10 Unexpected Ways To Master Challenging Video Game Mechanics
Always watch the feet during Ghost of Tsushima's standoffs.
It's enormously satisfying seeing your skills improve while playing a video game, where you've invested enough time and mental energy to master even the very trickiest gameplay mechanics.
Sometimes, though, there's something other than mere time and effort involved, as the true key to victory may lie in a most unexpected of tactics or techniques.
Rather than spending hours and hours slogging your way through the "practise makes perfect" route of improvement, you can do yourself a huge favour in these 10 games by adopting these strange strategies for success.
From simply remapping poorly-bound controls to exploiting invincibility frames, adjusting your field-of-view, and using features barely explained by the games themselves, you'll be able to take full control of these challenging mechanics and make them look like sheer child's play.
Some of these techniques are so hilariously simple you'll kick yourself for not learning them beforehand, while others are dementedly ingenioius enough that you'll cackle maniacally at the creativity and outside-the-box thinking on display.
Whatever the method, you absolutely, positively need to know these left-field methods for harnessing these tricky video game mechanics...
10. Remap Dash To A Shoulder Button - Mega Man X
The Mega Man X games have been widely criticised by players for their tricky, fiddly dash mechanic, largely because the default control scheme requires players to press a face button to dash.
This awkward placement makes it difficult for players to dash, shoot, and jump at the same time, basically requiring them to contort their hand into an uncomfortable claw shape to play effectively.
But this can be solved incredibly easily, so easily in fact that it may not have even crossed your mind.
With most modern games allowing players to remap control schemes to their liking, you're free to just... remap dash to one of the shoulder buttons.
Regardless of what type of controller you're using on whatever platform, this makes dashing so much more intuitive, and above all else should ensure you're not left with a horrible hand cramp after a lengthy play session.
Again, though, it's such a straight-forward solution to the issue - and yet a totally game-changing one - that you may well gloss over it entirely.