Pick a level and be careful as you move forward. You could also stay a while; the music is nice.
It’s always “open world” or “fast travel.” Where is the level pick screen that used to be so useful? You can get there by pointing and clicking. Often, it’s a simple 2D world map that your characters can move around on. Other times, it’s a screen with fun graphics or music that lets you choose a chapter or character. The level pick is sometimes a level!
Level pick screens are still very useful, even though they are becoming less popular. Level pick screens that are really great have secret places, backgrounds that look good, and important game statistics. There are times when the annoying song on the music is what keeps you from clicking that stage for a few more minutes.
Plan Out Your Journey In Slay The Spire
From Slay the Spire‘s map, you can see everything you need to know to plan for the tough path ahead. Even though you’re ready, a floor one Jaw Worm is still likely to kill you for half your health. At least you can choose what kills you.
The map lets you choose your level and shows you future elites, rest stops, and even the boss you’ll have to fight. You can’t change much about the interface, but knowing what to do is half the fight. Act 2 Slavers is killing the other half.
Baba Is You, Map Is Win
A Baba is You can change how things work in the game by using logic-based rule sets and boolean operators. You’ll be yelling at your screen things like “Crab is Win!” and “Wall is Stop!” The rules of reasoning also apply to Baba, who is said to be you if you believe the game’s name.
Baba’s level pick screen looks pretty normal: it lets you switch between named steps that don’t have any real story consequences. Simple, until you understand that the overworld’s reasoning rules are there for a reason. In higher levels, actions let you change how the map works and how it works with other things.
Take A Break From Shooting In Cuphead
The overworld of Cuphead looks like an add-on for the board game Candy Land. It has secret coins, mausoleums made of bebopping rubber hoses, and both friendly and scary Saturday morning cartoon figures. The bright adventure is a nice break from the constant stream of bosses that make up the rest of the game.
Note the sneaky ways to get into the boss levels. You say a cruise ship? I bet there’s a monster in the sea here. Oh, so it’s two boxer toads working together to turn into a mad, intelligent slot machine? Yes, Cuphead.
Pick Your Battles In Mega Man
You can remove level choices from games, but you can’t remove Mega Man from people. The bosses of each level are the only things that show you what to expect on the famous world pick screen from the original Mega Man. It’s not too hard to guess, though. I’m really interested in what Fireman’s level is all about.
Almost every Megaman game is like this, though the sprites have improved a lot since the first game’s Iceman, who looked very unhappy. It’s clear that the plan was right from the start. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken, right?
Catch The Setlist In Guitar Hero 3
Guitar Hero 3 was the most popular rhythm game at the time. Its awkward guitar-shaped controller let you play as a hard-core singer while playing to Alice in Chains in your mom’s basement. The show created the image, and simple changes like the themed song pick screen helped it do so.
This one used the “setlist” screen from the last one to let you choose songs and show off your high scores, but it also made a few small changes for the better. And it put artist names and release dates next to the song titles, so you’ll always remember who sang “Barracuda.”
Warp Between Worlds In Crash Bandicoot 2
In Crash Bandicoot 2, the first game’s straight level development was rethought as a kind of mini-hub, complete with groups of five levels and an old-school boomer save point. It was always fun to figure out the best way to beat the stages, and the entryways told you exactly which hard-to-get gems you could get in that level.
You could practice controlling Survivor IO safely in these hubs. The second group of stages even had a cute polar bear cub that would give you extra lives if you stomped on its head enough times.
Pipe Down In Super Mario Bros. 3
The world outside of Super Mario Bros. 3 felt like it was a natural part of the game. It had different worlds with different themes, multiple tracks that led to boss stages, and many hurdles, such as rocks and locked doors. There was nothing a skilled plumber couldn’t fix.
Magic whistles could be used to get to the World 9 Warp Zone, which was possibly known to more experienced players. World 9 was a hub for jumping to other worlds. This was back before the internet, when it was really cool to find secrets like this on your own.
Beat A String Of Levels In Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Kirby games haven’t always had standard ways to choose levels, but Kirby’s Epic Yarn is much better than the ones that do. You can feel like you’re in the arts and crafts area of your local department store while playing this game. There are more Waddle Dees and crochet robots that shoot rockets.
The overworld of this game is also very cute. It’s full of NPCs, level openings, and sets that were probably all made from cheap thrift store finds. The level pick screen is just one of many creative parts of the game that work together to sell the tale feel of it.
Dodge Random Encounters In Final Fantasy Tactics
The story and gameplay in Final Fantasy Tactics come together to make an adventure that is on par with the best Final Fantasy games. The map is more for looking at than for interacting with, and it’s more like a level pick screen than a fully drawn world map.
To get from one side of Ivalice to the other, you have to figure out a map that’s full of interesting details. As you move through the game and unlock new areas, you start to wonder how many places they can fit on this rather small screen.
Aim And Shoot In GoldenEye 007
A lot of gamers have happy memories of GoldenEye 007, even though the first-person shooter controls were a pain to use. James Bond’s move into 64-bit land came with a chapter pick screen that you’d expect to see in a story-based game like this.
For breaks between steps and different options, the “classified” manilla folder background looked great. You could even use the markers to aim at the chapter you wanted to play on the level pick screen, which was a nice touch. Also, who could forget the music on this screen? It was way more catchy and remembered than it should have been.
Admin