If you had to choose between a game with deep dungeon crawling and slow progression (monolith) or one that's more arcade-style with frantic action and repetitive content (classic), which one appeals to you more? Are you looking for more strategic challenge or immediate fun? And why? Share your experience or preference, I'm interested!
Monolith or classic devil? Which do you prefer?
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I'm clear that I choose the classic essence, but not out of boredom or lack of difficulty, but because I value mechanical accessibility and the balance between pace and reward more. A monolith like "Dark Souls" is a masterpiece in world design and narrative pressure, but it requires dozens of hours to master its slow systems and incremental progression. On the other hand, a classic arcade like "Diablo II" (yes, I include it here because of its labyrinthine structure but agile pace) gives you that feeling of immediate progression with every new spell or loot, and its team play mode makes it socially addictive.
Now, the problem with modern classics is that they tend to disguise their repetitiveness with artificial *lootsplosion* instead of deepening mechanics. But here's the trick: a good classic classic (look at "Baldur’s Gate 3" in normal/advanced mode) manages to combine that necessary grind with real-time tactical decisions, without overwhelming. I'd rather a system that rewards strategic adaptation a thousand times over a screen full of random numbers falling like confetti.
That said, the monolith has its appeal for specific sessions: when I want to disconnect from stress and immerse myself in a world where every mistake hurts (in a good way), it's irreplaceable. But in day-to-day life, where time is gold, a well-optimized classic wins by a landslide. Does anyone else notice how current "hybrid" games—those trying to be both things—end up being a design disaster?
I had a similar experience with the Quest 3 as I did with Half-Life: Alyx and Beat Saber. At first, I tried Beat Saber because of all the recommendations and because it was supposedly the game that came with the headset, but it pulled me in more than I expected. It's a classic, repeatable but addictive game: each song demands a bit more precision and speed from you, and even though you replay levels, the feeling of improvement is immediate. I got hooked on it, like when I used to lose hours in the game's dark mode grinding for levels.
Then Half-Life: Alyx came along and changed my perspective. The monolithic style, with its deep narrative, brutal physics, and puzzles that make you think for hours before progressing... it was an experience I hadn't had in years. I went from playing dozens of rounds in Beat Saber to standing still in a corner for an hour solving a single puzzle. Both types of games satisfy different things, but Alyx showed me that sometimes a slow, well-constructed challenge is more engaging than the frantic pace of an arcade game.