11 Video Games That Require Hours To Master Their Mechanics

On the surface, Crypt of the NecroDancer looks like your standard roguelike, Legend of Zelda inspired adventure: pixel art, dungeons to crawl and monsters to slay. However, NecroDancer has one very distinct and game-changing mechanic that separates it from its contemporaries: it's a rhythm game.

Every action the player makes, from movement to combat to interactions has to be done in time to the song playing behind it. Other than the Bard, who can ignore the beat by virtue of bardic talents, every character is bound to the rhythm. Ignoring this rhythm has consequences, depending on the character you are playing as. Some will simply lower your multiplier and make it impossible to attain a high score. For others, however, missing a beat spells certain death.

For so long, we as players are used to going at our own pace, so to be at the mercy of the beat is infuriating at first. Soon, becoming one with the rhythm becomes hypnotic, even meditative. The more in tune you are, the better your moves, the quicker your actions and the higher your score. Truly magnetic.