In the world of video games, one aspect that's not thought about nearly enough is movement. At one point, this was a key thought that went into every game's creation, as movement was often the only way players could deal with obstacles in a game.
But as open-world titles became more common, a lot of the focus on movement went away. It seems these days all too often the developer is fine with the player moving around primarily by pressing forward on the joystick. That just means the games which do go the extra mile to have unique movement systems all the more worthy of the respect and adoration of the fans.
10 Titanfall's Exoskeleton Allows Players To Wall-Run Everywhere
Respawn's Titanfall didn't get the respect it deserved at launch because it was locked to the Xbox One. The idea of being able to switch from a cool exoskeleton to a giant robot in the middle of combat is something that has only ever been surpassed by one other game, and that's Titanfall's sequel, which also added a short campaign mode to placate fans missing a single-player mode.
Because Titanfall is blatantly futuristic, Respawn was free to allow the player to use rocket boosts and wall-running to allow for seamless movement. The only downside to this movement system is that Call of Duty spent its next two games rying to steal it.
9 Sunset Overdrive Lets Players Skate And Zipline Their Way Through Zombies
Insomniac Games has always known that the key to a good game is good movement. That's why Sunset Overdrive is still talked about years after its release despite not having great sales. Though this was meant to be a post-apocalyptic game, the designers took inspiration from games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Jet Set Radio, which gave the game a unique look and feel.
Sunset Overdrive takes place in Sunset City, where the protagonist is a former employee of FizzCo, a company that has turned much of the city into addicts to their energy drink. To get around the world, the protagonist can skate on grind rails and use a bunch of zip-lines, giving the game a frenetic pace few others can match.
8 Gravity Rush Uses Gravity Manipulation To Let Players "Fall" In Any Direction They Want
Gravity Rush fans got not one, but two games set in a glorious world featuring one of Sony's most likable protagonists. In this world, players take on the role of Kat, who has the ability to manipulate her own localized gravity. The simple explanation for this means she can control how she falls.
But the game gets much more interesting when played on the PlayStation Vita, as the player can tilt the Vita in the direction they want Kat to fall. The only downside to this power is Kat can't use the ability whenever she wants, making it somewhat situational.
7 Dying Light 2 Pairs Zombie Fighting With Free-Running And Parkour
Despite there being far too many zombie games on the market, the original Dying Light was a huge success. People loved the game's first-person parkour, and so it was successful enough to get support for years. Dying Light 2 took much longer to release, as it struggled with what direction it wanted to go in, finally releasing in 2022 after years of development.
Fortunately, Dying Light 2 improves on what people loved about the original game. Players can still free-run and utilize parkour to get around the city, but the developers also added things like grappling hooks and gliders, along with gusts of wind to get the player back into the air easily.
6 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Lets Players Use Their Grappling Hook To Navigate The World
From Software changed their formula up for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The developers left behind their RPG systems for a game that was more action-oriented than usual. In Sekiro, the player's goal is to find a way to break someone's poise before finally moving in for the finish, similar to Square's Bushido Blade from the PlayStation era.
While most of Sekiro was about getting around the world through stealth, FromSoft added one cool ability in the grappling hook. The hook could be used at almost any point and made navigating the world a joy for players.
5 Mario Odyssey Lets Mario Control Different Characters Which All Move Differently
Mario Odyssey is one of the Nintendo Switch's best games for a reason. The developers really took the return to 3D Mario seriously, resulting in a game that's fun to just move around in. The game's new gimmick is Cappy, which sees Mario tossing his hat at various objects and enemies and "inhabiting" their form.
Mario can become a Bullet Bill, a tank, and so much more to get through the stages. With over 50 enemies and objects to capture, it feels like the options for him are endless.
4 Infamous: Second Son Has Different Movements For Different Powers
Sucker Punch went out on a high note with inFamous: Second Son. The protagonist, Delsin Rowe, gains the power of smoke at the beginning of the game, revealing himself as a conduit. With his smoke powers, he can travel up pipes and briefly glide around the world, which would be enough to make the game memorable.
But the game also offers another three sets of powers that Delsin can take, each with its own movement style. With Neon, Second Son is the closest game to emulating what moving at super-speed might feel like in a video game.
3 Just Cause Lets Players Use Jetpacks And Wingsuits
Avalanche's Just Cause series feels like it's about having as many ridiculous '80s action blockbuster movie moments as possible. In Just Cause 3, players start out with a grappling hook and a deployable parachute that can be used completely at will.
But Just Cause 3 later adds a jetpack to the options, while Just Cause 4 continues adding more movement options with a wing suit. There's a limitless number of ways to get around the different countries of Just Cause, and all of them are awesome.
2 Vanquish Lets Players Slide Around Everywhere
Vanquish is an unforgettable experience, and one of those games that remind people why everyone wanted Platinum to develop everything in the early 2010s. In Vanquish, the protagonist Sam Gideon is wearing an experimental suit of armor that allows him to charge into the battlefield and take on armies on their own.
The suit comes with a ton of experimental weapons, but the one used the most are the boosters that let the player slide around the battlefield at will. Combine the sliding technique with the ability to slow down time around Sam, and Vanquish has some of the most cinematic-looking fight scenes ever.
1 Marvel's Spider-Man Makes The Player Feel Like The Wall-Crawler
It's true, up until this point the gold standard for Spider-Man web-slinging was the PlayStation 2 Spider-Man 2 game. And Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man might not beat that game in that aspect. But it does "hang" in there with Spider-Man 2, with Peter's swinging through the city back to being momentum-based.
How fast the player can traverse the city and how well they can attack enemies mid-swing all depends on the individual player's skill with the game's web-slinging controls. With open-world games traditionally having terrible movement, Marvel's Spider-Man stands out as a title people can come back repeatedly just to swing around New York City.