Summary
Sometimes, a video game gets announced, gets hyped, and then gets de-hyped once it is revealed that the game is solely focused on multiplayer. Multiplayer games can be great, but they are not always what gamers want to see. Maybe it is the next entry in a popular series, or maybe it’sa brand-new title with rich lorethat looks like it could have been cool to explore as a single-player experience.
That doesn’t mean that these multiplayer games are bad. They may have just been more appreciated as single-player titles. Here’s a look at how these particular multiplayer-focused titles could have been handled better as single-player games.
Anthemwasthe first major BioWare gamethat was directly made with co-op in mind. It was chasing the live-service and looter shooter trend of the time made popular byDestinyandTom Clancy’s The Division.
While the core gameplay loop was solid, giving players multiple mechs to inhabit and a big world to explore while flying, the story was lacking. It was also much shorter than most BioWare games as they didn’t seem to have a road map in mind. If they had focused on a single-player game instead, perhaps things could have been different.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sonswas released in 2013 as a novel idea for a puzzle adventure game. Players could control two brothers: one for each stick on the controller. It was hard to get used to, but that’s what made the gameplay so inventive.
For example, one brother could distract a dog while the other escaped. This was changed in the Switch version, which added co-op. While optional, it kind of goes against the point of the game, making it feel like a weird misstep of a port.
Gamers usually get everything they could want inaCall of Dutypackage, including an engaging story, a robust multiplayer suite of modes, and, sometimes, an additional co-op campaign. However,Call of Duty: Black Ops 4astounded fans when Activision announced it was not going to have a campaign for the game.
Instead, there were the usual amount of multiplayer modes, a new Battle Royale mode, and zombie co-op. While it did review well, single-player fans were baffled by the exclusion of a campaign.
Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 10,andFinal Fantasy 11were all announced at the same time and were promised to give fans something different.Final Fantasy 11was a huge deal because it was going to be an MMO, which was released in 2002 in Japan and 2004 in North America. In 2010, Square Enix launchedFinal Fantasy 14as another MMO while still supportingFinal Fantasy 11.
Final Fantasy 14is well beloved, at least after its 2013 reboot, but it’s still strange that Square Enix made two MMOs not far apart from each other when they could have made an offline single-player experience.
BeforeThe Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Nintendo experimented with manymultiplayer-focusedZeldagames, but they usually featured four players. This game instead focused on three players and emphasized costume changes. These costumes gave the colored Links new powers, which was a novel but fun idea for a gameplay loop.
While it can be played solo, the computer assistance is not great, making it nearly impossible to finish alone. It’s a shame thisZeldagame will probably fade into the background because of this fact.
Metroid: Other Mwas a divisive game on the Wii when it launched in 2010, but at its core, it wasa solid Samus Aran adventure. The series was dormant for years after that untilMetroid Prime: Federation Forcewas revealed in 2015.
It pushed Samus aside and featured generic soldiers in colorful little mech suits instead. To say fans were upset would be an understatement. Even with a full multiplayer party, it doesn’t reach those loftyMetroidheights. A single-player Samus game would have been appreciated by fans a lot more.
Silent Hillhas always beenResident Evil’s moodier cousin that was more focused on telling a heartbreaking story over having B-movie dialogue and heavy action. That’s why it was surprising to seeSilent Hill: Book of Memoriesannounced for the PS Vita, as the whole concept justseemed counter-intuitive to the franchise.
It’s aDiablo-like game that fans can play with friends. Ignoring that it’s aSilent Hilltitle, it’s not a badDiabloclone, but attached toSilent Hill, it couldn’t make less sense if they tried.
Batman: Arkham Knightwas released in 2015 andconcluded Batman’s trilogy of games. Rumors swirled about Rocksteady Studios’ next game for ages, including aSuperman, aWonder Woman, and aTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame. Instead, they releasedSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguein 2024 after numerous delays.
They could have learned from BioWare andAnthemhere, as a live-service looter shooter with these heroes, other than Deadshot, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Deadshot serving as the sole hero hunting the Justice League could have made for a more compelling action-adventure game.
