"Gritty Action Movies." "Suspenseful Morality Sci-Fi Movies from the 1930s." "Whistleblower Steamy Psychological Animation Based on a Book Set in Biblical Times About Trucks, Trains, & Planes." Genres can get pretty weird, don’t you think?
The Table of Contents
Why Game Genres Matter and Where They Fall Short
Game genres can be as simple as “driving” (Forza Motorsport 2024) or “FPS” (Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf Crisis) or as complex as first-person stealth action-adventure role-playing games (Cyberpunk
2077). Genres are still helpful: when I find a game I like, say, Deathloop, identifying aspects that appeal to me, like stealth or open-ended problem-solving, helps me discover other titles I’ll probably enjoy (like Hitman 3 or the latest immersive sims).
But genres might inhibit creativity if developers or publishers choose to make an easily marketable game rather than taking genre-blurring risks, or if thinking within conventional genres leads developers not to even see some of the other possibilities out there.
Perspective as a Core Part of Gameplay
Unlike other media, game genres frequently involve perspective. Gamers are familiar with words such as “first-person,” “third-person,” “over-the-shoulder,” “isometric,” “top-down,” “side-scrolling,” “2D,” “3D,” and “2.5D.” These terms tell us how a game shows us the player characters and their world. Because this is such a big part of a game experience, these terms have become genres in their own right, as in “first-person shooters.” But any genre gets boring after a while if developers don’t change things up.
The Risks and Rewards of Mixing Genres and Viewpoints
There’s a lot of potential for keeping games fresh by switching between genres and perspectives, but also a lot of dangers. If successful, gamers get at least two distinctly different experiences within one game, each fun on its own and together creating a new, fun experience. When such attempts fail, though, you have to wade through one broken experience to get to the other, fun one or, in the worst-case scenario, split their attention between two experiences, leaving neither one done justice.
When Blending Perspectives Works
Take the Valkyria Chronicles series and the Call of Duty franchise as examples of how to mix visual points of view and genres well or not so well. Valkyria Chronicles, now available on newer platforms, is built around tactical planning, RPG-like character development, and third-person battlefield action.
These aspects are nicely balanced, and each is done well. As a result, while beating a Valkyria Chronicles game takes at least 40 hours, I haven’t yet found myself bored by one – switching between top-down strategy and over-the-shoulder action provided enough diversity that things didn’t get stale. By contrast, in most RPGs, even really good ones, I usually reach a point where I find the level-grinding battles a bit soul-crushing and monotonous.
Over the last couple of years, Call of Duty developers have tried out branching storylines, battle royale modes, and a stronger focus on story in their campaigns. They’ve also added league play and optional tactical missions to go along with the usual FPS action.
When Blending Perspectives Fails
The Strike Force missions are, as far as I can tell, almost universally regarded as a flawed execution of an interesting idea. Players and critics liked the idea of adding a tactical element to occasionally break up the main FPS gameplay, but didn’t like the fact that the squad members’ AI hadn’t been robustly enough designed to make the missions work well. To succeed, most players had to leave tactical view and do most of the mission work with only one character (at a time) from the traditional first-person viewpoint. 
Hybrid Games Done Right
The Portal Knights series is another good example of mixing genres and perspectives. The game blends sandbox building, RPG progression, and action combat from different viewpoints. Hybrid games like this, often seen in indie and AA releases, let players switch between strategy and action, and between solo and co-op play, which keeps gameplay interesting.
Why Genre-Bending Games Still Matter
This idea of combining genres and perspectives now applies to almost any combination from deck-building roguelikes to narrative puzzle-platformers. Many great games will (and should) continue to do one thing and do it well, but the most memorable titles of the mid-2020s often surprise us by bending or combining genres in creative ways. Which hybrid-genre games do you think nailed it? Which ones fell short?
If thinking about how games shape us makes you reflect on the titles you’ve played the most, it might be time to decide which ones still deserve a spot on your shelf. At The Old School Game Vault, we’ve helped retro gamers buy and sell video games online for over 18 years. We make it easy to pass along games you’ve outgrown and find something new.
