Game Tropes You Like

[Neb]

What are common trends or tropes you see in games that you actually enjoy? This can be a gameplay mechanic, a graphical style, or even ways music affects games. Here are mine:

- I love relaxing music on pause screens. It gives the player a sense of relief after a tense moment and makes navigating menus more pleasant.

- Having the music change slightly when you do an action. For example in Pokémon Black and White the music adds drums when you start running.

- Cell shaded games with vibrant colors always look great and age incredibly well.

- Action RPGs where hitting the opponent from the side or behind increases damage.

- Music with lyrics during an important fight or cutscene.

 

[broolow]

- Factory levels, factory levels. Just a bunch of random machinery placed along a linear path not really producing anything.
- The main character being a too-cool-for-school wise-cracking idiot that never shuts up
- Same as the above but it's the comedy relief sidekick
- Random everyday objects that are just everywhere and are also worth a lot for some reason.
- Magical healing food being found in the most appropriate of places, like the floor or a trash can.
- Cool graphical effects and overly-animated menus that are clearly just there for the programmers to show off
- The ridiculously overpowered ULTIMATE weapon
- The ridiculously overpowered normal weapon that the devs didn't know was overpowered.
- Mid game, awesome soundtrack. Bonus points if it's some random licensed tie-in.
- An incredibly stupid story presented in an earnest manner, absolutely no insecure self-awareness whatsoever.

 

[.: Meri :.]

-Party chat! I usually have a much easier time getting attached to characters when this is in a game, and I feel like it makes the experience a lot more lively than when everybody's dead silent outside of important scenes. I especially when it's in the style of older Dragon Quest games, and they've got a ton of inconsequential dialogue/responses to random NPC conversations. It's a lot of fun that way.
-When games poke the fourth wall a little and call you out for behavior that wouldn't fly in real life, like when there's normally no consequence for barging into people's houses and breaking their pottery... except the one NPC who does yell at you for it.
-In-game achievements! It always feels rewarding when an achievement pops.
-Character-specific theme songs and/or leitmotifs! I feel like these can be really impactful too.
-Any optional thing where you can go a little out of your way to help others, NPC or actual players. Not necessarily like side-quests, but more like the option to assist a random NPC in a battle even when you only need to trigger the main fight, or recovering other players' lost items via the satchels in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. I like playing the hero lol

And I've got a couple specific to otome games:
-Menu option voice clips!! Especially when you can select the character, versus it just being random. I love when otome do this and I wish they'd do it more often—I've even seen one where the love interests tell you to read the copyright warning, which was really funny.
-I've also only seen this once, but I also really like when you can get commentary from the love interests' on their own CGs in the CG gallery. It's just a cute little extra, but I really love those. ;v;

 

[Corrie]

- Final boss battle or a final cutscene that plays the game's OP song
- 4th wall breaking, game that is self aware, uses memes or sarcastic humor
- When you don't know who the villain is and/or the villain turns out to be a character you were friends/ on a team with
- Character customization
- Designing your own house/secret base
- Collecting things as side missions (collecting the spray cans in Kirby Squeak Squad)

 

[Croconaw]

Character customization comes to mind immediately. It’s a huge plus for me.

 

[Neb]

I forgot to mention one of my favorite tropes! That being fighting the final boss in the sky or in space. Seeing the world below the player while fighting the main antagonist always feels so climatic.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Ohh I thought of a story trope I love in RPGs—any sort of on-the-run or banishment/exile arc. It's fun as a starting premise too, but I give extra bonus points if it happens mid or late game, so you're cut off from your usual routine and the places you'd normally visit. I've played a few games that have done something along these lines now, and every time I just get super into it and all the angst associated with wanting to clear your name etc. And by the time that part of the story is over, getting your freedom and/or the normal gameplay back is always really satisfying.

 

[LadyDestani]

So when I was a kid playing the NES, Dragon Warrior was one of my favorite games and it started the whole 'But thou must!' trope where you are forced to select a certain response or action to continue on with the story.

While I cannot deny that a game is much better if it offers the player true options where their choices make a difference, I still can't help laughing when I think about the hours that I spent in this loop because I refused to tell the Princess I loved her. Seriously, I had just met her. Why would I tell her I loved her!

 

[Belle T]

So when I was a kid playing the NES, Dragon Warrior was one of my favorite games and it started the whole 'But thou must!' trope where you are forced to select a certain response or action to continue on with the story.

While I cannot deny that a game is much better if it offers the player true options where their choices make a difference, I still can't help laughing when I think about the hours that I spent in this loop because I refused to tell the Princess I loved her. Seriously, I had just met her. Why would I tell her I loved her!

Player agency is important.

 

[Ghost Of Mascevanje]

Castle-themed levels or worlds. Haunted locations also (such as an abandoned house or ghost ship).

 

[Drawdler]

I really like when games have joke characters. It shows the devs were really willing to have fun with things, it isn’t too common to become unspecial, and potentially provides a fun challenge. Also, winning with them in multiplayer games is hype.

 

[Haru Okumura]

- A final duel with a rival character, especially in party-based RPGs where it's just you and the rival. I always make a save file before these fights just to revisit them.
- Fishing minigames. Or even just fishing.
- Multi-phase final bosses.

 

[ribbitribbon]

-multiple endings!! i like my choices fo matter
-a character gets another hair style at some point of the game, doesn’t have to represent anything tbh
-stories with a deeper meaning