I've been pondering this for a while now. What makes a beginning of a game great? How to best give the player the gameplay tutorial and set the narrative for the game?
I'm most in to games that let you explore the game world freely (not necessarily open world) without locking places after you've completed them. Zelda is probably my favorite series because of that. It's just that for example with the aforementioned Zelda series or for example Assasin's Creed games, the game can be quite restrictive and paternalistic on how you are introduced to the world. For me, bad examples of this are Twilight Princess and Assasin's creed 3 (I quit the game right after I got to part where you can explore the world more freely). I like it when games have a balance between showing and giving the player enough without restricting your own curiosity and without forcing you through. I have three examples of game introductions/tutorials I'm into.
Breath of the Wild
BotW was pretty much my most anticipated game of all time and in most parts it totally delivered. What makes the game special is how it gives so much within the first hour without making you feel overpowered or overexposed. Not only does it give you all the main abilities you use through out the run but it also lets you do it through your own experimenting and exploration.
The Plateau is like a miniature of the world in general. There are almost all different environment types (with the exception of the hot areas) and a lot of the features (enemy types and camps, a mini boss, hunting and cooking possibilities etc.) found in the overworld as well. There are multiple weapons and weapon types to be found literally minutes after you press the New game button in the home screen. There are multiple ways to stay warm when trekking the mountain and there are multiple ways to get to the top.
The game gives you enough information and skills to achieve the main goal of the tutorial (getting the 4 orbs) in your own order and at your own pace with you deciding the level of difficulty. It manages to do that without overbearing the player and also leaves the possibility for players to find out secrets that can help you get to your destination easier (like getting the warm tunic, which also works as the voluntary cooking tutorial).
After completing the mission the old man gives to you and after he has exposed the main narrative to the player, you can "escape" the tutorial and start exploring at your own will. At this point the game has introduced you to the story and gameplay basics in such a way that it entices you to find out what you can do with them in the bigger game world. IMO no game does this as well as BotW. First time I played the game I felt almost overwhelmed with the freedom it gave me.
Tutorial length: Casually 45-90 minutes. Depends a lot on player preferences.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Witcher 3 is the only game in my view to compete with BotW when it comes to general quality and content in a video game. As it is much more story driven, it also has to expose you to the general narrative and the world more. Still it manages to do it without forcing the player to go through multiple scripted and linear sequences like for example AC3. The Witcher 3 has the beginning split into three segments.
At first you just have the combat and general movement tutorial inside a dream that also introduces the main characters. After that 10 or so minutes you are introduced to the first open world segment which you can explore freely, when you've gone through few cut scenes and a short horse ride.
What is great about White Orchard as that like the Plateau, it is like a miniature of the main landmass in the game. Yes, it might lack some of the environmental features but it is a great showcase of the what to expect from the game when it comes to the narrative side. You have optional side quest of different lenght which expose you to the main mechanics: the Witcher sense, monster and treasure hunting, finding clues, Gwent and most of all making choices that are at times very ambivalent. You also have a few rarer monsters to battle both as optional and as part of the main plot. You are forced to learn and adapt. You can be through the Orchard in about an hour if you just follow the main plot or spend 3 or 4 hours doing the side content and exploring all the nooks and crannies it has to offer.
The third part of the tutorial is the Vizima castle which is mainly just story exposition but you can do the mandatory part in 15 minutes and after that you can literally go anywhere in the main world, except Kaer Morhen.
The Witcher 3 is pretty much the best example for a tutorial in a story driven open world game. The introductory sequence entices exploration and questing but doesn't force it. It has a lot of meaningful side content that also teaches you the basics of the game. What also makes the side quests great is that the game doesn't let you win (on normal difficulty) like some other games do at the beginning. You can also access White Orchard and Vizima even after you reach Velen. This way you can always come back to finish the side quests and play Gwent later if you missed or skipped them the first time.
Tutorial length: Casually 1,5 to 4 hours. Depends a lot on player preferences with side quests.
Super Mario Galaxy
For the third game I chose something completely different. 3D Super Marios are know for their short general tutorials, with each level teaching you it's own gimmick and how to operate it in different environments and puzzles. In SMG, the beginning is especially sweet. Sure, this a case of straight forward linear tutorial but its that made correctly.
First, you have the very basic movement tutorial and story opening in the Mushroom kingdom which with all it's cut scenes takes only about 5 minutes. After that you start with the main planet and gravity system. What makes this part great is how at first it lets you practice all the main skills on one planet without danger for enemies or death traps. It does not give you any time limits but it also doesn't prevent you from progressing when you want. Catch the rabbits, talk to Rosalina and you are thrown into your first (short) star collection mission.
In the first mission you are introduced to the main concepts of gravity, star launcing, collecting star chips, fighting basic enemies and solving simple puzzles. It does this all with out being overbearingly difficult for new gamers. When you reach the first star, you are launched into the main hub area and can begin to advance through the main game.
What I like most about this tutorial is its simplicity, shortness and the soft learning curve it provides. It gives you so much in such a little time without you feeling rushed and unprepared. It accompanies that with awesome music.
Tutorial length: 20 minutes max.
What are your favorite introductions/tutorials in video games? Why?
I'm most in to games that let you explore the game world freely (not necessarily open world) without locking places after you've completed them. Zelda is probably my favorite series because of that. It's just that for example with the aforementioned Zelda series or for example Assasin's Creed games, the game can be quite restrictive and paternalistic on how you are introduced to the world. For me, bad examples of this are Twilight Princess and Assasin's creed 3 (I quit the game right after I got to part where you can explore the world more freely). I like it when games have a balance between showing and giving the player enough without restricting your own curiosity and without forcing you through. I have three examples of game introductions/tutorials I'm into.
Breath of the Wild
BotW was pretty much my most anticipated game of all time and in most parts it totally delivered. What makes the game special is how it gives so much within the first hour without making you feel overpowered or overexposed. Not only does it give you all the main abilities you use through out the run but it also lets you do it through your own experimenting and exploration.
The Plateau is like a miniature of the world in general. There are almost all different environment types (with the exception of the hot areas) and a lot of the features (enemy types and camps, a mini boss, hunting and cooking possibilities etc.) found in the overworld as well. There are multiple weapons and weapon types to be found literally minutes after you press the New game button in the home screen. There are multiple ways to stay warm when trekking the mountain and there are multiple ways to get to the top.
The game gives you enough information and skills to achieve the main goal of the tutorial (getting the 4 orbs) in your own order and at your own pace with you deciding the level of difficulty. It manages to do that without overbearing the player and also leaves the possibility for players to find out secrets that can help you get to your destination easier (like getting the warm tunic, which also works as the voluntary cooking tutorial).
After completing the mission the old man gives to you and after he has exposed the main narrative to the player, you can "escape" the tutorial and start exploring at your own will. At this point the game has introduced you to the story and gameplay basics in such a way that it entices you to find out what you can do with them in the bigger game world. IMO no game does this as well as BotW. First time I played the game I felt almost overwhelmed with the freedom it gave me.
Tutorial length: Casually 45-90 minutes. Depends a lot on player preferences.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Witcher 3 is the only game in my view to compete with BotW when it comes to general quality and content in a video game. As it is much more story driven, it also has to expose you to the general narrative and the world more. Still it manages to do it without forcing the player to go through multiple scripted and linear sequences like for example AC3. The Witcher 3 has the beginning split into three segments.
At first you just have the combat and general movement tutorial inside a dream that also introduces the main characters. After that 10 or so minutes you are introduced to the first open world segment which you can explore freely, when you've gone through few cut scenes and a short horse ride.
What is great about White Orchard as that like the Plateau, it is like a miniature of the main landmass in the game. Yes, it might lack some of the environmental features but it is a great showcase of the what to expect from the game when it comes to the narrative side. You have optional side quest of different lenght which expose you to the main mechanics: the Witcher sense, monster and treasure hunting, finding clues, Gwent and most of all making choices that are at times very ambivalent. You also have a few rarer monsters to battle both as optional and as part of the main plot. You are forced to learn and adapt. You can be through the Orchard in about an hour if you just follow the main plot or spend 3 or 4 hours doing the side content and exploring all the nooks and crannies it has to offer.
The third part of the tutorial is the Vizima castle which is mainly just story exposition but you can do the mandatory part in 15 minutes and after that you can literally go anywhere in the main world, except Kaer Morhen.
The Witcher 3 is pretty much the best example for a tutorial in a story driven open world game. The introductory sequence entices exploration and questing but doesn't force it. It has a lot of meaningful side content that also teaches you the basics of the game. What also makes the side quests great is that the game doesn't let you win (on normal difficulty) like some other games do at the beginning. You can also access White Orchard and Vizima even after you reach Velen. This way you can always come back to finish the side quests and play Gwent later if you missed or skipped them the first time.
Tutorial length: Casually 1,5 to 4 hours. Depends a lot on player preferences with side quests.
Super Mario Galaxy
For the third game I chose something completely different. 3D Super Marios are know for their short general tutorials, with each level teaching you it's own gimmick and how to operate it in different environments and puzzles. In SMG, the beginning is especially sweet. Sure, this a case of straight forward linear tutorial but its that made correctly.
First, you have the very basic movement tutorial and story opening in the Mushroom kingdom which with all it's cut scenes takes only about 5 minutes. After that you start with the main planet and gravity system. What makes this part great is how at first it lets you practice all the main skills on one planet without danger for enemies or death traps. It does not give you any time limits but it also doesn't prevent you from progressing when you want. Catch the rabbits, talk to Rosalina and you are thrown into your first (short) star collection mission.
In the first mission you are introduced to the main concepts of gravity, star launcing, collecting star chips, fighting basic enemies and solving simple puzzles. It does this all with out being overbearingly difficult for new gamers. When you reach the first star, you are launched into the main hub area and can begin to advance through the main game.
What I like most about this tutorial is its simplicity, shortness and the soft learning curve it provides. It gives you so much in such a little time without you feeling rushed and unprepared. It accompanies that with awesome music.
Tutorial length: 20 minutes max.
What are your favorite introductions/tutorials in video games? Why?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/17942497/earthbound_vc.0.jpg)
