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Seveen Tennants of Perfect Action-Platform Gameplay
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My seven rules for a perfect action platformer.

1: Tight controls. No slipping or immediate loss of momentum or long stun periods, and especially no having to wait through a character's animations before the action you called is performed.

2: Readable environments. A player should never be able to lose themselves behind a foreground piece, and elevation should be immediately recognizable.

3: Reward exploration and achievment, not patience. Grinding for upgrades is a cheap way to increase play time, and does not feel as rewarding as discovery or victory through skill.

4: Enemies should require thought to defeat. If a single technique (that is method of attack, not the attack itself) can effect everyone, then that's all a player will use, and play will become repetative.

5: At least three ways to attack, but not too many. Three gives enough variety to a player without overwhelming them.

6: Backtracking, if available, should be rewarding, especially in games where this is a requirement.

7: Teach new concepts in as few words as possible (and for Myamoto's sake, don't repeat item-get messages or hold them for seven seconds. I'm looking at you, Super Metroid).

These are my rules to perfect action-platform GAMEPLAY, meaning they don't apply to story, music, pacing, or theme. I've only ever seen a few games follow these rules entirely, one of them being Spyro: the Eternal Night on GBA.
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