Summary
Role-playing games that are developed immaculately are a blast to play through.The most memorable video gamesaren’t the ones that thoughtlessly throw items at the player, trivializing the difficulty even on the hardest level. Instead, games that understand how important it is to manage resources and force players to be thoughtful about the items they use are the ones that end up having a major impact on players.
Resource management requires a lot of balance to ensure that players enjoy this mechanic instead of feeling irritated by it. Sure, the idea of not flooding a player’s inventory with items is certainly novel, but things can get even worse if players find absolutely nothing no matter how much they explore the world or defeat its many bosses. Thankfully, some games nail this balance, making the entire experience feel largely rewarding.
The sheer impact thatElden Ringhad when it launched was truly impressive. Players from all over the world loved what this title did for the Soulsborneformula, with the integration of an open world feeling as natural and engaging as possible. Sure, the game had some problems with repeated boss fights, but that’s a small complaint in the grand scheme of things.
As is the case with most FromSoftware games, resources need to be managed wisely for players to make progress. Items that can help out against a boss shouldn’t be needlessly wasted, but the biggest balancing act was between HP and mana potions. Much likeDark Souls 3, players could split their allotment of Flasks between Crimson and Cerulean Tears, with magic or ability users finding it hard to strike a balance that helps them tackle foes without facing a dearth of either item.
2Persona 3 FES/Portable
Going Into Tartarus Without Enough SP Recovery Items Can Waste An Entire Night
Pretty mucheveryPersonagamecan make the cut for titles that prioritize resource management. Infiltrations are common across the three games that popularized the series format, with players having to manage their SP levels to go through dungeons and reach the end without wasting too many resources or lacking the SP needed to exploit enemy weaknesses.
While later games gave players more options to deal with dwindling SP, the same can’t be said for the games that started it all.Persona 3was brutal in this department, and going through Tartarus in a single day was downright impossible in certain instances unless players were willing to use up a wealth of valuable SP recovery items that could help them out against boss fights and the like.
One of the hardest and most aggressive combat systems in a FromSoftware game to date,Bloodborneis beloved by manyas what many people consider to be the best game by the studio, which is hefty praise indeed. The sheer amount of love that was put into this game was truly amazing, with the Lovecraftian and Gothic influences elevating this title’s status by a notch.
However, the many tough encounters in this game meant that players had to be judicious about using their healing items and other such buffs. Too many deaths would lead to players running out of Blood Vials and Quicksilver Bullets, forcing players to farm for more items and getting them stuck in a frustrating loop if they did all this work only to end up dying again.
Most people who playedThe Witcher 3loved the focus on alchemy and how players were encouraged to prepare by using oils and other buffs to make certain fights easier. However, navigating the same menu over and over again could be a chore, so the Next-Gen Update made things easier by auto-applying oils as well.
Fans ofThe Witcher 3will be in for a rude awakening if they try to give the first game a shot. Potions can only be made and ingested when meditating before a battle, and failing to prepare before a tough fight can have serious consequences. Old fans ofThe Witcherloved how much importance the game placed on this preparation stage, and they consider it a shame that the most popularWitchergame doesn’t feature anything like this.
Any RPG with survival horror elementsis bound to make resource management a huge part of the gameplay, andSystem Shock 2is no exception. This legendary game is tough as nails, with players having to think about their build before jumping into a title where combat is extremely challenging in the early stages.
Stealth is the need of the hour early on, especially with both ammo and health being scarce. Players need to spend a few levels coming to grips with the infinitely spawning enemies and claustrophobic level design before they can finally be confident enough to use their best weapons on enemies without any fear of sacrificing all their ammo.
