Sequels Doomed to Better Mechanics and Graphics?

Sequels often are a mixed bag. They seem better, and yet also worse. Why?

I ran into this with the first two games in the F.E.A.R series. The first one had unique gameplay mechanics. But there was much to love about the second game too: graphics, level design, polished shooting controls.

I wondered if this applied to other series. Then another example fell into my lap.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst

I played the first game as a kid on Xbox 360. Recently, I (re)played the sequel Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst on PC.

The second game has a lot I like. Upgraded graphics, brilliant lighting without losing (too much) FPS, silky smooth controls, and a grapple to take the platforming to dizzying heights. Quite literally; some areas triggered my fear of falling.

So, what’s wrong with the second one? Frankly, the story. A loading screen tip literally asks you to read a separate comic to “catch up” on the story (I know the game is a “reboot” of sorts, but come on, telling players in-game to read a book first? You knew that wouldn’t land well) (and for the record, the comic isn’t required to understand the story per se, it’s just a prologue, but still feels awkward).

Worse, I just couldn’t get myself to care for the characters. Even Faith. The motivations never seem to work.

The only character that kept my attention was Dogen. That may or may not be because he’s voiced by the amazing Tim Kang. But he adds rich layers to his character with subtext and mystery (his “you’ll be dead by then” gave me chills, solid world-building line too). And just watch this cutscene:

I’d say this is probably Faith’s best performance, and he still steals the scene from her. Sadly, the game doesn’t expand on his character much further.

If I had to “fix” the story, I would’ve made the story lean into this, make it more of a Godfather type of tale: after Faith gets out of jail, he and other delivery managers insist she owes them runs. So the game has you choose between deliveries, but they get more shady and you start to see the good/bad in these managers based on what’s delivered. The final mission is a package everyone wants, and you have to choose who you deliver it to (or to no one?).

Bam! Replay value, multiple endings, meaningful impact from player choices. While I particularly didn’t care for “choose your story” mechanics as a kid, I have grown to appreciate them more. And they tend to be far more effective in getting players invested.

(what are we, a gamedev blog now?)

Is this the fault of “Too Much Content?”

There’s lots and lots of content in Catalyst: side missions, collectibles, time trials. Heck, you can even design your own time trials for friends to beat. As a singleplayer non-completionist, none of that kept my interest for long.

But sequels expect hardcore fans from the first game to buy it. Adding more content for those players only makes sense. And when done right, it is very cheap for companies to add to the game. And what could be better for a company to add than cheap content?

(yes, a hint of sarcasm, how did you know?)

Many gamers blame content bloat for sequel failure. But unless the content is forced into the main campaign (some games do), the extra content isn’t required. It’s just available. Catalyst’s campaign is still long, even without side missions.

I didn’t feel any pressure doing all that content. I just had a shorter playtime than a completionist would.

Mirror’s Edge, Again

To compare, I bought Mirror’s Edge on sale. See how it fared in spite of nostalgia. I used a mod to utilize my ultrawide monitor, otherwise I kept things vanilla for my playthrough.

Overall, I liked it. Lighting is still top-notch (and since most of it is baked, it runs really fast). I had forgotten the game demo’d PhysX, so cloth sims tear and brush aside as you run and bullets fly. Characters and props are noticeably low-poly, but otherwise the graphics age well.

The story is noir and cliche. I mean, it’s a separated-at-birth story, what did you expect? The sequel mirrors (pun intended) many aspects of the first game’s story, so that affects my bias. But the twists work well. The game leans into a “dog-eat-dog world out there” feeling, adding further sympathy for Faith. So while it’s no Aaron Sorkin, it gets you to care for the characters — not as easy as it sounds.

But after playing Catalyst, the prequel’s mechanics felt comparatively clunky. Controls are unforgiving. I frequently failed to hold down keys long enough to trigger rolls and jumps. Building momentum is far harder and doesn’t save you from bullets. Coiling mid-air means you can’t grab ledges, which meant it was more strategic.

Unlike the sequel, the first game lets you grab guns from enemies and use them. But that only makes mechanics pale even further because now your mind compares it to any other polished FPS. Doesn’t even feel close to right, but thankfully not a focus of the game.

Another issue is level design. Despite the second game being open world, its runner vision and other assists (ie the map) ensured I never got lost. With the first one, I consistently got lost or wondered where to go next. And I remember doing this the first time I played the game many years ago too.

Mirror’s Edge has a button to rotate your character to “point” to the next area, much like a pointer dog towards a hunter’s kill. But for some levels, that doesn’t give you enough info how to get there.

Most die-hards or difficulty lovers would just say that the second one was game-ier and easier to reach a wider audience. And they’re right.

A book I read about playtesting games (what am I, an aspiring gamedev now?) had this to say about it: if the game is so difficult that your target players give up before the game’s end, what is the point of creating the ending? Or, in the words of Lincoln:

In this case, “true north” is the player’s satisfaction at the end of the game. If the game can’t guide the players toward that goal, then they may never make it, and designing the rest of the game is all for nought.

For difficulty lovers, you can always add options to disable assists and toughen AI. Dishonored is great at this (oooh maybe I should do that series next). But assume the default difficulty gets anyone in your target audience to the finish line. They should always feel they get their money’s worth, even if “hard difficulty” gamers get even more.

“Why Did Mirror’s Edge Bother Making a Sequel?”

I mean. Money.

But Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst clearly improved many things. Graphics are better. Controls are smoother. Far more accessible to newcomers.

The open world is a bold move. Its execution didn’t pan out, but I still think it was the right move. The cutscenes are amazingly animated and performed, even if the story and character investment does not follow through.

Sadly, I think their reusing/redoing the sister aspect of the story meant “re-booting” the story. I’m a story guy — I did creative writing for a long time, after all — and it definitely fell flat there.

What are your thoughts? Any favorite sequels or prequels?