Underwater zones in video games has been a hot topic lately. I don’t know who started it, but I noticed when I saw the Kumail Nanjiani tweet about how they’re bad and that pretty much everyone hates them – but devs do them anyway to mess with us.
“Hey, you know the pace of movement you’ve gotten used to? How about we slow it way down for no reason and also there’s a rapidly depleting gauge to stress about! Don’t worrywe’ve spent barely any effort on the swim mechanics! Oh no the screen is red and beeping FIND SOME BUBBLES.”
MMO blogger Belghast, on the other hand, admitted that the underwater WoW Cataclysm zone Vashjr is a favorite of his, prompting an interesting discussion about whether it is peaceful, suffocating, or a nexus for motion sickness.
I find I like underwater maps – if the game has planned well for them, has a functioning map system, ensures water combat and animation makes sense, and isn’t trying to make it all into a panic-inducing “am I going to drown” minigame. How about you? Are you a fan of underwater MMO zones and content? Which MMO does it best?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
