Tides of Annihilation boss fights don't punish you for losing

Eclipse Glow Games' Tides of Annihilation he's already gotten a lot of attention for the scale and flash of the boss encounters, but what might stand out even more is how he approaches the idea of failure during those fights. In most action games, defeat is considered a clean reset, forcing the player to start the encounter over, but Tides of Annihilation looks like it might go against the flow of that loop. From what has been revealed about it so far, the bosses are large, cinematic and appear to be mechanically dense, but they may be more welcoming than players would expect from a title with such a dramatic presentation.

In a recent interview with Game Rant, Tides of Annihilation producer Kun Fu hinted that the game's boss fights will not be built around consistently punishing mistakes, but rather finding ways to move the player forward despite failure. From what Fu indicated during the interview, the development team designed the boss fights to invite players to try again without feeling like they were pushed too far back. While he didn't explicitly say what that ultimately means, it's safe to say that those who expect a more soulful experience from them Tides of Annihilation he might actually get something that tilts the other way—or at least softens the blow.

Tides of Annihilation is full of boss fights, but it shouldn't be punishing

Tides of Annihilation two characters in a boss fight

Tides of Annihilation has a lot of boss fights on the player

Although this is not a soul-like game, as Kun Fu and Eclipse Glow Games have made clear many times before, Tides of Annihilation however, it is jam-packed with boss fights. Players will still explore a reimagined version of London that sits somewhere between modern London and a medieval fantasy realm built on Arthurian influences, but they'll have plenty of boss encounters along the way. As Fu stated during the interview:

“We have a large number of boss encounters, and each boss is carefully crafted. But their role in the narrative varies, so the way their story is presented – and how much the story affects the battle – varies from boss to boss.”

So, Tides of Annihilation it may not be a boss rush game, but it's definitely forward looking in design. Additionally, rather than each of these boss fights being as relevant to the story as the last, some can move the plot forward while others only serve as skill checks or pace resets. But that doesn't mean the latter won't have a basis in world tradition or an overarching narrative.

If nothing else, it seems Tides of Annihilation may follow the path taken by many similar action-adventure games, where boss encounters that are essential to the narrative serve as story keepers, while all or many of the remaining boss fights are optional and reserved for those who occasionally explore off the beaten path.

Tides of Annihilation's boss encounters seem set up for the player's success

But that's not necessarily where things get interesting Tides of Annihilationthe greatest combat encounters. While some aspects of this design seem somewhat common for the genre, Eclipse Glow Games' action-adventure title could have a few tricks up its sleeve to help players experience the game without being overwhelmed by the challenge of its boss encounters. When asked how Tides of AnnihilationBoss fights manage to fail, Fu began his answer:

“We have very clear design goals for each boss, and build the encounter around the pace of that part of the game. We pay close attention to how replayability feels to players, and try to minimize unnecessary repetition while maintaining narrative and combat continuity.”

What's perhaps most remarkable about how Eclipse Glow Games designed their boss encounters isn't just how they feel about players, but how they feel about players on their tenth and twentieth attempts. While Souls-like games generally seem oblivious to the time and emotional energy players need to finally defeat a boss, Tides of Annihilation is to “pay close attention” to these feelings to ensure that things don't happen again unnecessarily. Fu didn't reveal any definitive results of this design philosophy during the interview, but he did reveal one more surprising detail about the game's boss fights that should encourage those intimidated by the mere spectacle of them:

“For longer boss encounters, we'll introduce reasonable breakpoints where players can recover or briefly reset. We're also rewarding players based on their performance to keep the experience rewarding even with repeated attempts.”

In the case of a long boss fight in any game, it makes sense to occasionally give players a chance to take a break, either with a short dialogue or a chance to save the game and refill health – even if some games don't offer such facilities. But where Tides of Annihilation may differ in how it handles retries. Based on what Fu said, players will be “rewarded” for their performance over several attempts. Whether that means they get an in-game buff to help push them forward, or maybe a sliver of EXP based on how long they last, it can mean the difference between a player lasting and being finished.

While details on that are lacking at the moment, if that's the direction Eclipse Glow Games is committed to, then Tides of Annihilation it can eventually offer boss fights that will be challenging without distracting the player. Nothing is certain until people can sit down to play the full game, but the thoughts Fu outlined hint at a combat experience that will keep players moving forward instead of wearing them down. At the very least, it points to a design philosophy that wants people to stay engaged long enough to see what the game is trying to say, and that alone could make all of its boss encounters worth going for, even the fights that have to be sought out rather than bumped into.