9 Trick Video Game Items You Must AVOID

You are NOT ready for a fake Dark Souls chest.

dark souls mimic
From Software

In the current climate of loot-grinds, RPG mechanics and stat trees, it's very rare that amongst the hundreds of items you'll be hoovering up, any are actively going to mess with you.

No, developers need you on a constant treadmill of fun, and randomly having a treasure chest sprout legs and gobble you up kinda gets in the way.

That's why the very idea of trick items, weapons or pickups is so rare. It's something so many of us have gotten caught up in thanks to sheer amount of games played over the years, but the idea of a developer actively playing with your expectations in a negative sense is some outdated, "Gotcha!" game design, and that's largely gone away altogether.

In the age of algorithmically-generated treadmills of rewards, progression loops and laser-focused engagement, anything that disrupts the flow is either hilarious or brutally infuriating, but either way, they're always worth talking about.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.