Games That Solve Problems Big Studios Keep Repeating

Gamers have grown used to certain patterns in video games. Most genres, like Soulslikes, city-builders, and third-person shooters, follow established formulas. These formulas work well, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay for games to be familiar; players often appreciate knowing what to expect.

It’s disappointing to encounter the same old issues in a game you’re enjoying. While frustrating, sometimes a single game manages to fix these long-standing problems. This can happen with smaller, independent games, or even with larger studios willing to try new things. The games below all offer solutions to challenges that major developers have been grappling with for years, and hopefully, those solutions will inspire others.

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Reactive Writing — Baldur’s Gate 3

Decisions Big And Small Can Change Entire Story Arcs

It’s frustrating when you make a significant choice in an RPG, and then the game doesn’t acknowledge it – not even your companions! This quickly reminds you that you’re playing a game, which can ruin your immersion. Luckily, a recent RPG has really raised the bar. Larian Studios spent years developing the systems for Baldur’s Gate 3, building on their experience with Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2. But no other RPG has ever felt as responsive to your choices as BG3 does.

As a huge RPG fan, I’m completely blown away by how reactive Baldur’s Gate 3 is. Seriously, even little choices – like, yes, even covering your face in warg dung! – can lead to so many different conversations and outcomes. The bigger decisions, of course, have even more impact as you play. Your character’s race and class matter too, shaping how the story unfolds. For years, RPGs have been trying to capture that feeling of a tabletop game where anything can happen, but Baldur’s Gate 3 has finally nailed it. It all comes down to incredible writing – and a lot of it. Any studio could create this level of variety, but it takes dedication to write and record all the extra dialogue needed to make it truly work.

No Repeating Dialogue — Hades & Hades 2

Every Time You Return To The Hub, Characters Have Something New To Say

One common issue in video games, ever since voice acting became standard, is NPCs repeating the same lines of dialogue. This can quickly break your immersion – it’s a jarring reminder that you’re playing a game, not experiencing a real world. Even well-written repeated lines eventually become annoying, while truly bad ones can be painful to hear. It’s a frustrating practice that pulls you out of the experience.

Unlike some games, Hades and Hades 2 avoid feeling repetitive even after many failed attempts. The characters you meet always have something new to say, whether it’s about your recent defeat, new upgrades you’ve unlocked, or the ongoing story. Even the gods who grant you powers will comment on your choices and progress. You’ll continue to discover new dialogue lines for a long time – most players won’t exhaust all the conversations. Similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, achieving this level of detail requires a lot of writing. If a small team like Supergiant Games (with only 16 employees) can manage it, larger studios with hundreds of staff should certainly be able to as well.

Mitigate Resource Hoarding — Cronos: The New Dawn

Ammo And Health Are Scarce, But Combat Is Designed Around Scarcity

As a big fan of survival horror, I’ve definitely hit that point in a game where I’m feeling pretty strong. You know, you’ve gotten a good way through, scoured every corner for supplies, finally beat a tough boss… and then you check your inventory and realize you’re loaded. Like, forty-plus handgun bullets, a bunch of shotgun and sniper ammo, even some grenades left over. It’s a common problem with these games – they try to make things scarce, but not too scarce. For most of us, that early “survival” feeling kicks in, and we end up hoarding everything, which means by the time we’re halfway through, resource management isn’t really a challenge anymore.

Bloober Team’s new game, Chronos: The New Dawn, cleverly addresses the issue of limited resources. It provides a consistent flow of items, but rarely gives you more than one or two of any single type, preventing you from becoming overwhelmed with supplies even if you explore thoroughly. More importantly, the game makes each resource count by emphasizing the power of secondary fire. While many games have charged shots as an optional feature, Chronos makes them essential. Standard fire does some damage, but with limited ammunition, it’s not a practical approach. Charged shots take more time, but they’re the most effective way to inflict damage and require fewer bullets to defeat enemies. This design allows Cronos to provide fewer resources overall, while still making each one feel valuable to the player.

Make Enemies Fearsome, Not Spongy — Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West

Machines Require A Lot Of Ammo To Defeat, But It Never Feels Like You’re Shooting A Pillow

Facing a single, powerful enemy is often more challenging than dealing with many smaller ones, even though groups can be intimidating. The problem is, many games don’t make these big boss fights feel satisfying. You might see a health bar go down, but it’s hard to tell if your attacks are actually having an impact. These enemies, often called “bullet sponges,” seem to absorb endless amounts of damage – whether it’s from swords or lasers – without showing much reaction. While some games, like soulslikes, handle these fights well, others struggle to make them truly engaging.

The Horizon games address this issue by building their large machine enemies from many smaller, individual parts—just like a real machine. These parts can be weapons, energy sources, or even containers of poison gas. Aloy’s bow is perfect for carefully shooting off these pieces, which can have different effects, like creating new loot, causing explosions, or revealing weak spots. While you still attack enemies repeatedly, Horizon makes it feel meaningful. You’re aiming for specific components with a clear strategy, so even with frequent attacks, it doesn’t feel like wasted effort.

The Perfect 3D Map — Prodeus

Complex, Layered Levels Can Be Fully Navigated On The Map Screen

It’s surprising that video game maps still aren’t always well-designed. Some games, like Elden Ring, intentionally keep their maps mysterious, which works well because exploration is a key part of the experience. But in many other games, such as God of War: Ragnarok or the Star Wars: Jedi series, the maps are simply not good enough. It’s often difficult to figure out where things are located – whether they’re above or below ground, for example – and the best route isn’t always clear. Sometimes, you can even end up trying to reach areas that aren’t accessible. And let’s not even get started on the map issues in the Assassin’s Creed games.

It’s kinda funny – this retro-style ‘boomer’ shooter, Prodeus, actually figured something out a lot of modern games haven’t. It really nails that classic fast-paced feel, but it also brought back a really smart feature: a fully 3D auto-map. Back in the 90s, these were common, but now? It’s awesome. You can rotate it, zoom in, see everything – ammo, health, even secret doors you might have missed. Look, I know the levels aren’t huge and open like in something like God of War, but being able to pull up a 3D map to find your way? It’s not exactly groundbreaking tech, and I honestly don’t get why more games don’t do it!

Contextual Combat Animations — Devil May Cry 5

Using The Right Weapon And Attack At The Right Time Triggers A Unique Combat Event

Considering Devil May Cry 5 was released almost seven years ago, it’s a bit surprising that a common problem hasn’t been solved yet, especially with a new generation of consoles. Action games, no matter how over-the-top they are visually, often struggle with repetitive animations. This is just a natural limitation of game development – games need animations to show actions, and developers can only create so many unique animations. An alternative is physics-based movement, but that can look awkward, as seen in games like Baby Steps.

While Devil May Cry 5 doesn’t completely get rid of limitations in combat, it finds a clever solution. The game features special combinations of attacks, weapons, and enemies that trigger unique and impressive animations, especially during boss battles. For example, using a specific arm for Nero against the Goliath boss allows you to throw the boss into a building with a single grab. Similarly, if Dante is in the right combat style, he can grab both Vergil and his clone at the same time and smash them together. These moments are rare, but incredibly satisfying when they happen. It’s surprising that more games haven’t explored this idea, but perhaps Phantom Blade Zero, coming in 2026, will build on it.

Fast First-Person Melee Combat — Ghostrunner & Ghostrunner 2

Transition From Running To Fighting And Back Again Without Losing Your Bearings, Or Your Lunch

Many games have tried to make close-up, first-person combat feel good, with mixed results. A game like Skyrim is popular, in part, because its fighting feels satisfying. But if you think about most games with this type of combat, it often feels slow. While attacks might look powerful, they can be clunky and make it hard to feel truly skilled. Even action games often rely on guns and explosions instead of swords and axes to create exciting moments.

The Ghostrunner games aren’t just an improvement in action game design; they really showcase a solution to making fast-paced combat work well. Everything in Ghostrunner is incredibly quick – moving, jumping, and fighting. The game keeps the action clear and easy to follow, responds instantly to your commands, and makes every attack feel impactful. While a sprawling RPG might not go as fast, Ghostrunner proves that speed doesn’t have to mean chaos. We’re even starting to see hints of this in games like Cyberpunk 2077 with its quick melee weapons, but first-person fantasy RPGs especially could benefit from the faster, more fluid combat found in Ghostrunner.

2026-02-12 14:39