Linear Games Must Not Be Forgotten
How is it that linear game design still has a bad reputation? Despite all evidence to the contrary, all the linearly-designed classics celebrated by our community, the idea of linear progression is still somehow looked upon with more scorn than respect. This really shouldn’t be the case. While there might be inferior non-linear games in terms of the amount of player agency, linear games can still do many things that non-linear games cannot. While non-linear games must provide a consistent experience across the board in order to compensate for the player’s freedom, linear games are bound by no such restriction. Funneling players down predetermined paths allows for more creatively designed play spaces, more elaborate encounters, smoother difficulty curves and better told stories.
