❗❗❗ I also love Panekit! I can’t believe there’s another human outside the shimaguni who shares this trait!?
I’m enormously digging what it is that you chose to spotlight in the original post. What makes Panekit so jaw-dropping and unparalleled is truly how complete it is. It’s one of the games that solidifies my perception that the structure of a game is at least as important as if not more important than the moment-to-moment gameplay. In any other world, Panekit would have been a sandbox that allowed you to build anything and left it at that. But no – they made it a journey. What mustn’t be discounted is that in doing so, not only does it add oodles of discovery and wonder to the game, but it’s also an on-ramp for people like me: people for whom jumping in and slowly learning to build things for the sake of it isn’t an attractive prospect. By drip-feeding parts, challenges, and inspiration to the player, it doesn’t get overwhelming, and the presence of purpose creates motivation for more types of player.
Contrast this with something like Cortex Command, the poster child in my mind for what not to do. They’d built an incredible sandbox with delicious, moreish mechanics – but neglected to give the game a metagame. It’s just a sandbox – nothing more; nothing less. Little in the way of scenarios, challenges, and progression. I’ve still spent many hours playing and thinking about it, but far less than I otherwise would’ve, and I wonder if things would not have been different had I not been a preteen when I discovered it. My love for that game has, regrettably, always been tinged with disappointment. That is one reason why Panekit is so powerfully aspirational to me.
Best post I’ve seen on this forum!!! Thank you!!! 😆
