A Way Out Creator Criticizes Fascination With Replayability, Game Length

“Why put all that effort in for nothing? We should see games as experiences."

Posted By | On 25th, Jun. 2018

A Way Out

If you’ve played Josef Fares’ A Way Out or even Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the length for both titles would have stood out. While the former is roughly six hours long, the latter only requires three hours to complete. Fares believes that the length of the game should be in keeping with his vision.

Speaking to VG247, he revealed that, “If you look through the statistics of how many people actually play through a game – take a game like A Way Out, I think the playthrough rate on PS4 was around 52 percent.” When told that this was pretty good (especially when many people don’t always finish games), he criticized the industry’s obsession with game length and replay value.

“Yes! And that’s what concerns me, that you think it’s really good. Imagine someone like James Cameron going, ‘Oh, only 50 percent of the people walked out of the cinema, wow, that’s great!’ It’s insane. We have designer teachers who tell their students to focus on the first 40 percent of the game because the rest? People probably won’t see it.

“Why put all that effort in for nothing? We should see games as experiences. It doesn’t matter how long they are. If it’s so common that people don’t play through the games, then why should we even comment on replayability and how long they are? Why should that affect score? It shouldn’t. When my publisher [asked about game length] I was like, ‘Why are you asking that? I’m not even going to answer that s**t’.”

Replay value and game length are both dicey subjects – how do you deliver more content while ensuring it’s at an consistently higher quality? It’s not an easy task. Fares believes that while making a longer game is tougher, it’s all about going with whatever works with his design instead of increasing the game’s length for the sake of it.

Nonetheless, the question of replayability keeps popping up. “Sometimes it feels like we’re serving a table full of food and people get upset when all the food is not there. They’re only going to eat this,” said Fares as he mimicked a bit of food being scooped from a bowl, “But [the rest] has to be there rotten or they get super upset.”

What are your thoughts on the matter? Should games try to throw in as much content as possible at a decent quality? Or should they strive for an excellent experience that could potentially last for a shorter period? Perhaps there could be a balance of both? Let us know in the comments below.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

Dead Island 2 Surpasses 10 Million Players

Dead Island 2 Surpasses 10 Million Players

The zombie-slaying first-person action RPG – available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC – crosses another majo...

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Receives Accolades Trailer Upon Release

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Receives Accolades Trailer Upon Release

The first-person shooter is available now for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC....

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 Pro Update Adds New Modes and Ray Tracing Options

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 Pro Update Adds New Modes and Ray Tracing Options

Fans of the action platformer can use new Performance Pro or Fidelity Pro modes on the PS5 Pro when it launche...

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PS5 Pro Update is Live, New Modes and Toggles Detailed

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PS5 Pro Update is Live, New Modes and Toggles Detailed

The update adds Performance Pro and Fidelity Pro for PS5 Pro players alongside toggles to fine-tune ray tracin...

Like a Dragon Gaiden Receives Time-Limited Trial on Steam Until October 28th

Like a Dragon Gaiden Receives Time-Limited Trial on Steam Until October 28th

Experience four hours of the side story for free on PC. It's discounted along with the rest of the franchise u...

Silent Hill 2 Remake Hotfix Addresses Labyrinth Progression Blocker, Adds Steam Cloud Support

Silent Hill 2 Remake Hotfix Addresses Labyrinth Progression Blocker, Adds Steam Cloud Support

Players who found themselves trapped in the location after patch 1.04 can now continue through the story thank...