In an era of anime games being relegated to generic area fighters, playing Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and it’s sequel The Broken Bond feel like a breath of fresh air. Developed by Ubisoft, these are sanbox-style action games and there is so much reverence given to the story and setting, much more than any other Naruto game I’ve played. For example, the both games take small (but emotional) moments from the anime/manga and expands it into actual interactive gameplay like the fact that villagers hate Naruto at the beginning but over time build affection for you once you start completing quests and helping out across the village. Other playable moments that really struck me at actually being included was attending the funeral of the third hokage (which hit harder than it simply a cutscene); rasengan training, which is important in the context of the story but is glossed over in other Naurto games; the fanserive provided in the special techniques, for example, a minigame sequence …
Basically if you are defeated by a boss then you have to run through the entire level again just to be able to challenge the boss again.
I ask this question because I have been playing Hollow Knight. I have basically unlocked and explored every area other than the White Palace. In general I really loved this game for scratching my Metroid/ Soulsborne itch with amazing artwork, great atmosphere, wonderful exploration and a fun combat system. But the goddamn boss runbacks of so many bosses is so damn long where even with shortcuts you have to traverse through the entire level again just to be able to fight a boss that will kick you ass probably. It really takes the fun out of the game.
Maybe I am too spoiled on Sekiro and Elden Ring for giving me bonfires and Stakes of Marika just outside the boss door. Or Metroid Dread spawning me outside the boss room upon defeat. And the older 2D Metroids are emulated on NSO that I will just put a save state outside the boss door rather than deal …
I’ve been thinking about this and, before anyone says it, no… RTSs don’t count. They may have infrequent releases and primarily come from indie developers but you still have plenty new ones every few years.
I am thinking of text-based adventure games. These are so old that I never really played one to begin with but have seen what they’re about. I’ve never known anyone that has ever played these games. I’m certain they exist and every couple of years someone makes another game from this genre but the market is so tiny that it might as well be considered dead and superseded by graphical games.
Are there any other genres that were common at some point in the past but nowadays rarely if ever see new releases?
I do miss the golden days of RTS in the 90s and early 2000s, where games such as Command and Conquer, Warcraft, StarCraft, Age of Empires are often seen being played in LAN shops and online too.
Even now there are still dedicated events for the above games, and community with skilled individuals still playing them.
That being said the RTS genre is nowhere near its previous glory. Do you think the genre will ever see a revival? Are they still incentives or market for companies to produce new RTS games or even sequels?