Do You Like Backtracking?

[Moonface]

As the thread title asks, do you like backtracking in games? Are there only certain ways you like backtracking, or do you love/hate all of it?

I actually like backtracking in most games, especially platformers. I really dislike playing levels in that genre of games when I can collect everything first try, because there's just something about the platforming genre that feels suited to not being a straight shot from A to B. The first Spyro game makes me really aware of it because it's the only game of the original trilogy that lets the player complete a level 100% on the first visit, whereas the sequels added in powerups or extra characters that you have to revisit levels with to access everything. I think it just helps to keep earlier levels feeling fresh a little longer and lets them shine more, since early levels tend to be simpler and shorter than later ones but having to revisit them gives them a second breath of life and it's exciting to me to see something in an early level and know it's waiting for me to come back later when I can access it.

I also think it makes a game feel more satisfying. When I can just 100% everything in a platformer first try, the feeling of satisfaction of getting everything starts to wear off because every level provides it back to back. When I have to leave stuff behind, I get the anticipation of knowing I'm getting some cool power later on that'll open up new options to me and that later levels will be built entirely around it, and I have to hold off on being satisfied with completion for particular levels until I reach that power, so the feelings I get at the end of levels gets mixed up. It's like having dessert all the time versus having to wait for it at times and so you get a break from it to stop the dessert feeling old or boring.

[ShiraNoMai]

I think it depends on the game. Don't make me come back for stupid or lazy, padded content. Yoshi's Crafted World and Crash Bandicoot 4 come to mind. Retreading areas with essentially a slightly new coat of paint isn't worth adding in, and I'd rather not do it.

Super Mario Odyssey is an example of a retread without feeling like a lack of effort was put in. That I absolutely adore in the same way you explained.

[Moonface]

I think it depends on the game. Don't make me come back for stupid or lazy, padded content. Yoshi's Crafted World and Crash Bandicoot 4 come to mind. Retreading areas with essentially a slightly new coat of paint isn't worth adding in, and I'd rather not do it.

I don't know if I'd say CB4 has backtracking, since it isn't making you replay the levels you've already done again but just a really lazy remix of them.

One game I played that has really poor backtracking is MediEvil on PS4. I hate that new collectibles get added to levels later on so you have to just go and replay every level again to find them all, and prior to them being added you get led to believe you can 100% a level, spend the time doing so, only to eventually discover you have to still go back later. I actually put that game down when that happened and have yet to go back to it because it just felt insulting to mislead me with the belief I was doing everything and then making me do every level all over again.

[Karo]

I feel like in general I like coming back to areas I been before, but I do want there to be new content if there isn't and I"m just playing through it again I might not like it as much, but like let say there an RPG and by going back here you get a lil more of some side story of NPCs it can be really cool!

There also might be things you missed so in general I think backtracking is pretty neat, but it should have purpose and not just be padding like NIkki said.

[Moonface]

Seeing you mention the genre @Karo, I think RPG's can do backtracking really well since they're able to have areas that are level based that encourage you to come back when you're able to tackle it. I know Octopath has areas like that as well as having characters with abilities that are useful for unlocking chests and other stuff that you can't do if that character isn't in your party. That sort of gated content doesn't feel like padding either because most of that stuff is located on main paths that you would retread to go back to locations for story purposes so it's designed to encourage going back through a path but with a different party to the one you first went with.