💾 Archived View for yujiri.xyz › game-design › rhythm-combos.gmi captured on 2023-12-28 at 15:35:01. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Why I don't like combos in rhythm games

author stands by as of 2023-11-05

Because I feel that score should = quality of play, and that fewer mistakes = more impressive play. In rhythm games with combos, like Osu, the *placement* of your mistakes is actually much more important than the *number* of them. Two mistakes in a row is barely worse than one. A mistake at the end or the beginning barely matter, but a single mistake in the middle of an otherwise perfect run can cut your score in half.

Also, it adds stress for me. I don't like one miss being that important. My favorite game, Go, also has single moves that threaten the entire game, but it feels different to me. I can think of many possible explanations:

Big mistakes in Go are big because of their effect on the rest of the board, not because the scoring system artificially weights them

Go is turn-based, so big losses don't happen in the blink of an eye like they do in comboed rhythm games

Go in general feels more epic, which makes me feel that a single decision carrying a lot of weight is more natural?

The feeling of honor I attach to Go makes all defeats feel more palatable?

In Go, only some moves are like this. In a rhythm game with combos, once you have a big combo, *every* note is that important.