Elden Ring – Jeff Vogel’s Impressions

Having recently completed Elden Ring, Spiderweb Software’s Jeff Vogel has put together an impressive blog post where he talks about his playthrough and how it can be okay and even good for games to be playful, mischievous, and break all their rules.

Here’s an excerpt:

Maybe Every Game Should Have Three “Bad” Design Choices

One of my main problems with game design these days (which I too often fall victim to) is a design to shave off the rough edges. To make everything precise and perfectly balanced and meticulously explained. To make sure the numbers line up perfectly and nothing is broken. To always be fair and never be frustrating.

This flaw can be taken to comical extremes. Like games that tell you the solution to a puzzle a few seconds after you reach it. Or World of Warcraft, where your equipment is reduced to nothing but a clot of numbers. (“I had a 351 point sword. But now I upgraded to a 356 point sword. yay”) I tried Horizon Zero Dawn after Elden Ring, and I had to quit. It just felt like a Disney ride.

These are games! Playthings, meant to provide fun, surprise, and the ability to challenge your wits and reflexes. They should have mischief! You should troll your players every once in a while, to keep them on their toes.

In my earliest games, I included a spell called Quickfire that made magic fire that spread uncontrollably. You could enter a dungeon, throw quickfire to kill everyone, and just leave. It was terrible design, and I could never bring myself to do this again. Players loved it. There is a reason why my old games will always be more popular than my new games.

I think just about every game would be better if the designers added three rough edges. A plot or design element that is never explained. An encounter that is a bit too hard. An item or ability that is way too good. Something that’s just silly or with a completely different tone than the rest of the game. Most importantly, something that gives a surprise.

It’s a game. Be playful. Maybe it’s OK to troll your players, as long as they can sense your joy in it. Joy is contagious.