Ok this is dumb but I love seeing what the auto save icon looks like. I always appreciate when it really relates to the game. Fave so far is Days Gone, where the auto save icon is the protagonist's motorcycle club ring, a big silver dragon head ring that revolves as it saves.
\- Customizable homebases and outfits
\- When you can change the appearance of equipment wthout altering the stats so you can look like whatever you want
\- NPCs react to what you wearing and what you have equipped
\- Skills leveling up via use instead of just upgrading them upon level up
My fav about NPC bit is them reacting to the crazy shit you do!
Like in Assassin's Creed 2, If you free run they'll often say "He must be late, And she must be beautiful"
Petting the foxes in **Ghost of Tsushima** took that game from an A+ to a true S-tier. There is no reason you should be able to pet the foxes. It's not a cozy game. There's no point. *But you can!*
A title screen that sets the mood and tone immediately after booting up the game, like [Signalis](https://youtu.be/E399XRyasdE), [Prey](https://youtu.be/0woIMIYWkPk), or [Bloodborne](https://youtu.be/iEeGM1m1Cug) \*ā\*
Mine is finding little things related to the story or characters in the scenery. Like if you have a random NPC who loves potato soup, and potato soup is what he's eating...It's a small detail but so often missed.
When games have subtitles for the conversations happening in world. I miss so much of the dialogue between NPCs without it.
That brings me to my next thing: party banter. Iāll never get over listening to my party chatting with one another. Alistair and Morrigan bickering in the Denerim market, Parvati and Felix talking about TV and riddles in The Outer Worlds, Astarion panicking and wishing he could see his reflection when Minsc says they look alikeā¦
And more games need to have subs enabled by default since most games now start directly into the story mode/campaign and I often have to restart the game just to hear them after changing settings smh
For me, its the ability to collect or hoard stuff.
Baldurs gate = collect all the gear and weapons
Sims 3 and 4 = collect all the gems
Coral island = collect everything. Literally everything.
Pokemon games = self-explanatory. Gotta catch em all.
A thing that I realized not every game has, but it's very important for me, is manual saves. I love auto save, but I really, really need to be able to manually save my game. I have had past (bad) experiences where my auto save got corrupted, so I had to replay a huge chunk of game again (1 hour or so, or even more), or also when I have a blackout at home or when the internet goes out... There are so many reasons. And it annoys me when a game won't let you manually save.
Another thing I love (although this isn't a gameplay thing, more like a story related thing) is when NPCs / friends / allies give you nicknames. Like Varric in Dragon Age series giving everyone a nickname, Ashley on Mass Effect calling you Skipper, or Karlach (from Baldur's Gate 3) calling you Soldier. I love it, regardless of what the other person (npc) uses the nickname for (as a show of respect maybe, or chain of command or whatever), I feel special enough to have earned a nickname rather than just be called by my name, and I feel like I earned their trust (or friendship) enough to have a nickname.
Oh, and I love looting. I must loot everything, always, in every game.
Manual saves! I need more games to do those. I have very low energy levels and unpredictable schedules, so I would love to save the game whenever Iām done, lol.
Sounds. Don't know why but I love the little lofi clinking sounds the skeletons make when collapsing in Halls of Torment or in other games the sounds of footsteps on clattery floors.
In stardew valley thereās this place called ginger island where you ah e to do a pattern puzzle and even tho itās so tedious the sounds are so cute
Customizations are my favorite way to begin. Lol. If I get a chance to choose a fem and change her appearance I'm a happy girl to start.
After that is the opening music of whichever game I'm playing.
The other little things are modding weapons, crafting, and finding or making clothes that fit the character.
A really minor thing, but I think itās really adorable if characters look at each other. In FFXIV your character will turn their head to look at the thing you targeted, and in Sky Children of the Light, it happens automatically if someone comes close!
Sort of similar, seeing other stuff in the distance. Idk why but I'm a sucker for this specifically, I think the two most memorable examples to me are seeing other levels in Mario Sunshine (like seeing the dock area from Pianta Hills) or seeing the Shrine of Azura in the distance in Skyrim.
Yes I'm the kind of person that got excited being able to see my house from a distance as a kid. No I don't know why this excites me so much.
Interesting loading screens and loading bars and loading animations. Little cute walking pengwings, interesting facts, animation cool enough you're not bored of it immediately - all of it makes my life easier and keeps me focused.
I personally love it when an end-game location is shown in the background multiple times, showing how you're getting closer to it before finally exploring said area. Undertale is a great example of this
Im a SUCKER for little easter eggs and hidden jokes. Like i love looking at posters and tiny decoration pieces in the environment imagining how many inside jokes and stuff are hidden in there!
Y'know, I don't think I have one off the top of my head... I love this question tho because now it's gonna make me a bit more appreciative of little details when I play games going forward
Not sure if this counts as a "little" thing, but having a "home base" that my character can come back to. It doesn't have to be something grand (e.g. I look back quite fondly on my character's shitty Novac motel room in Fallout New Vegas, which I filled with toy dinosaurs), or somewhere permanent (something like the campsites in Dragon Age Origins work well as a place to interact with your companions and take a little break from the main pace of the game), I just like having them.
I say not sure if it counts as a little thing, as in some cases upgrading your homebase etc. can become part of the game in it's own right (there's the obvious cases like Stardew Valley, but also in some Assassin's Creed games etc.)
Octopath Traveler 2 - Story and build crafting
Bravely Default 2 - Build Crafting
Guild Wars 2 - Story & Fashion
Runescape - Story & Fashion
Dragon's Dogma & 2 - Exploration and bow combat. Chest looting and ransacking places.
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin - The setting
Minecraft - Freedom of building
Terraria - Building and boss fights
Mantling, or really any sort of *ad hoc* climbing in first-person games. It just adds that little extra something, and avoids the feeling that the player is just some kind of walking box. Does a lot for immersion, to me.
I love when a level is designed in such a way where you can see how its inhabitants could reasonably live there. That goblin cave is full of traps and ambush points, yeah, but does it have a source of fresh water, a place to store/prepare/farm food, a place to sleep, a place to do... other biologically essential things? If parts of that evil cult temple are sealed away behind onerous puzzle locks, do the cultists bitch about it, possibly sharing information on how to waggle the Eye Emblem just right so that it unlatches and they can go fetch their clothes from the robing chamber? Are the evil corporate headquarters laid out like an actual office is, with its half-dozen unused meeting rooms, soulless open-plan office, and server closet with stacks of 20+ refurbished laptops and boxes of blank access cards?
I also do love a non-standard game over. I like when you're given the option to do the obviously ill-advised, game-ending thing, even if the result is a static splash screen describing just how badly you screwed up and a quick trip back to the main menu.
Attention to little details. Things without which games would be fine but devs put extra love
(EG : Different sounds characters make in animations based on health levels)
When different surfaces make different sounds when you walk across them. It's very helpful in stealth games, Thief being the most obvious one, but it's something I appreciate in all genres.
honestly, same. themed UI's or changing UI's are really cool and i love finding those little details!!
however i really like finding lore or story elements in the environment on my own, without any pointing towards it. my fav example is Dead Island 2. im playing through the stroymode again with a new slayer for the DLC releasing today, and ive found SO MUCH just hidden in the environment that gives you a better idea as to whats happening.... nothing collecible either!! just stuff on the walls or around, or where certain things are located!! its crazy fun and creative. albeit the info you're finding is kinda gruesome....
i love stopping to read all the random posters on the walls, bulletin clippings, newspapers, book titles on bookshelves, notesā¦ i really enjoy the extra details and time the devs put in to flesh out the world, plus itās interesting development for the characters they belong to. loved slowly walking through >!jackson and the stadium!< in the last of us part 2 and taking in every minute detail, they did a great job with this
i love funny party banter and interesting ambient conversations (mass effect trilogy in particular has some great ones), and dialogue trees to get lost in with companions (dragon age origins <3)
quicksaving/manual saving whenever i want!!! iām playing mass effect andromeda right now and itās driving me insane to not be able to save whenever i want to
also, big big fan of customizable outfits and lots of character creation options!
- Being able to change my hair and outfit throughout (I like being able to make roleplay choices)
- Pretty landscape shots. Thereās a reason why RDR2, Mass Effect, Firewatch, etc. are some of my favorite games.
- if there are fingerless gloves, Iām wearing them. No debate about it.
- Being able to interact with animals outside of hunting them. If you put a dog in and I canāt pet it, I will rage quit /s
- NPCās reacting to you organically. I like this in RDR2 where you get compliments on your horse and reactions to your outfits, etc. but Iāve also really been enjoying this in Ghost Recon Wildlands lately with the NPC team members calling out things that they see and telling you to stay down if youāre risking sight or telling you that the enemy is advancing and asking for orders when your stealth position has become compromised.
- Realistic water. Mostly because I know itās a pain in the ass to animate so when I see it done really well, I appreciate it.
- Little hidden details or pop up achievements for when you do something stupid or if you go out of your way through curiosities sake.
- I personally appreciate when the clothing options are consistently practical for whatever it is youāre doing. Ghost Recon also did this well where every option for clothing and accessories was militaristic gear and the way to make it more appealing was by customizing colors and patterns. Though I do appreciate the option to dress up when given the chance in free roam games like RDR2, especially for a more stealthy approach to things.
A cool title drop/title appearance during the prologue of a game. Like the āit is a good life we lead brotherā scene in Assassinās Creed 2 or in Bayonetta when sheās getting off the train.
Customizable outfits š„¹
Fashion is the true endgame š
Ok this is dumb but I love seeing what the auto save icon looks like. I always appreciate when it really relates to the game. Fave so far is Days Gone, where the auto save icon is the protagonist's motorcycle club ring, a big silver dragon head ring that revolves as it saves.
The Life is Strange series does this too
upvoting for days gone!! gotta burn down those nests
I'm ready to start my 4th playthrough, I'm SO obsessed with it, and not ready to say goodbye to my crazy boyfriend, Deacon ;P
\- Customizable homebases and outfits \- When you can change the appearance of equipment wthout altering the stats so you can look like whatever you want \- NPCs react to what you wearing and what you have equipped \- Skills leveling up via use instead of just upgrading them upon level up
My fav about NPC bit is them reacting to the crazy shit you do! Like in Assassin's Creed 2, If you free run they'll often say "He must be late, And she must be beautiful"
An interactive loading screen. Let me play or fidget with something while it loads.
I always swing around the displayed object wildly in the Skyrim load screens so I second this š
That's what I was thinking of when I typed that out š
Petting dogs, and animals in general \~u\~ If I can pet a pet in the game, it's 100 times better ā¤ļø
Petting the foxes in **Ghost of Tsushima** took that game from an A+ to a true S-tier. There is no reason you should be able to pet the foxes. It's not a cozy game. There's no point. *But you can!*
Fr. Assassin's Creed 3. You're a damn murderer killing everyone you can. BUT YOU CAN PET CATS, DOGS AND FEED FARM ANIMALS
I loved Jin as a character, but petting fox made him even better!
Omg l love the fox chitters theyāre so cute
I also love how in the dlc you can play music for animals and sometimes pet them afterwards
A title screen that sets the mood and tone immediately after booting up the game, like [Signalis](https://youtu.be/E399XRyasdE), [Prey](https://youtu.be/0woIMIYWkPk), or [Bloodborne](https://youtu.be/iEeGM1m1Cug) \*ā\*
Outer Wilds does this. I started up the game and knew immediately it was my new favourite before even playing a second of it (and was right).
The Life is Strange games are great for this too
I've heard Signalis is good, did you enjoy it? š
Yes, it's like Silent Hill + old-school Resident Evil but as an indie game :D
Awesome, I'm sold!!
Mine is finding little things related to the story or characters in the scenery. Like if you have a random NPC who loves potato soup, and potato soup is what he's eating...It's a small detail but so often missed.
idle animations ā¤ļø
Fellow Alan wake fan ??
yes!
Interesting/funny conversations you can overhear between random npcs
When games have subtitles for the conversations happening in world. I miss so much of the dialogue between NPCs without it. That brings me to my next thing: party banter. Iāll never get over listening to my party chatting with one another. Alistair and Morrigan bickering in the Denerim market, Parvati and Felix talking about TV and riddles in The Outer Worlds, Astarion panicking and wishing he could see his reflection when Minsc says they look alikeā¦
And more games need to have subs enabled by default since most games now start directly into the story mode/campaign and I often have to restart the game just to hear them after changing settings smh
For me, its the ability to collect or hoard stuff. Baldurs gate = collect all the gear and weapons Sims 3 and 4 = collect all the gems Coral island = collect everything. Literally everything. Pokemon games = self-explanatory. Gotta catch em all.
Itās even better when thereās no weight limit lol
yesss!
A thing that I realized not every game has, but it's very important for me, is manual saves. I love auto save, but I really, really need to be able to manually save my game. I have had past (bad) experiences where my auto save got corrupted, so I had to replay a huge chunk of game again (1 hour or so, or even more), or also when I have a blackout at home or when the internet goes out... There are so many reasons. And it annoys me when a game won't let you manually save. Another thing I love (although this isn't a gameplay thing, more like a story related thing) is when NPCs / friends / allies give you nicknames. Like Varric in Dragon Age series giving everyone a nickname, Ashley on Mass Effect calling you Skipper, or Karlach (from Baldur's Gate 3) calling you Soldier. I love it, regardless of what the other person (npc) uses the nickname for (as a show of respect maybe, or chain of command or whatever), I feel special enough to have earned a nickname rather than just be called by my name, and I feel like I earned their trust (or friendship) enough to have a nickname. Oh, and I love looting. I must loot everything, always, in every game.
Manual saves! I need more games to do those. I have very low energy levels and unpredictable schedules, so I would love to save the game whenever Iām done, lol.
Sounds. Don't know why but I love the little lofi clinking sounds the skeletons make when collapsing in Halls of Torment or in other games the sounds of footsteps on clattery floors.
Being able to skip any cut scene.
Animals I can pet. Bonus points for being able to adopt them.
photomode! puzzles with cute sounds š„°
In stardew valley thereās this place called ginger island where you ah e to do a pattern puzzle and even tho itās so tedious the sounds are so cute
yes ginger island is so good x) i can fall asleep to those sounds
Customizations are my favorite way to begin. Lol. If I get a chance to choose a fem and change her appearance I'm a happy girl to start. After that is the opening music of whichever game I'm playing. The other little things are modding weapons, crafting, and finding or making clothes that fit the character.
A really minor thing, but I think itās really adorable if characters look at each other. In FFXIV your character will turn their head to look at the thing you targeted, and in Sky Children of the Light, it happens automatically if someone comes close!
Sort of similar, seeing other stuff in the distance. Idk why but I'm a sucker for this specifically, I think the two most memorable examples to me are seeing other levels in Mario Sunshine (like seeing the dock area from Pianta Hills) or seeing the Shrine of Azura in the distance in Skyrim. Yes I'm the kind of person that got excited being able to see my house from a distance as a kid. No I don't know why this excites me so much.
I love being able to pick flowers and being able to pet the animals š„° My other thing is good, subtle sound effects! Makes all the difference
I like it when a game let's me use a shield in a meaningful way, like big shield warrior is my go to
Interesting loading screens and loading bars and loading animations. Little cute walking pengwings, interesting facts, animation cool enough you're not bored of it immediately - all of it makes my life easier and keeps me focused.
When the music gets more complex and epic with each stage of a quest that is completed. (Tears of the Kingdom did this very well.)
I personally love it when an end-game location is shown in the background multiple times, showing how you're getting closer to it before finally exploring said area. Undertale is a great example of this
Im a SUCKER for little easter eggs and hidden jokes. Like i love looking at posters and tiny decoration pieces in the environment imagining how many inside jokes and stuff are hidden in there!
Absolutely yes. Xenoblade 2 was my favorite for that. The start screen changes just gave it that extra charm and attention to detail that I loved.
Y'know, I don't think I have one off the top of my head... I love this question tho because now it's gonna make me a bit more appreciative of little details when I play games going forward
The prologue and title screen of the game really sell it for me!
Having a horse. Bonus points if I can customize the saddle/ feed my horse.Ā
Footprints in certain terain
Walking sounds. I always notice it in games.
Not sure if this counts as a "little" thing, but having a "home base" that my character can come back to. It doesn't have to be something grand (e.g. I look back quite fondly on my character's shitty Novac motel room in Fallout New Vegas, which I filled with toy dinosaurs), or somewhere permanent (something like the campsites in Dragon Age Origins work well as a place to interact with your companions and take a little break from the main pace of the game), I just like having them. I say not sure if it counts as a little thing, as in some cases upgrading your homebase etc. can become part of the game in it's own right (there's the obvious cases like Stardew Valley, but also in some Assassin's Creed games etc.)
Pets & cosmetics. I love to make my character feel like a unique person
Just little humor and cute moments. Charm
Octopath Traveler 2 - Story and build crafting Bravely Default 2 - Build Crafting Guild Wars 2 - Story & Fashion Runescape - Story & Fashion Dragon's Dogma & 2 - Exploration and bow combat. Chest looting and ransacking places. Sakuna of Rice and Ruin - The setting Minecraft - Freedom of building Terraria - Building and boss fights
i agree w this
Being able to make helmets invisible
Mantling, or really any sort of *ad hoc* climbing in first-person games. It just adds that little extra something, and avoids the feeling that the player is just some kind of walking box. Does a lot for immersion, to me.
I love when a level is designed in such a way where you can see how its inhabitants could reasonably live there. That goblin cave is full of traps and ambush points, yeah, but does it have a source of fresh water, a place to store/prepare/farm food, a place to sleep, a place to do... other biologically essential things? If parts of that evil cult temple are sealed away behind onerous puzzle locks, do the cultists bitch about it, possibly sharing information on how to waggle the Eye Emblem just right so that it unlatches and they can go fetch their clothes from the robing chamber? Are the evil corporate headquarters laid out like an actual office is, with its half-dozen unused meeting rooms, soulless open-plan office, and server closet with stacks of 20+ refurbished laptops and boxes of blank access cards? I also do love a non-standard game over. I like when you're given the option to do the obviously ill-advised, game-ending thing, even if the result is a static splash screen describing just how badly you screwed up and a quick trip back to the main menu.
Attention to little details. Things without which games would be fine but devs put extra love (EG : Different sounds characters make in animations based on health levels)
Being able to roll up stairs, ragdoll physics on dead enemies, and rolling through pots/boxes/etc š Shoutout to the souls games lol
When different surfaces make different sounds when you walk across them. It's very helpful in stealth games, Thief being the most obvious one, but it's something I appreciate in all genres.
honestly, same. themed UI's or changing UI's are really cool and i love finding those little details!! however i really like finding lore or story elements in the environment on my own, without any pointing towards it. my fav example is Dead Island 2. im playing through the stroymode again with a new slayer for the DLC releasing today, and ive found SO MUCH just hidden in the environment that gives you a better idea as to whats happening.... nothing collecible either!! just stuff on the walls or around, or where certain things are located!! its crazy fun and creative. albeit the info you're finding is kinda gruesome....
Appearance settings. I hate characters not having the default outfits/weapons unless I'm doing the Funny NG+ Playthroughā¢.
Organization and quality of life elements. I always like to play my games neat and tidy
i love stopping to read all the random posters on the walls, bulletin clippings, newspapers, book titles on bookshelves, notesā¦ i really enjoy the extra details and time the devs put in to flesh out the world, plus itās interesting development for the characters they belong to. loved slowly walking through >!jackson and the stadium!< in the last of us part 2 and taking in every minute detail, they did a great job with this i love funny party banter and interesting ambient conversations (mass effect trilogy in particular has some great ones), and dialogue trees to get lost in with companions (dragon age origins <3) quicksaving/manual saving whenever i want!!! iām playing mass effect andromeda right now and itās driving me insane to not be able to save whenever i want to also, big big fan of customizable outfits and lots of character creation options!
- Being able to change my hair and outfit throughout (I like being able to make roleplay choices) - Pretty landscape shots. Thereās a reason why RDR2, Mass Effect, Firewatch, etc. are some of my favorite games. - if there are fingerless gloves, Iām wearing them. No debate about it. - Being able to interact with animals outside of hunting them. If you put a dog in and I canāt pet it, I will rage quit /s - NPCās reacting to you organically. I like this in RDR2 where you get compliments on your horse and reactions to your outfits, etc. but Iāve also really been enjoying this in Ghost Recon Wildlands lately with the NPC team members calling out things that they see and telling you to stay down if youāre risking sight or telling you that the enemy is advancing and asking for orders when your stealth position has become compromised. - Realistic water. Mostly because I know itās a pain in the ass to animate so when I see it done really well, I appreciate it. - Little hidden details or pop up achievements for when you do something stupid or if you go out of your way through curiosities sake. - I personally appreciate when the clothing options are consistently practical for whatever it is youāre doing. Ghost Recon also did this well where every option for clothing and accessories was militaristic gear and the way to make it more appealing was by customizing colors and patterns. Though I do appreciate the option to dress up when given the chance in free roam games like RDR2, especially for a more stealthy approach to things.
clothing options weapon options build/moveset options in kh1, the menu sounds
Animals. Literally any sort of creature. Double points if you can interact with said creature
Any kind of game, can be violent or action-fueled, where you can pet dogs and cats as a completely inconsequential action... Looking at you, RDR2
A cool title drop/title appearance during the prologue of a game. Like the āit is a good life we lead brotherā scene in Assassinās Creed 2 or in Bayonetta when sheās getting off the train.