A recent social media post saw gamers criticizing how some games don’t give out the best items until the very end., withPokemon Legends: Arceussingled out as a uniquely bad example. While this might be justifiable in titles with aNew Game+ mode, it’s odd that so many games do this even when they don’t have one.
The question of how to reward players for their accomplishments is something that many games struggle with. Developers must find a careful balance withitem progression in video games. Giving the best gear out too early hurts the sense of progression, while handing it out too late in the game means that players don’t get to enjoy it. The worst examples are the games that make players experience the whole game before getting the best items.
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Reddit user Pender8911 brought this up in a post titled “Dear devs: stop giving me the best gear when there’s nothing left to do.” While the user’s message was for game developers in general, they singled outPokemon Legends: Arceusas an example of the worst-case scenario. The 2022 action RPG features 242 Pokemon, including the titular Arceus. However, players don’t get Arceus until they finish the main story, and unlocking all of Arceus' Plates requires finding every secret and catching every other Pokemon. By that point, there’s nothing left to do in the game.
The Reddit user also dismissed the argument that games need an end reward or players won’t finish them. They feel that if a game is compelling enough, players will finish it anyway, and if it isn’t, developers shouldn’t use items to entice players who aren’t having fun. They also argued that there’s no excuse forgames likePokemon Legends: Arceusnot to feature a New Game+ option.
This Reddit post kicked off a discussion of how other games handled their item progression. Fans brought upFar Cry 3andHalf-life 2as positive examples, where players had plenty of time to use the best weapons. Meanwhile, another gamer brought up Odin’s Spear fromAssassin’s Creed: Valhallaas an example of doing it wrong, as players must complete almost everything in the base game. There is also the case of Lionhead’sFable, which initially locked the Sword of Aeons behind the final boss.The Lost Chapter’s re-release fixed this, only to nerf the Sword of Aeons and introduce new items with similar problems.
As some commenters pointed out, many games use this to incentivize players to purchase DLC. However, one would hope the DLC are compelling enough that they don’t need to hold base-game items hostage.
