Just How Am I Going to Beat This Boss?

Since Player One and I have been devoting most of our gaming attention to RPGs recently, I thought that I would focus over my next few posts on some of the more ridiculous aspects of our gaming nights. Namely, how over-leveled our characters are, and the personal fanon that we have created in these games. Now, I know that we've mentioned some of these aspects in past posts, but I thought it would be enjoyable to go into these important(ish) gaming topics in a little more detail. So, without further ado...

Why Achieving God-Like Levels Isn't Always a Bad Thing

As many of you probably know, one of the most infuriating things about RPGs is being under-leveled. Not only is it extremely difficult to advance to the next area, but usually you've just played through an incredibly hard dungeon to get to the boss that you're stuck on, and your desire to trek back through all of the puzzles for the sake of fighting enemies is decidedly minimal. Usually being on-level is the easiest way to avoid this, since although you may still have difficulties with the boss, it will be possible for you to eventually surpass it and move on. I personally enjoy the other option: being over-leveled.

"Now Rachel, won't that just suck all the fun out of the game?" Well if you want to be extremely pessimistic then yes, it might. If you're playing the game for the sake of a challenge, being over-leveled will usually eliminate any episodes of tearing your hair out/throwing your controller/screaming at your television scream. Usually when I pursue an RPG, it's more for the fun gameplay and the involving storyline. Therefore, I don't usually mind when I can beat the snot out of the enemies in a dungeon in about thirty seconds. For me, that's one of the best feelings in the world. Not only does it mean that I'm surpassing the game's expectations of me, but more importantly, it also means that I can quickly work my way to the next plot point.

Becoming over-leveled is not as hard as you think. Typically, I'm not much of one for level grinding, and I tend to detest staying in one area of the game for too long for the sake of leveling up. I have found through the years if you just simply fight everything that comes at you (and I mean everything), you'll just naturally level up much faster than someone who skipped through battles because they were bored with them. Now, I know that fighting becomes tedious after a while (Final Fantasy VII's random battles come to mind), but usually when I go up against the boss and dispose of them without too much difficulty, it feels as though all of my work was validated.

If an RPG is done well, then you should constantly be challenged as you work through it, regardless of how over-leveled you become. For example, in Persona 3 FES, there are different levels that the player has to work through as the story progresses. Typically I'm pretty over-leveled when I finish the level (usually confirmed by several enemies being frightened of me when I take them on in battle.) Meanwhile, as I progress up the floors, the mini-bosses give me an incredible amount of difficulty despite my high level. In fact, I often am left to wonder how people do it when they're five levels below me, like they're supposed to be. Not only that, but whenever I move up floors, I usually get my ass handed to me several times by the exceptionally strong foes on that floor. It's these encounters that constantly keep me on my toes as I work my way through the game, and prevent me from becoming too lax in my leveling.

So where do you guys enjoy being in RPGs? Do you love a challenge or do you prefer just playing through a game for fun? Let me know!