- BrianEk
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Call me late to the party but, this morning, I finished Half-Life 2 for the first time and I seriously loved it. Alyx? Dog? Wonderful. Dr. Breen? A deliciously vile enemy. And what an incredible dystopian atmosphere, especially in the City 17 levels. You feel, as your rollicking along in the dune buggy or zipping through the waterways in the airboat, that you inhabit a real city and that you're really heading somewhere as you escape. That level of "being there" isn't maintained consistently, however. Ravenholm, for example, felt completely out of context from the rest of the game--too Resident Evil for my tastes and way too many jumping puzzles. Or, rather, too many bad jumping puzzles.
You see, I hate jumping puzzles. In fact, practically each time I encounter one in a game I usually loudly exclaim to whomever is in earshot, "I &@!#ing hate jumping puzzles!", which usually causes my dogs to slink out of the room in fear. Either that or they don't like jumping puzzles either.
As I was making my way through the last level of Half-Life 2, I realized why I despise the jumping puzzle phenomenon in games so much. It isn't because jumping puzzles can be a pain in the butt--though they most assuredly can (as in Ravenholm). No, the reason I dislike jumping puzzles in gaming so much is because they are such an obvious gimmick. Most of the time, even good jumping puzzles are the antithesis of heroism.
What do I mean by that? Well, let's consider the final moments of Half-Life 2. Spoilers ahead for those who haven't finished the game. As Gordon Freeman attempts to head off Dr. Breen's completion of the Combine portal, he's tasked with getting to the top of the tower where the portal will open. Now, an elevator or set of stairs would be far too easy, far too logical, and, frankly, far too un-fun method of getting to the top. Instead, as Gordon, you have to run along the side of the tower's interior, jumping up on ever-ascending ledges that ostensibly are parts of the mechanical parts of the energy core itself, until you finally reach the top and can blast the portal.
There are no stairs or ladders to climb. Instead, you ride the very machination you look to destroy. In effect, the ultimate enemy you are looking to defeat provides you the very means you need to accomplish your goal. This makes no sense, and seems to me to be the biggest defect in jumping puzzles. Instead of relying on the ingenuity of the player, the game, in effect, sets itself up for defeat. That's what I mean by it being antithetical to heroic behavior--how much of a hero are you if the world around you is conspiring against itself?
Of course, I don't think games need to become impossible. When done in a manner that makes sense within the context of the game world, I think jumping puzzles can be done well, providing a fun (and plausible) method for players to succeed. Consider the "Sandtraps" portion of Half-Life 2, a level that is essentially one big, long jumping puzzle. So why is this perhaps my favorite level in the game? Well partially because of the ingenious nature of some of the puzzles, which utilize physics well and take more than a little ingenuity on the part of the player. But, moreso, what makes the level so strong is the context for the level. It's simple: You can't set foot on the sand because the ant lions are agitated. As a result, you've got to find your way across using little more than your gravity gun and your hand-eye coordination.
Even better, in several sections of "Sandtraps" you're met with vast stretches of nothing but open sand--intimidating to say the least. It's up to you, as Gordon, to make your own path across these lakes of sand. Sure, the game gives you the necessary tools to be successful with the amount of gravity-gun-grabbable-garbage at your disposal. However, the path you choose, and the steps you take to get there, are your own. To my mind, getting through "Sandtraps" successfully is the single most heroic thing Gordon does in Half-Life 2.
I suppose we'll never be completely rid of the jumping puzzle. For one thing, they're an easy way to extend the length of a level, even if they so often expose themselves as 3D rat mazes. Still, if we never completely rid ourselves of the "what" of jumping from ledge to ledge, I'm hoping that developers will at least strive to explain the "why."
- Posted Nov 16, 2007 11:03 am PT
- Category: Editorial
- 25 Comments
25 Comments