Backtracking isn't so bad!

[Kamako]

Examples of games with backtracking:

Devil May Cry,
Metal Gear Solid,
God of War

Some of the best games of the early PlayStation make backtracking essential in order to progress, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest! It means I get to spend more time in these rich environments. If the environments change over time, it can lend to a feeling of progression as well.

Hell, I don't even mind it when it's includes in platforming puzzles, like in rare instances in the Crash Bandicoot games.

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

I dont understand why backtracking is bad, unless i have to go back and it always spawn a locked room which you have to defeat some enemies. Other then that, its a no biggy for me.

 

[ZeromusVX4]

The backtracking is legit one of the reasons Suikoden 3 is my least favorite to replay

 

[Toppis]

It's not always bad, but most of the time it is

 

[thanonyx]

I don't get all the backtracking hate, it never bothered me.

 

[Toppis]

I don't get all the backtracking hate, it never bothered me.

Have you yet played mega man battle network 3

 

[No-Bo-Dy]

Backtrack is a great name for male underwear tho, but seriously, depends on the Game, metroidvania backtracking can be tedious, rpg not so much.

 

[Toppis]

Backtrack is a great name for male underwear tho, but seriously, depends on the Game, metroidvania backtracking can be tedious, rpg not so much.

In Metroidvania games, backtracking is not that bad for me

 

[LiberoVulpes]

I don't really mind them, i just put a video or a podcast in the background and that's that.

 

[RageBurner]

Honestly backtracking means you are able to revisit areas, which lessens the likelihood of FOMO. A good thing, no matter how you slice it.

 

[Raidou Kuzunoha]

I like when it's not as tedious, i.e. most Metroidvanias. You have points where you can teleport, and gain abilities to either move faster or traverse easier in some way, making backtracking feel hassle free.

As much as I love Megaten, SMT II has an unbearable section in the very middle of the game that requires you to backtrack to SEVEN different locations to get seven different key items in order to progress. General crypticness on where you're supposed to go, dungeons that are by now all autobattling cutscenes, and a stupid stupid requirement to have a magic stat of 10 for one of the key items, a stat that the protagonist doesn't even use so you have to spend even more time grinding in order to boost it... x_x


(yet even so, SMT II is one of the best mainline games, I still love it)

 

[Toppis]

I like when it's not as tedious, i.e. most Metroidvanias. You have points where you can teleport, and gain abilities to either move faster or traverse easier in some way, making backtracking feel hassle free.

As much as I love Megaten, SMT II has an unbearable section in the very middle of the game that requires you to backtrack to SEVEN different locations to get seven different key items in order to progress. General crypticness on where you're supposed to go, dungeons that are by now all autobattling cutscenes, and a stupid stupid requirement to have a magic stat of 10 for one of the key items, a stat that the protagonist doesn't even use so you have to spend even more time grinding in order to boost it... x_x


(yet even so, SMT II is one of the best mainline games, I still love it)

I know that SMT II backtracking part

 

[Kamako]

I like when it's not as tedious, i.e. most Metroidvanias. You have points where you can teleport, and gain abilities to either move faster or traverse easier in some way, making backtracking feel hassle free.

As much as I love Megaten, SMT II has an unbearable section in the very middle of the game that requires you to backtrack to SEVEN different locations to get seven different key items in order to progress. General crypticness on where you're supposed to go, dungeons that are by now all autobattling cutscenes, and a stupid stupid requirement to have a magic stat of 10 for one of the key items, a stat that the protagonist doesn't even use so you have to spend even more time grinding in order to boost it... x_x


(yet even so, SMT II is one of the best mainline games, I still love it)

Crazy how SMT games can pull that shizz and still be such great experiences overall. I'm had a terrific time playing through Digital Devil Saga 1&2, but the back-tracking/teleporting EGG facility dungeon made me put the game down for months before I picked it up back up again.

Still, an instant recommend for JRPG enthusiasts.

 

[Toppis]

Crazy how SMT games can pull that shizz and still be such great experiences overall. I'm had a terrific time playing through Digital Devil Saga 1&2, but the back-tracking/teleporting EGG facility dungeon made me put the game down for months before I picked it up back up again.

Still, an instant recommend for JRPG enthusiasts.

I own sealed copies of the Digital Devil Saga games

 

[ciro64]

Backtracking is fun when there's some sort of interactivity when going on the way back. Doing the exact same thing but backwards isn't so fun

 

[Kamako]

I own sealed copies of the Digital Devil Saga games

I sold mine, because I was poor and an idiot. When I went to sell them, along with SMT 3 Nocturne at CEX, I spoke to the two young ladies behind the counter and said "Hey, if you're fans of JRPG's you should try them!" and they responded by saying they didn't have PS2's and weren't even alive when the console was released. And then my bones immediately crumbled to dust.

 

[moonbits]

I do like it in Metroid Prime

 

[nachito]

I hate backtracking it's annoying and just feels like filler.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I love roaming/backtracking.

It's what makes the world feel alive, full and lived-in.

 

[Tonberry]

I think it's part of what makes exploration good in Survival Horror games.

 

[Nidstang]

I actually like backtracking. Gives you a chance to get things you may have missed once you understand game mechanics better.

 

[fake-kun]

Have you yet played mega man battle network 3

I did. Truly made me hate backtracking.

 

[Vetusomaru]

The only game where I hated its backtraking with passion was at the first Shantae game. The reason? Unlike most other Metroid-style games where you can teleport at checkpoints you've already visited, at Shantae you can't unless you collect certain items that are a pain in the ass to collect. Also at other Metroid-style games you can later have your character running much faster, something that makes backtracking less tiring. The first Shantae game lacks that option. If it wasn't for these issues it would be the perfect game. Still my favorite Shantae game, especially for pushing Gameboy Color to its limits and for having the perfect difficulty level (later Shantae games are much easier in comparison).

 

[Ikagura]

It depends how it's done.

 

[RebelofDaNeonGod]

I believe backtracking is bad if the world you gotta go through is utterly boring and devoid of life to it. If a world feels lived in, if the traversal of said world is satisfying, if there is clear love and soul in the tiny, insignificant details of the world that most people won't take the time to even notice, then backtracking can be like revisiting a hometown. You're stronger, more wise, a more fully actualized person, but the shops and small homes still feel you with nostalgic warmth. Seeing the starting areas of a game again after hours away is like home.