Inspired by some recent discussion in the Kirby's Epic Yarn and Enslaved threads. A common complaint with both games is that they're too easy. And, yeah, they are pretty easy. Enslaved's platforming parts practically play themselves, and it is literally impossible to die in Kirby.
But I don't think this is an inherently bad thing. I enjoyed both of these games. I enjoyed simply wandering through them at my own pace, exploring a little bit here and there, and appreciating the scenery and music. They're... relaxing games, I suppose.
And beyond those, I think about some other games I've enjoyed, and why. Some of my favorite games this gen have been the open world platformer types, particularly inFamous, Crackdown, and Assassin's Creed 2. And most of my enjoyment of these games didn't come from the challenging parts like the combat, but from wandering around the world after I'd gotten rid of most enemies, collecting stuff. You could have removed enemies and death from these games completely, and I still would have enjoyed them. I probably would have enjoyed Crackdown even more. Enemies in that game were only ever a nuisance getting in the way of my orb collecting.
A similar thing with my favorite series, Metroid. You're generally pretty unlikely to die outside of boss fights. But while the boss fights are fun, they're not what makes the games. Again, you could remove enemies entirely, and I'd still just enjoy wandering the worlds, collecting power-ups. That's essentially what Metroid games become at the end anyway, when you can pretty much destroy everything you encounter with one hit.
I just think games have far more to offer than challenge. It seems pretty narrow-minded to say that a game is bad because it's easy.
But I don't think this is an inherently bad thing. I enjoyed both of these games. I enjoyed simply wandering through them at my own pace, exploring a little bit here and there, and appreciating the scenery and music. They're... relaxing games, I suppose.
And beyond those, I think about some other games I've enjoyed, and why. Some of my favorite games this gen have been the open world platformer types, particularly inFamous, Crackdown, and Assassin's Creed 2. And most of my enjoyment of these games didn't come from the challenging parts like the combat, but from wandering around the world after I'd gotten rid of most enemies, collecting stuff. You could have removed enemies and death from these games completely, and I still would have enjoyed them. I probably would have enjoyed Crackdown even more. Enemies in that game were only ever a nuisance getting in the way of my orb collecting.
A similar thing with my favorite series, Metroid. You're generally pretty unlikely to die outside of boss fights. But while the boss fights are fun, they're not what makes the games. Again, you could remove enemies entirely, and I'd still just enjoy wandering the worlds, collecting power-ups. That's essentially what Metroid games become at the end anyway, when you can pretty much destroy everything you encounter with one hit.
I just think games have far more to offer than challenge. It seems pretty narrow-minded to say that a game is bad because it's easy.