What's more important? Story or Puzzles?
'Which do you think makes a better adventure game? Great story, or, Great puzzles?'
Just curious what people's position is on this.
Obviously they're BOTH important, but which one do you think trumps the other?
Oh and this is concerning adventure games, of course.
edit: Not voting until a few others do, not that it will influence my vote in any way. Let me know [or let mods know actually] if you think there should be additional poll options.
Equally important will not be an option.
Just curious what people's position is on this.
Obviously they're BOTH important, but which one do you think trumps the other?
Oh and this is concerning adventure games, of course.
edit: Not voting until a few others do, not that it will influence my vote in any way. Let me know [or let mods know actually] if you think there should be additional poll options.
Equally important will not be an option.
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Why not?
Because then everyone would vote 'equally important.' :rolleyes:
That's a good point.
edit: oops sorry fer double post, all.
Ok what about this, what if [hypothetically speaking] there were an adventure game that had an AMAZING story, but the puzzles were super weak, like even for 5th graders? How would you rate this game, say on a scale of 1/10?
Then, what if another had the opposite. AMAZING puzzles [whatever that may mean to you] but the story is so awfully boring and who could care less? How would you rate that game?
double edit: actually I realize this is pretty irrelevant.
Well I would have to agree with that. Do you think either of them will make an adventure game better or worse for that matter?
Also, to someone who is just discovering adventure games I would say this is 100% true.
But to a veteran or experienced adventure gamer, I think solving fun new puzzles, in general, adds to the motivation.
A similar principle applies to most games, actually. Half the reason game writing is so shit 99% of the time is that you're always sent off on long periods to do some random, unrelated secondary mission. Kills any pacing.
Just imagine a novel, or a movie. The hero has a problem, and needs to overcome obstacles to solve that problem. That's the story.
Obviously, that's also the puzzles when it goes from book/movie to adventure game.
I just can't see how they could be separate so I can't say which is more important, they're the same thing as far as I'm concerned. What makes a good adventure game IS making sure that they're the same thing (so, no puzzles that have nothing to do with anything, for instance).
Then again, I absolutely love Professor Layton games which ride exclusively on the puzzles. So I kind of contradict myself here.
It is a game after all. If the actual gameplay is somehow less important than the story, why make it into a game?
Of course they're both very important, and the game would suffer as a whole if either were weak. But for me, I think puzzles have a slightly higher priority because they are what makes the game a game after all.
If the puzzles are not challenging enough, it's more like I'm just 'turning the pages' so to speak to further the story, rather than rising up to a challenge and feeling like I actually accomplished something. I think this is the core of what gaming is, isn't it? Feeling like you rose to a challenge and accomplished a goal.
When I play an adventure game, I'm always looking forward to enjoying a new storyline, but I also want to play a game, and be challenged. If I didn't want that, I'd just watch a movie or read a comic ect ect.
However, with that said I DO think there are some adventure games that did cross the line and make them OVERLY difficult to solve [Discworld comes to mind] but for me personally that never affected the story for me in a negative way.
I don't think too much stress should be put on pacing either. After all everyone is going to explore the game world in a different way, and at their own different pace. I don't see any need to push the game forward at a regulated tempo. Maybe that's just me though.
I wish I coud explain this better, that's the best I can do for now.
I'm not referring to any games in particular, just adventure games in general.
edit: and I do agree that the puzzles should be related to the story, and not just puzzles thrown in for puzzling sake.
Although, there have been maze puzzle and other things that seem a little out of the context of the story, but if they are integrated well enough, they don't need to seem forced.
If you are talking about the amount of uncontrolled story (cutscenes) versus puzzles (meaning the walking around and figuring stuff out) than I would say the puzzles should have more time in the game. I never liked watching endless cutscenes. I want to play the game myself to figure out the story.
I have to disagree, but that's just me.
I guess while puzzles are the 'fun' bit, in order for a game to really excel, it should draw you into its world, and can only do that with a first rate story.
Is my view anyway.
I understand what you guys are saying.
Oh and I don't mean cut scene time... Just in general.
edit: ok how 'bout this? 'Which do you think makes a better adventure game? Great story, or, Great puzzles?'
Less confusing?
edit: I give mods full permission to make that the OP title, but I'm not sure if it will fit... At any rate I give you permission to change the poll's question to that... please?
That's true.
I do agree with this though.
Well, if you just see it as a method of storytelling that calls for more immersion, it makes perfect sense. There is no sense asking why something is made as a novel if everything is pronounceable, therefore it could be an audiobook, and everything is drawable, therefore it could be a graphic novel, and everything is filmable, therefore it could be a movie.
It's just the method of storytelling, although if there are no puzzles it makes for a boring story, but in my opinion it would be equally as boring told in another way, since the puzzles are the development of the story.
I personally would call that a "puzzle game", not an "adventure game". I feel they're different, in adventure games solving the puzzle is making the character progress, it's not "solve this riddle for me and I'll let you go", it's "I'm imprisoned and need to escape, what should I do?".
If the puzzles are completely unrelated I just don't consider it an adventure game, because it's not a story anymore, it's a placeholder for puzzles.
Similarly, story without puzzles wouldn't be an adventure game but a somewhat interactive movie.
The cereal, of course
If you have a horrible story and great puzzles you will think "What's going on? Why am I doing this? This makes no sense at all"
If you have a great story and bad puzzles you will think, "This is boring, why even put the puzzles in?"
But they are!
I still like The Neverhood, though.
Spoiler:
Just kidding.
Spoiler:
Unfortunately, not kidding.
I mean take MI4 as an example (sorry for doing that), the puzzles was very clever but the story was really lacking, which is one of the main reasons people dislike it.
Well what I think anyway.
Well, the way I see it, without puzzles it's not a game, without a story it's not an adventure, either way it's not an adventure game anymore.
But if you put in a equal amount of challenging puzzles and really good story, it's a game worth your time.