10 Dumb Video Game Mechanics We Should've Hated

There are plenty of games like Cuphead and Battletoads that are infamous for their nightmarish difficulty.

However, Hidetaka Miyazaki's work takes things to a whole new level of unfair, since many of his games don't feature a pause option. While navigating through the inventory in Bloodborne or Elden Ring, gameplay is still in motion. If the player wishes to check the menu while fighting a boss, they'll likely be seeing the Game Over screen instead.

When the progenitor of the Soulsborne series, Demon's Souls, came out in 2009, many players were confused why they kept dying during the "pause" screen. When they realised freezing gameplay wasn't on the table, they were beyond furious. Because this mechanic hinders the player's ability to strategise (or go to the bathroom), it seems reasonable this would turn off potential gamers.

Ironically, there are millions who love this mechanic, since it compels them to adapt to their surroundings and constantly think on their feet. This simple idea has spawned, not just a whole pause-less sub-genre, but a new breed of video game players, who adore unrealistically tough titles.

Because FromSoftware titles are more popular than ever, a lack of pausing is no longer a deterrent.