You get reset to the very beginning of the section every time you die in Prologue, that's why. TL;DR: In NieR:Automata everyone wins
I've always felt that Paper Mario 64 had a weak start. Mostly because you don't get the action commands till post prologue. Not only is it boring to replay due to limited options, but I don't think it does a good job selling itself. Maybe people playing it for the first time will see the small numbers, basic attacks, and slow battle system and think that is what they whole game will be like. They will have no idea that the game has an awesome badge system with engaging action commands. I think Thousand Year Door handled this much better. The Lord Krump fight at the beginning gives you the opportunity to realize action commands exist and soon after your first fight in the sewers is fighting a normal goomba, a spiked goomba, and a flying goomba all at once which teaches you only certain attacks work on certain enemies. These two sections already accomplish more than what Paper Maria 64 accomplishes in it's first Prologue. This is a shame though cause Paper Mario 64 is a great game. I just wish it was easier to recommend to people without me having to say, "don't worry it gets better"
I love TTYD, its opener is cutscene, walk 5 feet past a save block, boss fight, exposition, instructional fights. I would say my favorite level in it is Glitzville, its just such a fun series of fights and plot and the restrictions really mess up your default strategies improving your skills. And when i played paper Mario 64 i was so confused why i couldn't use action commands so i looked it up (its unplayable without them) and i have just gotten them but haven't had time to olay more.
Agreed that Thousand Year Door handled the intro better, but a few things in the defense of how 64 handled things. A lot of those things do exist in the prolouge, they're just more spread out and were refined in Thousand Year door. For example you do get a badge and a partner before the boss and you are introduced to the various enemy types even before then. Plus I think part of the reason it takes so long to get Action Commands was because it was the first Paper Mario, so they would want to ease players into that system by letting them first play a "normal RPG" for a chapter. I do agree it does take away from repeat playthroughs though. Playing a lot of mods that already have Action Commands from the start, I can attest that prologue is a lot more enjoyable when you have that feature from the start and they probably could of gotten away with introducing the player to the highlights of the gameplay sooner.
@@JackitK Those are some good points. I'm pretty sure Paper Mario 64 was the first RPG I ever played as a kid besides Pokemon. Although, I'm not sure if the action commands would have confused me or not. Either way though outside of the slow start, Paper Mario 64 is an excellent game
This makes me think about Super Mario 3D World's first level and how quickly you get the Super Bell to become Cat Mario. Really shows how they designed the game around Cat Mario rather than base Mario.
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
One of my favorite opening levels/sequences has to be from Brave Fencer Musashi. Brought into a new world, you don't really have much of an idea of what is going on, but with its simple controls, it gently eases you in while teaching you some fundamental mechanics as you climb the tower and obtain your second sword, which then gets highlighted as you're thrown into the first boss fight. The music being incredible also helps a lot.
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!
for me, my all time favorite "First Level" will always be the Kokiri Forest and Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time, it was always fun to just goof around in the forest there and jump around and cut bushes and stuff
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
I don't know if it's exactly well designed but I loved how Saint's Row the third open ups with a high stakes bank robbery that keeps getting more over the top and ridiculous as it goes, it does a great job of setting up the comedic tone for the rest of the game.
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
One of my favorite first levels gotta be Shovel Knight's, which draws inspiration from Megaman X and other older games back when tutorials weren't a thing, where you'd learn the game simply by _playing_ the game?
Yakuza 0's got a pretty good opening stage too! The first chapter sets Kiryu's relationships with Nishiki, Kazama and the three Dojima Family lieutenants really smoothly, and it gives the game's first antagonistic figure in Lieutenant Kuze - which you'll then get to beat to a pulp in the chapter's finishing sequence, after quite the buildup on how much he sucks. Then there's the game's *second* opening stage: the start of Majima's route, which seems completely unrelated at first, set in a whole different city, but will intertwine with Kiryu's story later down the line. It sets off on a 20-minute long cutscene, slowly drawing a picture of the new location the game just threw the player in - and if you already know who Majima is, from past games or otherwise, it only builds up the hype when it finally dawns on you this is the part where he appears. His suave personality is as expertly shown off, through his more sleek moveset than Kiryu's and his snide remarks, as is the predicament he's been placed in: forced to work under an unlikable boss as an extension of his punishment for going against his *actual* boss in the past, the game immediately paints in this layer of depth that will only get more explored later on. Anyway: great introductions to two gaming icons, whether you've played a Yakuza game before or not.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mario&Luigi: Dream Team had an absolutely horrendous first level. The entire opening section plus the first dungeon are one big tutorial hell. This was the *freaking fourth* game in the series too, we know how to jump by now. I miss AlphaDream…
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.
Persona 5’s first level is quite interesting, it shows very far into the game to start, then throughout the game you’re taken back to a sequence at the start of the game to remind you what’s going to happen, just to make the reveal when you finally get the that part of the game, SO much better.
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.
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.
I think a good note would have been Halo. The first level is a tight, corridor shooter on a spaceship. Then the second you start level two, BAM, most open level in the game. There's a reason everyone's first memory of Halo is stepping out of the escape pod. Pillar of Autumn was basically an entire level dedicated to setting up that moment. The contrast itself representing the mix that the rest of the game will feature.... even if the overall game did end up leaning a bit too heavily one way.
They captured that same feeling with halo infinite as well. I get chills every time at the end of warship g'braakon as chief emerges from all the debris of the ship and the camera pans up to reveal zeta halo
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
I've always really liked the opening level in Metroid Prime. You've got power-ups, but nowhere near all of the ones you ultimately get, there's enemies that should be strong (are are later in the game) but are weaker for reasons consistent with the storyline, there's a proper boss fight right out the gate, classic Metroid escape sequence, you lose the power-ups for logical reasons, and theres so much optional story material available that you can either breeze by or immerse yourself in without consequence either way. Plus, it means that second playthroughs are so much more interesting because even though the mechanics are already learned, you can experience the story components in a totally new context, and really understand what was happening on the ship prior to you responding to the distress signal. And for the completionists out there, it rewards being thorough, because there are story logs that can only be attained during the opener. Plus! It's not a one and done. You return to the opening level later in the game in a whole new context - the ship has crashed, so areas you've seen before are now destroyed, and on top of that, the ship landed upside down, so the rooms and the map are familiar but inverted, making it both fresh and grounded at the same time. AND - second playthroughs again reward the player with even more context for story elements you only encounter after the crash. You're confused about what's going on during the opener. By the time you come back later on, you have more context for what you saw earlier, but now have more questions coming from what you discover this time then, on a second playthrough, both scenes are re-contextualized *again*. It's fantastic.
Metal Gear Rising has a very good first level, in my opinion. You see the capabilities of your foes in the opening cutscene, learn how to block and attack with basic enemies (and how ninja running blocks bullets), and Blade Mode is pretty satisfying to just chop things to pieces. Then you're thrown into a fight with a modified Metal Gear RAY. You were just fighting basic soldiers and now you're fighting a giant mech that's multiple stories tall. But what this fight teaches you is what to look out for to use Blade Mode; the slight blue tinting of the screen and the sound effect booming in your ears. Not to mention the music that just pumps you up. It also teaches you how to properly dodge and that some enemy attacks can be cut with Blade Mode, since it ALSO slows down time while in it. And in the end, it introduces quick time button presses (common around 2012-2013), but amps it up by having Raiden throwing this skyscraper sized mech into the air. A spectacle that still looks amazing to this day. And then you get dunked on by the Weakest Brazilian Man, showing you that Raiden isn't at his peak.
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.
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.
"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."
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 wish Shadow had opted just to have branching paths in its levels that led to a "good" or "bad" goal ring aalong with the neutral one instead of the tedious missions it did come up with.
When it comes to excellent first levels, what comes to mind is the split opening in Super Mario World, where you get to choose between two to start with. It's a great introduction to World's choice-based gameplay.
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.
A great In Medias Res is Persona 5 and 5 Royal, but I suppose you've talked enough Persona 5 in good design bad design series. Amazing video, as always!
We need a sequel ^^; Keep the same 4 teams, but add Team Babylon (Jet, Wave and Storm), Team Future (Blaze, Silver and Sticks) and Team Hooligan (Fang, Bean and Bark), have all 7 teams getting ONE Chaos Emerald, thus unlocking the final level.
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.
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.
Kingdom Hearts is a weird example because there can be three first levels. Destiny Islands teaches you combat basics, and gives you four sparring partners to put it into practice, as well as the first Heartless boss. Traverse Town is the first place you can fight back against the Heartless in the standard field fights, and sets up a good chunk of lore with the Final Fantasy characters. Coliseum or Wonderland act as the first Disney world, the kind of world you’ll see most and set up an angle of the Disney Villain Coalition.
BEFORE I WATCH THIS DUDE I SWEAR I'm literally working on a platformer, I have all of the main levels finished, and I'm currently working on the actual first level of the game and I've been struggling all week trying to find the right elements of making it. I've read my game design book, whenever I look it up or ask on forums people always think I'm talking about my "first level ever". So I appreciate this timely upload and I hope this helps.
for a super recent example of a good first level, I have to give a shout out to Pokemon Legends: Arceus' combo of Prelude Beach & Obsidian Fieldlands. One gets you used to the basic controls of throwing things while the other is a great introduction to the general gameplay flow that teaches you about the different types of Pokemon behavior & you can EASILY spend hours in the area just catching Pokemon before you move on through the main plot (one of my friends damn near 100%ed that area before moving on to the mirelands because they felt like it).
I think this video could have benefited from some bad examples. For example, Twilight Princess' opening seems to go on forever and is extremely hand-holding.
I KNOW, RIGHT??? I have a save on my memory card specifically for playing subsequent runs of the game. It's saved just after you start the "real" part of the game, so I'll just make a copy of that file and skip to the good parts.
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
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.
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.
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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*
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.
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 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.
Your subtitle efforts do not go unnoticed Doc!
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'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.
I know it's been said a thousand times, but Breath of the Wild's Great Plateau is an excellent "first level" of sorts. You're very quickly thrown into a microcosm of the game at large, able to start exploring, climbing, fighting weak (and avoiding a few strong) enemies, collecting things, and while you are given some direction you're very free to go your own way as well.
I agree. For a new player, it's a means to learning the mechanics of the game in a relaxed way. For subsequent runs, the time spent on the Plateau isn't necessarily wasted because you can spend time gathering resources for when you leave, like food and critters/monster parts.
The complete lack of hand holding is Nintendo putting trust in the player. There are enough hints for people who need it but it’s nowhere near the scrolling though tutorials you’d get in a Pokemon game even if you’ve played it before and know how a Pokémon Center works and how to catch a Pokémon (Sun and Moon/Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are very bad for this but Sword and Shield do deactivate tutorial markers if you demonstrate the contents before hitting the event marker point). You can do the four shrines in any order and there’s various ways of overcoming the obstacles like the cold weather, some of which are highly intuitive.
I disagree, I missed the shrine that taught most of the combat my first time through and didn’t notice it until I had 100+ hours in.
@@jonwallace6204 the great plateau doesn't have a shrine for fighting, and clearly doesn't need one
@@jonwallace6204 That's the one at Kakariko, right? I too found myself wishing I had visited it waaaaay earlier. Such an open-ended design is a double-edged sword.
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.
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!
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.
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'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
One fun approach to taking away the player's powers can be to start them out as some other character. I played a great game ages ago where you start out as a hero with a classic RPG party, and one of the party members mentors/tutorialises you through the first level... until you get killed by the first boss and it turns out the weak-but-wise mentor character is actually the main character of the game. It managed to be funny, set up the main themes of the game, and set you back to the bottom of the power curve without making you feel like someone took away your toys.
Any chance you remember what it was called?
@@ignorethis214 Sadly no. The game itself was kind of frustrating, and I stopped playing it after a while, so I don't remember what it was called. But that intro chapter was really memorable.
@@Salsmachev know what platform it was on?
Sounds familiar. I was thinking Final Fantasy 12, but the roles are slightly different than your description. I might browse tvtropes later, see what I can find
@@ThinkOutsideTheBlocks It was an indie PC game I downloaded somewhere. Probably off of itch?
Not exactly first LEVELS per say, but I do want to point out a significant difference between the starts of Pokémon Sun and Moon, and Pokémon Sword and Shield. Sun and Moon, you have to go through every tutorial. Good for first time players, especially young players, but frustrating for veterans and repeat playthroughs. Sword and Shield on the other hand allows you to skip some of the tutorials easily, and even have special dialogue if, say, you catch a Pokémon before the catching tutorial. The latter is very much appreciated.
As someone who loved SuMo and loathed SwSh, I have to say that SwSh has a really good opening in comparison to SuMo's hour long slog. Neither are perfect, but SwSh really pulls you in, especially if you're a first time player. Thinking about it after playing Legends makes me hopeful for Gen 9 and its intro.
The mandatory catching tutorials never should have been a thing in the first place. It was optional in Gen 1 and I don’t think it even existed in Gen 2, right at the beginning of the series when nobody knew how it worked yet. Why the hell they made it a series staple to force you into a slow scripted battle every generation afterwards until SWSH, I have no fucking clue.
@@rainpooper7088 So mandatory catching tutorials start with Gen 3 or such? I'm a poor person so we never really had the chance to play pokemon as kids, but if the gen 1 one is optional and gen 2 didn't have one... It does make me wonder
But I Do very much agree that it should be optional - and certainly automatically skipped if you've already caught a pokemon before the tutorial itself
PLA's tutorial is pretty aight because it's a different feel altogether, but the main thing is that you're the one doing the catching, not some NPC whom you can't influence and are instead forced to sit idly by and watch as things slowly move across the screen
@@rainpooper7088 gen 2 DID had a tutorial. It was optional though.
Oh Sun and Moon are notorious for excessive cut scenes. It isn't just about tutorials. Personally I didn't mind them. It is fair to only have enough mandatory events to allow the player to get thier first Pokemon from the professor. Otherwize they are free to go. There can be optional lessons for beggeners. It is just that veterans shouldn't be forced into that.
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.
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.
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'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.
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
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
I played Mario 64 when it first came out, and the opening playtime outside of the castle was such a revelation of how much pure joy could be wrought from a game's controls that I spent quarter of an hour just running and jumping around out there, happy and carefree.
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.
10:27 ...or you can take the neutral mission 10 times.
You only need to complete the Hero or Dark missions in Westopolis if you want to visit the hero/dark stage that comes after, of to visit all stages, but to get all endings you could just go neutral all the way to the fourth stage, and then choose a path.
Can you even unlock the final boss without playing all the levels?
@@GoldenJLR Yes, you can. To get to the final stage and final boss, you need to see every regular ending (at 9:09, the ten circles on the right), but not necessarily every stage. Only the first stage is mandatory, since you can't start anywhere else.
Which makes no difference at all.
1, in terms of the bad design of the first level, even the neutral mission isn't fun 10 times over. It's a boring level. I don't want to do the neutral mission 10 times.
2, not a concern of this video, but at some point you still do have to engage with the very bad missions the game offers. So I didn't kill 45 soldiers in level 1. But now I have to kill 50 enemies in some other level to get a different ending. Delaying the tedious missions doesn't fix the problem at all.
@@mjc0961 Honestly, I agree with your points. Westopolis is not a good stage by itself (although it's a "good" representation of the rest of the game, in a ironic sense), and the mission system as a whole feels disconnected from the stages most of the time (with collect-a-thon/kill-a-thon missions in long linear stages). I do like some of the ideas in Shadow the Hedgehog, but the execution is sorely lacking.
My original comment was just about pointing out Warbot's small slip up, since he contradicted himself in the space of two sentences. The internet loves to dunk on Sonic or Sega, but in this specific case, they weren't (completely) at fault =P
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.
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.
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 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.
The first week in Persona 4 Golden (and presumably the original P4, though I've never played it) did an incredible job of giving me that "This'll be good" feeling even in my second and third playthroughs. Its quick jumping between the protagonist's cryptic dream, the first murder, the introduction of the Midnight Channel, the second murder, the discovery of the mysterious TV world, and the initial summoning of Izanagi leading up to the combat tutorial makes for a great pace for easing a new player into the game's world while allowing a returning player to re-enter the action in a timely manner.
I want to start by saying Persona 4 is and will forever be one of my dearest games ever. However when I first started p4 on ps2 the beginning felt so incredibly slow that I almost quit before the game actually began. In p4 story plays a big part so it makes sense that they waned to setup it properly, but for me it felt like hours before I had any meaningful control or input aside of press to get the next textbox. Golden felt much smoother ride although I'm not sure if that was because I knew what to expect or was it actually paced better and the additional voice acting in golden definitely helped. Persona 5 perfected the beginning pacing in my opinion throwing you immediately in and teaching mechanics and the dumping lore in to your face with an enticing mystery right from the get-go.
@@varajalka I've never played it because I don't have a PlayStation, so I wouldn't know. I'll keep that in mind for when they port it to PC in 2045, though.
@@indecision6326 No real need to play original sense golden has everything original had and more. Only thing I liked more in the original was opening intro. Just wanted to write about p4 tbh 😅
TV channels? Is the game about media manipulating people's opinion?
@@Shrek_es_mi_pastor
Seeking the truth more than anything.
Especially the truth of your inner self.
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.
Prologue in NieR:Automata is probably my favorite "first level" of any game.
The first line you hear ingame is "Everything that lives is designed to end.", which is a true statement and fairly neutral in tone. Then it suddenly turns very dark and ends with "I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him (speaking of God)." Yoko Taro's writing is all about subverting expectations, this line and the entire game really is no exception. First lesson learned.
First actual gameplay is a Shmup, transitioning to a bullet hell style game of the vertical, horizontal and isometric variety. Then there is a regular foot soldier part, a 3D hack and slash style which also fluidly transitions between 3D, top down and 2D. All the while the game prompts tutorial messages for you such as ranged attacks and close range controls. Second important lesson: Game really likes to play with camera angles / you know how to move, congratulations.
In the meantime, the second main character is briefly introduced and players are able to already get a feel for the connection of the Two. Again, setting up the stage to completely turn the image later on.
It is also worth mentioning that the skill floor in this game is really low. In easy mode, you can even equip items to auto dodge & attack if the rather fast paced playstyle of Platinum Games is overwhelming for some who are just there for the story.
That being said, the skill ceiling on the contrary is also incredibly high. Combo variations are seemingly endless with all the weapons to collect and their unique abilities, changing moveset depending on which character you play.
Normal is "normal", hard mode makes enemies faster and stronger to the point of them easily killing you if you don't pay attention and properly interact with the game's mechanics.
Very Hard is nuts and every hit you take is a guaranteed one shot every single time, making Prologue incredibly challenging for anyone willing to put themselves through it. You get reset to the very beginning of the section every time you die in Prologue, that's why.
TL;DR: In NieR:Automata everyone wins
I've always felt that Paper Mario 64 had a weak start. Mostly because you don't get the action commands till post prologue. Not only is it boring to replay due to limited options, but I don't think it does a good job selling itself. Maybe people playing it for the first time will see the small numbers, basic attacks, and slow battle system and think that is what they whole game will be like. They will have no idea that the game has an awesome badge system with engaging action commands.
I think Thousand Year Door handled this much better. The Lord Krump fight at the beginning gives you the opportunity to realize action commands exist and soon after your first fight in the sewers is fighting a normal goomba, a spiked goomba, and a flying goomba all at once which teaches you only certain attacks work on certain enemies. These two sections already accomplish more than what Paper Maria 64 accomplishes in it's first Prologue.
This is a shame though cause Paper Mario 64 is a great game. I just wish it was easier to recommend to people without me having to say, "don't worry it gets better"
It's especially disappointing when Mario RPG before nailed the opening super well.
I love TTYD, its opener is cutscene, walk 5 feet past a save block, boss fight, exposition, instructional fights.
I would say my favorite level in it is Glitzville, its just such a fun series of fights and plot and the restrictions really mess up your default strategies improving your skills.
And when i played paper Mario 64 i was so confused why i couldn't use action commands so i looked it up (its unplayable without them) and i have just gotten them but haven't had time to olay more.
Agreed that Thousand Year Door handled the intro better, but a few things in the defense of how 64 handled things. A lot of those things do exist in the prolouge, they're just more spread out and were refined in Thousand Year door. For example you do get a badge and a partner before the boss and you are introduced to the various enemy types even before then. Plus I think part of the reason it takes so long to get Action Commands was because it was the first Paper Mario, so they would want to ease players into that system by letting them first play a "normal RPG" for a chapter. I do agree it does take away from repeat playthroughs though. Playing a lot of mods that already have Action Commands from the start, I can attest that prologue is a lot more enjoyable when you have that feature from the start and they probably could of gotten away with introducing the player to the highlights of the gameplay sooner.
@@JackitK Those are some good points. I'm pretty sure Paper Mario 64 was the first RPG I ever played as a kid besides Pokemon. Although, I'm not sure if the action commands would have confused me or not. Either way though outside of the slow start, Paper Mario 64 is an excellent game
I fell victim to this
I guess I gotta try the game again now
This makes me think about Super Mario 3D World's first level and how quickly you get the Super Bell to become Cat Mario. Really shows how they designed the game around Cat Mario rather than base Mario.
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
One of my favorite opening levels/sequences has to be from Brave Fencer Musashi. Brought into a new world, you don't really have much of an idea of what is going on, but with its simple controls, it gently eases you in while teaching you some fundamental mechanics as you climb the tower and obtain your second sword, which then gets highlighted as you're thrown into the first boss fight. The music being incredible also helps a lot.
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!
for me, my all time favorite "First Level" will always be the Kokiri Forest and Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time, it was always fun to just goof around in the forest there and jump around and cut bushes and stuff
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
I don't know if it's exactly well designed but I loved how Saint's Row the third open ups with a high stakes bank robbery that keeps getting more over the top and ridiculous as it goes, it does a great job of setting up the comedic tone for the rest of the game.
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
One of my favorite first levels gotta be Shovel Knight's, which draws inspiration from Megaman X and other older games back when tutorials weren't a thing, where you'd learn the game simply by _playing_ the game?
My favorite first level would definitely be a megaman game they're all great but i would probably pick X4. The worst one i've seen is Splinter Cell.
Yakuza 0's got a pretty good opening stage too! The first chapter sets Kiryu's relationships with Nishiki, Kazama and the three Dojima Family lieutenants really smoothly, and it gives the game's first antagonistic figure in Lieutenant Kuze - which you'll then get to beat to a pulp in the chapter's finishing sequence, after quite the buildup on how much he sucks.
Then there's the game's *second* opening stage: the start of Majima's route, which seems completely unrelated at first, set in a whole different city, but will intertwine with Kiryu's story later down the line. It sets off on a 20-minute long cutscene, slowly drawing a picture of the new location the game just threw the player in - and if you already know who Majima is, from past games or otherwise, it only builds up the hype when it finally dawns on you this is the part where he appears. His suave personality is as expertly shown off, through his more sleek moveset than Kiryu's and his snide remarks, as is the predicament he's been placed in: forced to work under an unlikable boss as an extension of his punishment for going against his *actual* boss in the past, the game immediately paints in this layer of depth that will only get more explored later on.
Anyway: great introductions to two gaming icons, whether you've played a Yakuza game before or not.
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.
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.
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.
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
Mario&Luigi: Dream Team had an absolutely horrendous first level. The entire opening section plus the first dungeon are one big tutorial hell. This was the *freaking fourth* game in the series too, we know how to jump by now.
I miss AlphaDream…
Quick note! _In mediās rēs_ actually means “inTO the middle of things”, which is an important distinction in Latin.
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.
Persona 5’s first level is quite interesting, it shows very far into the game to start, then throughout the game you’re taken back to a sequence at the start of the game to remind you what’s going to happen, just to make the reveal when you finally get the that part of the game, SO much better.
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.
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.
Did I just see Chrono Cross referenced in a what to do video?? This year sure is something great.
Yeah, and hopefully the remaster turns out well. I'm quite excited.
I think a good note would have been Halo.
The first level is a tight, corridor shooter on a spaceship. Then the second you start level two, BAM, most open level in the game. There's a reason everyone's first memory of Halo is stepping out of the escape pod. Pillar of Autumn was basically an entire level dedicated to setting up that moment.
The contrast itself representing the mix that the rest of the game will feature.... even if the overall game did end up leaning a bit too heavily one way.
They captured that same feeling with halo infinite as well. I get chills every time at the end of warship g'braakon as chief emerges from all the debris of the ship and the camera pans up to reveal zeta halo
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Starting with the sonic unleashed windmill isle OST, so good!
This is also why the first battle in Pokémon doesn't cost you money of you lose.
Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of all time and I love going through Good Egg Galaxy every time
the music… the environment… the low grav play… the boss battle… perfection
A great first level from a narrative perspective is persona 5. The casino level really sets the tone for the whole game.
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.
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.
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.
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.
uses seaside hill and westopolis
only passingly acknowledges city escape
I've always really liked the opening level in Metroid Prime. You've got power-ups, but nowhere near all of the ones you ultimately get, there's enemies that should be strong (are are later in the game) but are weaker for reasons consistent with the storyline, there's a proper boss fight right out the gate, classic Metroid escape sequence, you lose the power-ups for logical reasons, and theres so much optional story material available that you can either breeze by or immerse yourself in without consequence either way. Plus, it means that second playthroughs are so much more interesting because even though the mechanics are already learned, you can experience the story components in a totally new context, and really understand what was happening on the ship prior to you responding to the distress signal. And for the completionists out there, it rewards being thorough, because there are story logs that can only be attained during the opener.
Plus! It's not a one and done. You return to the opening level later in the game in a whole new context - the ship has crashed, so areas you've seen before are now destroyed, and on top of that, the ship landed upside down, so the rooms and the map are familiar but inverted, making it both fresh and grounded at the same time.
AND - second playthroughs again reward the player with even more context for story elements you only encounter after the crash. You're confused about what's going on during the opener. By the time you come back later on, you have more context for what you saw earlier, but now have more questions coming from what you discover this time then, on a second playthrough, both scenes are re-contextualized *again*. It's fantastic.
Metal Gear Rising has a very good first level, in my opinion. You see the capabilities of your foes in the opening cutscene, learn how to block and attack with basic enemies (and how ninja running blocks bullets), and Blade Mode is pretty satisfying to just chop things to pieces.
Then you're thrown into a fight with a modified Metal Gear RAY. You were just fighting basic soldiers and now you're fighting a giant mech that's multiple stories tall. But what this fight teaches you is what to look out for to use Blade Mode; the slight blue tinting of the screen and the sound effect booming in your ears. Not to mention the music that just pumps you up. It also teaches you how to properly dodge and that some enemy attacks can be cut with Blade Mode, since it ALSO slows down time while in it. And in the end, it introduces quick time button presses (common around 2012-2013), but amps it up by having Raiden throwing this skyscraper sized mech into the air. A spectacle that still looks amazing to this day.
And then you get dunked on by the Weakest Brazilian Man, showing you that Raiden isn't at his peak.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
I wish Shadow had opted just to have branching paths in its levels that led to a "good" or "bad" goal ring aalong with the neutral one instead of the tedious missions it did come up with.
When it comes to excellent first levels, what comes to mind is the split opening in Super Mario World, where you get to choose between two to start with. It's a great introduction to World's choice-based gameplay.
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.
A great In Medias Res is Persona 5 and 5 Royal, but I suppose you've talked enough Persona 5 in good design bad design series. Amazing video, as always!
I totally forgot about Sonic Heroes - that game was amazing!
Not at all
@@ikagura to 12 y.o. me, it was.
Mixed bag. Great gameplay concept that's mostly implemented well, but bogged down by awkward cutscenes and the subpar battle royale stages.
We need a sequel ^^; Keep the same 4 teams, but add Team Babylon (Jet, Wave and Storm), Team Future (Blaze, Silver and Sticks) and Team Hooligan (Fang, Bean and Bark), have all 7 teams getting ONE Chaos Emerald, thus unlocking the final level.
@@BonaparteBardithion Like most Sonic games
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.
Surprised there was no mention of the Plains of Passage, but I guess that's been talked to death already.
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.
Kingdom Hearts is a weird example because there can be three first levels. Destiny Islands teaches you combat basics, and gives you four sparring partners to put it into practice, as well as the first Heartless boss. Traverse Town is the first place you can fight back against the Heartless in the standard field fights, and sets up a good chunk of lore with the Final Fantasy characters. Coliseum or Wonderland act as the first Disney world, the kind of world you’ll see most and set up an angle of the Disney Villain Coalition.
BEFORE I WATCH THIS DUDE I SWEAR I'm literally working on a platformer, I have all of the main levels finished, and I'm currently working on the actual first level of the game and I've been struggling all week trying to find the right elements of making it. I've read my game design book, whenever I look it up or ask on forums people always think I'm talking about my "first level ever". So I appreciate this timely upload and I hope this helps.
for a super recent example of a good first level, I have to give a shout out to Pokemon Legends: Arceus' combo of Prelude Beach & Obsidian Fieldlands. One gets you used to the basic controls of throwing things while the other is a great introduction to the general gameplay flow that teaches you about the different types of Pokemon behavior & you can EASILY spend hours in the area just catching Pokemon before you move on through the main plot (one of my friends damn near 100%ed that area before moving on to the mirelands because they felt like it).
I think this video could have benefited from some bad examples. For example, Twilight Princess' opening seems to go on forever and is extremely hand-holding.
I KNOW, RIGHT??? I have a save on my memory card specifically for playing subsequent runs of the game. It's saved just after you start the "real" part of the game, so I'll just make a copy of that file and skip to the good parts.
I agree with that. More bad or borderline examples and how to improve them would've been nice to see covered.
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
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.
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.