Summary
An often overlooked aspect in gaming that can make or break how good a game feels to play is movement. If a game has all the separate parts to make a fantastic experience, but moving around feels clunky and disjointed, you won’t want to keep playing. On the other hand, an otherwise average game can feel exponentially more fun if traversal is enjoyable.
These are not just games that have great movement, but they also incorporate the movement into the gameplay to make a satisfying experience that you will keep wanting to come back to. So which games make simply moving one of the best parts of your journey?
Tchiais a charming, small-scale, open-world adventure that will have you exploring a few detailed islands to find secrets and learn more about its inhabitants. The main gimmick of Tchia is the possession mechanic that lets you take control of any creature you encounter.
Movement In Tchia
The possession mechanic is the core feature of Tchia, and it’s clear that a lot of effort was put into making it feel incredibly satisfying to use. The sense of momentum when being sucked up into the creature you possess, then using their unique abilities to get where you need, and then shooting back out never gets old.
Flock finds you exploring wide open fields, flying around, and discovering more about the interesting creatures that inhabit these spaces. You’ll go from zooming around the landscapes to spotting a new creature and slowing down to learn more about the species and perhaps even taming them.
Movement In Flock
Flying can unfortunately feel awkward in some games, either being too slow, too fast, or too complicated to get the hang of, but Flock simplifies the controls to ensure you never have any problems getting around its map.
This often overlooked open-world shooting game is just as fun as it looks, with its vibrant aesthetic, light-hearted approach to the apocalypse, and innovative arsenal of strange weapons at your disposal. It’s a shame we never got a follow-up, but a lot of this game’s DNA was carried over by the developers to the modern Spider-Man games.
Movement In Sunset Overdrive
The best way to describe traversal in Sunset Overdrive is bouncy. Usually, jumping isn’t utilized much in shooters, but in Sunset Overdrive, you’re able to jump, grind, and propel yourself in any direction you desire, and it makes the movement an integral part of the action.
Jusant is ashort and calming climbing adventurethat takes you up a giant mountain, with the focus placed on strategic movement to get where you need to go. The game subtly tells a story about the previous residents of the mountain that evolves as you ascend, keeping you engaged.
Movement In Jusant
The movement in Jusant is impeccably programmed to ensure that all of the rope-swinging, grappling, and leaps of faith have a realistic sense of gravity. This makes traversal up the mountain feel incredibly meaningful while also giving you plenty of tools to make your own path.
Death Stranding is occasionally labeled as atricky game to definedue to its abstract storytelling. However, gameplay-wise, this is an incredibly detailed and strategic delivery simulator, where you explore the sparsely populated world, ensuring citizens get the goods they require while avoiding danger.
Movement In Death Stranding
As you progress throughout Death Stranding, you’ll unlock more tools and abilities to make getting around the world more interesting while the environment itself becomes more hostile. This balance of new methods of transport with the dangerous environment makes traversal in Death Stranding both satisfying and engaging.
It’s no wonder that getting around in Gravity Rush feels as good as it does, with the core mechanic of the game being focused on movement. We follow a mysterious girl who somehow unlocks the ability to distort gravity, and uses this power to uncover the truth of her past.
Movement In Gravity Rush
In Gravity Rush, you immediately unlock the power to switch the direction of gravity for our protagonist, so instead of flying, she can fall in any direction. Throughout your adventure, you unlock more gravity-defying abilities that ensure you never get tired of exploring the unique setting.
Having perfect movement and momentum has always been core to what makes 2D Mario platformers feel so good, and this was proven with just how smooth Super Mario Wonder feels to play. This inventive shake-up of the Mario formula featured new abilities to make traversing the Flower Kingdom a breath of fresh air.
Movement In Super Mario Wonder
The core mechanics of Super Mario Wonder are mostly true to series tradition, but slight tweaks like more detailed animations and effects, andopportunities for customisation, make this the best feeling Mario platformer for decades.
Taking clear inspiration from Dreamcast-era games like Jet Set Radio, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is one of the freshest feeling trick-focused skating games in years, and it’s thanks to the intuitive control scheme that is drip-fed to you throughout your journey.
Movement In Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
You might initially struggle to get the hang of getting around in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, but once it all clicks, the different areas of the city start to feel like a playground, and all of a sudden, you’ll want to reach every corner and get the highest trick combo you can just for the fun of it.
