10 More Pointless Video Game Mechanics Nobody Used
6. Turn On/Turn Off - The Secret Of Monkey Island
OK, this one's pretty funny.
The original version of The Secret of Monkey Island featured a bevy of on-screen options for player interaction, which players will of course need to use throughout the game in various contexts.
Except, that is, for the "turn on" and "turn off" commands, which players are never required to use throughout the entire game, especially with the "use" function being able to turn objects on and off.
The reason for this is actually quite hilarious - the game was created using LucasArts' bespoke Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion (SCUMM) engine, which had been used to develop Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure the year before.
And so, rather than tinker with the engine, LucasArts decided to just import the interface and command system wholesale, no matter that The Secret of Monkey Island had no practical use for the turn on/off functionality.
The game's success evidently prompted the company to give the engine a redesign for the sequel, though, as Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge lacked the same pointless mechanic.