Cryptic elements in Famicom games

Started by R_Leo_1, March 20, 2019, 07:20:14 am

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R_Leo_1

I just recently got a copy of Ganbare Goemon karakuri dōchū on Famicom, and it has a lot of cryptic elements, such as having to jump at random places on the screen to get stairways to appear. I don't mind these cryptic parts in moderation, but I've noticed a lot of Famicom games have mystery elements like this and I want to know what others think about cryptic elements. Do you like them or hate them?

VegaVegas

Mickey Mousecapade is full of the cryptic crap you described, although as long as I can remember those cryptic elements are mostly bonuses. Also I figured out recently that Doraemon (from the same creators) probably wins in this category and it is absolutely essential to discover all of the cryptic elements to progress in the game at all and it was annoying until I figured this out

R_Leo_1

Quote from: MaarioS on March 20, 2019, 10:07:49 am
Mickey Mousecapade is full of the cryptic crap you described, although as long as I can remember those cryptic elements are mostly bonuses. Also I figured out recently that Doraemon (from the same creators) probably wins in this category and it is absolutely essential to discover all of the cryptic elements to progress in the game at all and it was annoying until I figured this out


Funnily enough I own both of those and yeah Doraemon has got to be one of the worst with the cryptic stuff, and even if you know where to find all the hidden items, the game gets really hard.

P

I don't mind them when they are supposed to be cryptic. Like for easter eggs or hidden developer credits that you are not supposed to find until you read about them in a magazine or internet, possibly because the developers leaked it. When the solution to puzzles needed for progress or for "normal" secrets are too cryptic however it's really annoying. Final Fantasy games usually have some really cryptic secrets, even modern ones (by modern I mean FF VII and up).

Old games often uses cheap ways like this to increase difficulty and it's maybe one of the less charming points about them (although memories of the frustration may be part of the nostalgia). Games like Zelda is on the border to annoying (and the second Quest is plain annoying). Sure you can discover all hidden passages by systematically bombing every wall and burning every tree, but that's very time consuming. In later Zelda games, finding secrets is mostly by being sharp and noticing weird things like cracked walls. Now part of the Zelda 1's charm was to share your solutions on the schoolyard so if it wasn't cryptic it may not have become as big as it did.

R_Leo_1

Quote from: P on March 21, 2019, 04:17:45 am
I don't mind them when they are supposed to be cryptic. Like for easter eggs or hidden developer credits that you are not supposed to find until you read about them in a magazine or internet, possibly because the developers leaked it. When the solution to puzzles needed for progress or for "normal" secrets are too cryptic however it's really annoying. Final Fantasy games usually have some really cryptic secrets, even modern ones (by modern I mean FF VII and up).

Old games often uses cheap ways like this to increase difficulty and it's maybe one of the less charming points about them (although memories of the frustration may be part of the nostalgia). Games like Zelda is on the border to annoying (and the second Quest is plain annoying). Sure you can discover all hidden passages by systematically bombing every wall and burning every tree, but that's very time consuming. In later Zelda games, finding secrets is mostly by being sharp and noticing weird things like cracked walls. Now part of the Zelda 1's charm was to share your solutions on the schoolyard so if it wasn't cryptic it may not have become as big as it did.


Yeah I agree that it's mostly annoying, but some games it adds to the charm. Like in Atlantis No Nazo with all of the secret warps and all that stuff, it is kind of mysterious and cool, but it does usually make the games a bit to difficult.

Jedi Master Baiter

I've had enough servings of this bullshit generously offered and thickly layered >:( If I see this kind of garbage game design again, I just quit.. Off the top of my head:

• Bart vs. The Space Mutants (okay, despite the controls, this game was pretty good until the museum stage. How the hell was I supposed to know where to stand and shoot that dinosaur?)
• both Ganbare Goemon games (that freakin' maze room in the second one!)
• Little Red Hood
• Milon no Daibōken
• Tower of Druaga (more like, Tower of Durags-on-too-long)

VegaVegas

All those complaints is probably the primary reason why gamefaqs exists in the first place