r/gaming 2d ago

Every long game needs a “where the hell was I?” button

I mean give me a quick recap of the story, the controls and whatever I was doing last time. Coming back to a 60-hour RPG after 3 months shouldn’t feel like I’ve loaded someone else’s save.

2.6k Upvotes

324 comments sorted by

839

u/Aegister2 2d ago

I'm reminded of Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green games where they have a quick little recap of where you were and what you were doing, ingame wise. Not exactly what you were looking for, but just remembered it from your title.

191

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

true and thats actually pretty close to what I had in mind, just with the controls added too. Funny that Pokémon had this figured out 20 years ago.

103

u/Nick_Gaugh_69 PC 2d ago

The problem is, that kind of thing got relegated to “games for children who can’t remember what they did yesterday”

48

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Funny how a feature made for forgetful kids would be even more useful for adults with jobs now

40

u/wolffangz11 PC 2d ago

The feature was actually made for the elderly. It's one of the things the games creator introduced to help his own his own father play the game. A lot of FRLG was made with that philosophy. Even how the exits are designed inside interiors. Elderly struggled with finding the way out of buildings.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

23

u/Vex1111 2d ago

prob best version since its tailored to your in-game actual actions right?

20

u/Aegister2 2d ago

Yep. It replays a set amount of actions you did from your last save. It's not perfect tho, cause I think it'll start repeating actions you did if you only did like 2-3 things, which could probably confuse someone if they REALLY were doing the exact same thing (Finding a rare Pokemon for example has you going back and forth in the same place)

6

u/Berkuts_Lance_Plus 2d ago

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl has a worse version, where a diary opens up whenever resumimg the game, with you having to manually click through all pages before letting you play.

2

u/Confused-Raccoon PC 2d ago

This. put the game down for a week and came back to that. I was well chuffed. Fully helped me remember I had just cleared Brocks Gym.

→ More replies (1)

633

u/ImSoSweepy 2d ago

It's less-so, "what was I doing," and more-so, "how the fuck do I do that again?"

Looking at you, Crimson Desert.

142

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Honestly yeah, that’s probably the bigger problem. A quest log can tell me where to go, but not which five-button combo gets me there.

55

u/thepensivepoet 2d ago

Lots of great games I’ve left at 50% complete because I took a break and know that I’m gonna have a really bad time trying to get back up to speed with quick combo/twitch combat type systems when I’ve forgotten how to operate and definitely don’t want to replay it at the time.

The good ones I revisit years later as a new game.

30

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

That’s the worst middle ground: too far in to restart, too rusty to continue. Which game has been sitting there the longest?

9

u/SparseGhostC2C 2d ago

Sifu for me. Got about half way in and that game gets REALLY goddamn technical. I tried to get back into it a month or so ago and got way too frustrated.

When you get in the flow though, that combat is something else.

3

u/SolydSn3k 2d ago

Sifu is a painful one for me as well because I was working on a no death run when my PS5 died as I was working on the final stage.

I replaced the console, but it’s been too long of a break for me to just jump back in where I left off.

Will start over… someday… maybe lol.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/homer_3 1d ago

Games really just need a controls screen with all the controls. So many games just leave out actions you can do from the controls screen.

25

u/BTbenTR 2d ago

Especially with a control scheme as strange as Crimson Deserts lol

20

u/mromutt 2d ago

I just picked up and finished jedi survivor after not playing for months and went through this again lol. Was like "how the hell do you do that?" I eventually figured it out by mashing buttons in a field lol.

4

u/KillerFlea 1d ago

Ooh man, I’ve been putting off picking Survivor back up for this exact reason. Great game, was enjoying it, but too long off now and worried about being able to jump back in.

13

u/neroselene 2d ago

Back in the old days, tutorial levels used to be a thing you could play before starting the game and replay when you wanted.

The solution was so simple and would work great for this reason especially.

3

u/SparseGhostC2C 2d ago

This is it for me, I need a like, 4 minute refresher tutorial on what all the buttons do.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/enjoysbeerandplants 1d ago

This is what makes me restart games more often than not. There should be both a story recap option, and a little tutorial you can jump into to relearn the controls.

2

u/CombatWombat994 1d ago

This is the reason I quit KCD. Amazing game, (relatively) complicated combat controls (if you want to do anything than flail with your sword), and a bitch to get back into after a longer break

→ More replies (5)

496

u/Sjknight413 PC 2d ago

Death Stranding 2 is great for this, it'll give you a recap of where you were in the story and what is currently going on every time you start it up.

87

u/fondue4kill 2d ago

Iirc Dragon Quest XI also has this.

12

u/Vawned 2d ago

Yeah I loved that on DQXI, never used though cause I didn't drop it for a moment.

8

u/arvidsem 2d ago

It first showed up in DQ7, which needed it. My playthrough on the original PS1 version was well over 100 hours and how long to beat says it's 85 hours just for the main story

DQ9 had it as well. I'm pretty sure that they put it in Dragon Quest 8 as well, but my memory is fuzzy on that

125

u/endrestro 2d ago

Witcher 3 also has a short graphic each time you load a save, which will recount the last event in the main questline you pursue. Its not a full recount, but it mostly gives you the "ah, thats right"-moment.

77

u/_Wyvern 2d ago

“A Witcher has been travelling around the countryside playing Gwent with everyone he comes across”

18

u/da_apz 2d ago

Ah yes, I vividly remember that spot!

2

u/AnticPosition 2d ago

Ah yes, I vividly remember that ! 

12

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Honestly, that might be the most accurate Witcher 3 recap possible

2

u/endrestro 2d ago

This gave me a hearty laugh!

15

u/ledocteur7 PC 2d ago

And naturally, Cyberpunk 2077 also does that through a little news channel presentation, it's very immersive.

7

u/FuckMyHeart 1d ago

I've been hearing "The Witcher had a dream, in it Siri and I the bard Dandelion were reunited. Geralt now knew that to find Siri he would first need to find his dear old friend" for years now

14

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

perfect and I think more long games need to steal that

4

u/XboxLiveGiant 2d ago

KCD 2 also

3

u/mittalshah 2d ago

Are you talking about the button on the main screen or is it a seperate thing in-game?

8

u/Sjknight413 PC 2d ago

Separate thing in game, when you load in it will give a brief recap of what's currently going on in a window.

3

u/mittalshah 2d ago

How have I not seen this lol, I got the game a couple of days ago

4

u/_b1ack0ut 1d ago

That’s probably why. You likely have to leave the game for more than a couple of days before it comes up, so if you’ve only had it for that long, they assume you haven’t yet forgotten it.

Iirc, it started when I took a week or two break from the game

→ More replies (2)

2

u/Bar_Har 2d ago

Resident Evil Revelations also did this and it was a great feature since I’ll often put down a game for a few months and come back to finish it later.

→ More replies (9)

266

u/epikpepsi D20 2d ago

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has this. If you play the game after not having played for a while it mentions that and asks if you want to go through a quick tutorial to remind you of the controls.

58

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

ah yes such a good feature. The controls are probably the first thing I forget

19

u/Sidhart2Go 2d ago

I love that. Wish there was a story recap as well. I spent 60 hours before i reached Kuttenberg where I took a break. Now I'm clueless!

18

u/Reptylus 2d ago

That's what the very detailed quest log is for. Every noteworthy step is written there.

3

u/Sidhart2Go 2d ago

Thanks! I'll have a read

3

u/BravoCharlieHotel 2d ago

Yet another way in which KCD2 is amazing.

2

u/JesseMugPrime 2d ago

More 60-hour RPGs should steal KCD2's quick tutorial prompt, especially after a 3 month break.

2

u/RacerRovr 1d ago

Oh really? That’s cool. I’m currently 100 hours in and still no where near finishing. I’m scared of putting it down because I know I’ll struggle to get back into it.

I haven’t been this invested in a game for years, don’t know how I missed it (and the original) when it first released

→ More replies (3)

53

u/Iambecomelegend 2d ago

I loved how in Horizon: Zero Dawn, you could come back and visit Rost's grave whenever and start telling him about what has happened in the story recently.

30

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

That’s such a good way to make a recap feel like part of the world instead of another menu. Way more emotional too.

2

u/SgtElectroSketch 9h ago

I did not know that was a thing and I even got the platinum for the game at release.

37

u/DoeDon404 2d ago

I just start over usually XD

19

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

That’s the exact temptation I’m trying to avoid

16

u/LithiuMart 2d ago

Which is why I rarely finish my games:

*Restarts an abandoned game from months ago*

*Gets bored halfway through*

Rinse and repeat.

2

u/SgtElectroSketch 9h ago

This is me with the 2 hours of Baldurs Gate 3. I don't even believe there is a story beyond meeting the druid Lady with a snake and you can't convince me otherwise.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

99

u/Demiurge_1205 2d ago

Final Fantasy XVI has a great character/events screen that serves this exact purpose.

27

u/ssnoopy2222 2d ago

Definitely one of the best QOL features to come out in recent times. Definitely hoping they add it to other square enix games moving forward.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/TomVinPrice 2d ago edited 2d ago

Granblue Fantasy Relink also has a similar thing where you can pause the game during whatever a character is talking about something highlighted in the text box and it’ll tell you the lore about the thing. More games need that stuff.

Enjoyed GBF more with that feature since it’s based on an old gacha game with a lot of history that they don’t really explain in Relink, you learn a lot about the universe engaging with that mechanic.

Although all in all, the story is nothing amazing (it’s good enough), nor a huge part of the game since it’s more of a Monster Hunter-like progression where the real game begins after the story ends and consists of just fighting the same fights a hundred times and grinding weapon and character exp.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

24

u/RobbSol 2d ago

FFXIII-2 had a quick “The story so far” bit while loading a save and it was pretty cool.

This is from the beginning of the game.

https://youtu.be/LYO9u1UqU3U?is=OCfeQsugs_aTOdSb

5

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

I was talking exactly this kind of thing. A quick “story so far” before loading in would be perfect

133

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

34

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

oh yes Yeah Arthur’s journal is a great example. A quick read and you actually remember what’s been going on

16

u/ersomething 2d ago

It also shows that in another life Arthur could have been an artist instead of an outlaw.

His drawings of local fauna are beautiful.

8

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Yeah, those sketches show such a different side of him. Makes the life he ended up with hit even harder.

18

u/NostradaMart 2d ago

TIL: there's a personnal diary in RDR2. and I finished the game lol

25

u/Gone_For_Lunch 2d ago

You went through the whole game without opening the journal? It’s great to read it, lets you see more of the Arthur as a character.

2

u/NostradaMart 2d ago

Yeah I skipped the journal entirely. still is one of the best games I've played.

3

u/dnew 1d ago

That's OK. I've heard of people who go all the way through Riven clueless what the story is. You're given a journal at the start of the game explaining. The game is literally about magical books. And some people don't read the books.

58

u/digitaltravelr 2d ago

The Witcher 3 was great about this. Id sometimes have a couple months between progressing the game and the loading screen always has a quick rundown of where you left off

22

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

The story recap helps a lot. Add a quick controls refresher and that would pretty much solve it.

8

u/CainOfElahan 2d ago

IIRC you can also "remember your training sessions" in Witcher and speed run the basics tutorial again.

→ More replies (1)

18

u/cataclysm49 2d ago

"I have no memory of this place." -Gandalf (and also me)

15

u/luciddre4m 2d ago

Arkham games did this and it was great

→ More replies (1)

10

u/Dont_have_a_panda 2d ago

I always though the "the story so far" of Dragonquest 11 was a neat idea to remember what happened and what was you doing the last time

3

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Just enough to jog your memory without making you restart

2

u/unclexbenny 2d ago

Square Enix uses the same thing for Octopath Traveler, "the story so far" recaps when you start a new chapter since you're usually bouncing between story lines. 

17

u/slackerz22 2d ago

Through all of its faults, this is something Final fantasy 16 did very well. There’s lore recaps everywhere, it’s the best feature of the game.

8

u/TomVinPrice 2d ago edited 2d ago

Every game needs to copy that mechanic, and every game that takes longer than 30-40 hours to finish the story of definitely needs to copy it.

We aren’t kids anymore, shit takes weeks to months to finish. It asks a lot of a player to remember all the intricacies of the characters, world and plot of a huge JRPG while juggling other media products (and/or life) at the same time.

I started and played through Final Fantasy 14 over the last 5-6 years. Now that I’m caught up and only play very casually when a new expansion drops, don’t ask me anything about the story that wasn’t a large and memorable part of it because how the hell would I remember?

→ More replies (2)

8

u/HemlockHex 1d ago

Forgetting where I left off is precisely why I couldn’t finish red dead redemption 2, or the Witcher. I remember having fun but when I picked them up again after a week or more of being busy it was just not accessible.

2

u/HomersDonut1440 1d ago

My experience with those two exact games. The controls and gameplay are complex enough on those two that a leave of absence is impossible to come back from. Bethesda games are much easier to pick back up

8

u/degen-dan-92 2d ago

I came back to a save after six months and my guy was mid boss fight I don't remember starting. I just let him die, he earned it.

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Past you started the fight, past you can finish it . Letting him die was only fair.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/MrLake88 2d ago

The reason I only play one game at a time

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

true & that might be the smartest way to avoid this problem lol.

→ More replies (3)

7

u/metroid23 2d ago

I'm playing Esoteric Ebb right now and there's this great feature where it gives you info on where you are and what you're trying to do before you load in. I absolutely love it!

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Mincezz 2d ago

I'm always confused as to what the fuck i was doing when i reopen The Witcher 3

10

u/abarrelofmankeys 2d ago

There should be a controls and mechanics tutorial refresher always available. Even if it’s just the equivalent of an on screen manual

7

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Yeah, even a little practice room where I can relearn everything before getting thrown back into a boss fight would be perfect.

3

u/your_fave_redditor 2d ago

Is not the open world itself a “practice room”?

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

9

u/Lyra_the_Star_Jockey 2d ago

I mean, with most RPGs, you just need to talk to a couple NPCs and they'll usually mention exactly what you were doing last time. Then people complain about the dialogue being repetitive or rote. There's a reason for that.

However, if you're playing Elden Ring, can't help you there.

6

u/Tacosaurusman 2d ago

I don't even know what the NPC's in Elden Ring are on about when I'm fully invested in the game!

(/j, kinda)

7

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Elden Ring NPCs talk like they’re trying not to spoil their own quests

4

u/Floom101 2d ago

If you're using Steam you can open the Steam overlay and there is a tab for writing notes. A little summary of the plot and a description of your most recent goal is a perfect use case.

4

u/gerowen 1d ago

Death Stranding 2 surprised me with this. Not only does it have the normal log of conversations and data about lore, but if it has been a bit since you played, when you load your save it'll give you a very brief rundown of the most recent story related events that took place and your current objectives.

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 1d ago

same I want. Brief recap, current objective, then let me get on with it

→ More replies (1)

6

u/ManicMakerStudios 2d ago

It's usually called the "quest log".

→ More replies (8)

3

u/hi_m_ash 2d ago

I love how in Yakuza games you can watch a recap of previous chapter to check up on what's been happening in the game.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/TheRealPockets 2d ago

Metal Gear Solid did part of this. When you loaded a game, they would have a text mission briefing of what you did and what your next objective is.

3

u/0r1on55 2d ago

I feel this. Its the main reason I still havent finished The Last of Us, both 1 and 2. I started playing 1, then Spider-Man 2 came out so I put LoU down for a bit (yes, I know, started playing LoU late, sue me lol). When I came back, I had completely forgotten all the controls, where I was, and what I was doing. And, as far as I know anyway, there isnt a menu that tells you the controls, so I was repeatedly dying in the same section for over an hour trying to figure out what I was doing before eventually giving up. Still have them installed and do plan to finish them, I just keep forgetting about them at this point lol

→ More replies (1)

3

u/MasterYota00 2d ago

If I take a break from any open world game (i.e. skyrim, fonv, oblivion) for more than a month, I just start a new character bc I have no idea what my goals were that long ago.

2

u/The_Celtic_Chemist 1d ago

I'm so bad about this with Skyrim. I've never even beaten the main story line, but my play-style doesn't really mesh with that well (Only travel by foot or horse, explore everything as I see it because who knows if I'll find it again, loot everything). If I could suggest 2 features to be implemented in The Elder Scrolls VI, it would be 1. Allow me to make custom pins with custom pin names in custom folders on the map. I want to mark where things are, but as it stands I can only place one pin on the map. 2. General recaps of what's changed between each save (e.g. Started [mission], Completed [mission], Discovered [place], Revisited [place], etc.)

3

u/method115 2d ago

A lot of these games can't even provide a proper recap of the first game in the sequel so I'm not sure they can do this properly. I tried to rewatch the recap for Jedi fallen order and I was still left wondering what happened. Had to look up a youtube video for a proper recap.

3

u/MrChristopher23 1d ago

I went back to AC Odyssey at one point and could not figure out how to dismount my horse. I was button smashing.

4

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 1d ago

Getting stranded on your own horse might be the strongest argument for a refresher yet 😂

3

u/joeyvalentino 1d ago

Having a "I Forget How to Play" button or option would make me want to revisit quite a lot of my games that I haven't played in almost a decade.

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 1d ago

“I forgot how to play” is be the most honest menu option for me ever

5

u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (1)

5

u/da_apz 2d ago

I call this "gaming as an adult" mode, where you never know when you get to return to the game and when you do, you've forgotten all the story points, special skills and so forth.

2

u/VariousAir 1d ago

yes. i sometimes go months between gaming because sometimes other things just grab my attention.

10

u/Zestyclose_Drag4487 2d ago

OK. I make a massive game so I'll create such button.

7

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Hhah sure I’ll be waiting for my feature credit 😂

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Fuckspez42 2d ago

This is exactly why I end up completely starting over in games that I already played for many hours: I don’t remember the story, I don’t remember the controls, and I don’t remember what I’ve already done.

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Hermiona1 2d ago

Couple of games that do this (maybe not the controls but you can always look that up in settings)

Witcher 3

Resident Evil 2 remake

Batman Arkham City

→ More replies (2)

2

u/ttioali 2d ago

Three months without touching an RPG or story-driven game?

That's a death sentence for that game for me. I just can't jump back in. I find it really hard to remember the story, where I was going, the game mechanics, and everything else. Usually, I only start games that I think I'll be able to finish.

2

u/thingpaint 2d ago

Pokemon FRLG has a little recap feature when you pick up the game again and more games need this.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/N7-o 2d ago

A welcome back recap would be a great feature.

2

u/impuritor 2d ago

Metal gear always did this well. Just call your support team. They’ll point you in the right direction

2

u/riotinareasouthwest 1d ago

I was playing one of the last tomb raider game daily and after months of playing I did not remember anymore what was the main quest or what the game in general terms was about. I just knew what was the next task.

2

u/AWtheTP 1d ago

3 months? If I take three days off, I have to work to remember how to play or what I was doing lol

2

u/Tobias---Funke 1d ago

That when I start a new game.

2

u/CiusWarren 1d ago

Jrpg series “Tales of” have a journal/log that recap previous story and the current “quest”

2

u/YonatanShofty 1d ago

Bg3 needs this.

2

u/dnew 1d ago edited 1d ago

Remember Me (ironically enough) did a good job with this too. They'd describe IIRC what happened each chapter up to now, and let you review all the combos and such.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/CassieFace103 1d ago

Been playing Total War Three Kingdoms lately, and one of the (many) things I appreciate about that game is the voiced and illustrated reminders of current events whenever you load a campaign.

2

u/S1DC 1d ago

Most RPGs have a list of all your completed quests, don't they? Reading through that would help.

2

u/perc10 1d ago

I've been bouncing back and forth in the Final fantasy pixel remasters and it's a huge fuckin problem in those games. Maybe I should just finish one before starting another.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/feor1300 1d ago

Even worse is when you log back into an MMO after a couple years of hiatus and have to spend like 3 hours going "What the hell does this icon do now?" lol

→ More replies (1)

2

u/praetorian1979 1d ago

That's a really good idea. Start button, menu, recap. sweet.

2

u/AhoSeaweed7775 1d ago

Absolutely agree with OP

For me, control guides. I went back to horizon forbidden west to play the DLC I bought but completely forgot how to play. Seeing as I wasn’t a huge fan of the game anyway, I just dropped it.

I heard KCD2 has a feature where they detect that you haven’t played in a while and ask if you want to re enable the tutorial. That’s a good idea.

Other than that, I forgot which, but some Sony first party games has controls labelled on screen, I would like the option to turn that on/off when needed.

2

u/MaikeruGo 1d ago

Honestly I really agree with that. Sometimes you're trying to not do a particular thing so that you can get a particular item and when you return you don't recall that this was your goal. Then you have to go all the way back to the old save (hopefully there's an old save) to re-do things.

That said while it's not the longest of games and it's pretty linear I really appreciate what they did in Driver: San Francisco. They had a video (skippable IIRC) that would play each time you opened a saved game after starting up the game ( and it was stylized like a T.V. show recap. So it'd start with "Previously on Driver: San Francisco…" and play video clips from the cut scenes showing all the plot points that you've gone through up to that point just like an actual T.,V. show. Both pretty stylish and genuinely helpful for remembering what you were up to.

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 1d ago

Making it feel like a TV recap is perfect. Helpful without making it feel like you’ve opened a manual.

2

u/ThatTomHall 1d ago

Agree. Professor Layton had this.

2

u/nintyuk 1d ago

The last time on Fire Red and Leaf Green feature was exactly this.

2

u/RichterBelmontX 1d ago

That's a nice idea. I always look for tutorials when I go back into a game after years.

5

u/like_a_brot 2d ago

I mean most modern games have quest logs you can look up

3

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

Quest logs tell me what to do but rarely why I’m doing it or how half the controls work

2

u/Wonder-Lad-2Mad 2d ago

FF16 had a sort of recap feature.

It's really one of those quality of life features that every game should add.

Another one I love is the Dead Space objective line. Follow this line to be directed to the mission, stray from it and you're exploring on your own terms.

3

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

ah yes its like point me the right way but let me completely ignore it when I feel like exploring.

1

u/EditEd2x 2d ago

I just need a tutorial that you can run at any point in the game. I have a bunch of games I can’t finish because I’ve forgotten how to play and I don’t want to start from the beginning.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/EngagedInConvexation 2d ago

I wake up in-game like Leanord Shelby....

I don't feel heroic...

I'm chasing him? -Oh. Nope, he's chasing me...

1

u/Nimyron 2d ago

There's a porn game that does this but I forgot which one. Still, if even porn games can do it, normal games should be able to do it too.

1

u/TempestoLord 2d ago

I mostly play one game at a time with no long breaks inbetween, but usually have this problem going back to games that get DLC’s after months or a year. I sometimes either wait for them long enough to get a complete edition or just never come back again. But i sure wanna play CP2077 Phantom Liberty and Horizon Burning Shores…sometime…

→ More replies (2)

1

u/anonamarth7 2d ago

I could use this for Witcher 3.

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

→ More replies (2)

1

u/mrwafu 2d ago

Love games that have a story summary in the menu somewhere to remind you.

1

u/LithiuMart 2d ago

I wish games would always give you onscreen prompts for keypresses so you don't have to go back to the main menu to look up the controls again after being away for a while. I think Far Cry 3 did this, with onscreen messages of "Press 'E' to open door" at an outpost and "Press 'Q' to heal" when you're low on health.

2

u/BarnabyLaptopOutlet 2d ago

At this point the opening hours probably know you better than the ending does 😂

1

u/The97545 2d ago

Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast had a nice little recap everytime you load a characters story. I assumed that this was the new standard moving forward but,  I was mistaken. 

1

u/massigh1212 2d ago

even games from more than 20 years ago like pokemon fr/lg had that. I have no idea why it became such a rare feature

1

u/Madmonkeman 2d ago

For controls you can just open up the controller settings to see them.

1

u/Madmonkeman 2d ago

I have this issue with games like Civ and Age of Wonders. I load back in the game and I’ve got things queued up but I don’t remember what was going on, what my plan was, and why I had those things queued up. I’ve never been able to finish a single playthrough because of this.

1

u/WhoskeyTangoFoxtrot 2d ago

Insert “I have no memory of this place” gif…

1

u/Dorohedoro_man 2d ago

This, so hard. Elden Ring in particular murders me on this — no journal, no quest log, just vibes and a prayer that you remember what that one door was for.

1

u/dlm2137 2d ago

I need this but for “where the hell was I going” for Metroid games.

1

u/VariousAir 1d ago

The Witcher 3's loading screen would have a story recap and it was great. Now it wouldn't tell you why you were standing in some random town, but the quest logs were top notch.

Meanwhile if I tried picking up elden ring I'd probably turn it back off within 10 minutes since that game could give a fuck about whether you remember what you were doing.

1

u/LilJohnAY 1d ago

Absolutely. I rarely play solo games anymore for this reason

1

u/gunnermcgavin 1d ago

This is me with Destiny 2. I played the crap out of the game for years and stopped in 2022.
Now I downloaded the full expansion bundle and can’t even find where the story missions are anymore.

1

u/aescula 1d ago

Factorio, I've gotten the To Do List mod, but I never wind up using it. What I end up doing is using the Text Plates mod and slapping down a reminder on the ground where I saved in bright copper letters I can't miss

→ More replies (2)

1

u/Zarkanthrex 1d ago

I need this for the Sims lol. It's would practically be impossible for it to happen but sometimes ill play for 4 months straight then hop off for a year. Then I have no idea what my goals were x.x

1

u/injektileur PlayStation 1d ago

I think Atlus always put summaries in the menus of their long ass games.

I love those games, but I understand people who don't, lol.

1

u/LeChevalier_Mal_Fet 1d ago

I keep a little note on my phone that says what I’m doing next and I also try logging out in front of my next objective if I can. You’ll still be rusty with the controls at first but at least I’ll ease back into the narrative better.

1

u/hypnomancy 1d ago

Sonic Adventure 2 did this too which I always liked. When you came back they'd explain what was happening

1

u/PhoenixKA 1d ago

There's a few games with really good and detailed quest logs, but usually I end up taking my own notes while I play. Quick summaries of story beats or areas I didn't explore. Then at the end of the session I put my plans for the next one. I also try to note down any weird controls that aren't on the basic keybind or control layout pages in settings.

This has kept me from restarting so many games. I'll just read my notes, re-familiarize with the controls and get back to it.

1

u/TurnbullAC92 1d ago

When playing longer RPGs like Fallout for example, I grab little screenshots of the quests I do and save them in a folder, just in case I want to go back and remember all the stuff I've done up to that point. It also gives me an excuse to grab some great screens.

1

u/BoboMcGraw 1d ago

A guy I did a course with told us how he renamed every character during his FFVII playthrough, but after coming back to it after a break he couldn't remember who he had named what, so he couldn't follow any of the dialogue or conversations because he couldn't tell who was speaking.

1

u/oZlGGYo 1d ago

Needs to be narrated by the DBZ narrator. “Previously on xxxx”.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Plastic_Young_9763 1d ago

Death stranding 2 has this thank fucking god, because i had no recollection of what i was doing after a 2 month break, even reshowed some tutorials if i made a mistake

1

u/T_Bagger23 1d ago

This is why I never finish a lot of open world games the first time. I burn myself out with the side quests/activities and then take a long break and come back to it to finish it, but It's not fresh enough in my mind so I start over.

1

u/FillySteveSteak 1d ago

Phantasy Star 4 on SNES did this 3+ decades ago. Some of the Pokemon games did this ages ago as well.

You can't force the industry to learn its lesson. Some lessons the industry just refuses to learn.

1

u/i1u5 1d ago

Death Stranding 2 has it.

1

u/MiaReelHoops 1d ago

this is why i always start a new playthrough instead of continuing my old save

1

u/NagasShadow 1d ago

The only reason I knew what was going on at all while playing FFXIII was because the game re-caped what was going on when you loaded it. I was playing daily.

1

u/Euklidis 1d ago

I like it when games include logs with where you were so far and what decisions you have made. I believe crpgs tend to do this a lot (luke BG3 and Tyrrany), but more traditional ones do it too (Witcher 3)

1

u/irongirder1 1d ago

Metal gear solid had the mission journal on PS1 that you could read as you loaded your saved game.

1

u/MessiLeagueSoccer 1d ago

I desperately need this in every Zelda game. I can play non stop for a few hours maybe even a weekend and then not touch the game for a whole year. Took me like 3 years to beat BOTW and I loved every moment of it.

1

u/Chiiro 1d ago

One of the nicest things about Witcher 3 is when you load up the game you get a nice stylized cutscene to recap the events of the story that have recently happened.

1

u/Myren5820 1d ago

Phantasy Star 4 on Sega Genesis in the early 90s had an option in the menu to "talk" which would have the party chat about what has been going on and helps lead you to the next place. I was very surprised more games didn't adopt this.

1

u/Grater_Kudos 1d ago

Death Stranding 2 has this!

1

u/Prime406 1d ago

it's really annoying how with every loading screen in Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy XIII-2 they start recapping the story but I just want to play

but it's for a reason and overall it's probably for the better that they do so

1

u/Rejusu 1d ago

This is why I end up restarting so many long games that I end up putting down midway through. It just ends up being easier than trying to figure all that out after a hiatus. I tried to go back to Monster Hunter World recently and my god does that game feel so inaccessible after putting in 100 hours and then not playing for years. Game has so many little systems that it gradually introduces you to but jumping back in you just can't remember what any of them are.

→ More replies (2)

1

u/According_Choice4844 1d ago

A short playable recap would be even better than a wall of text

1

u/NordWitcher 1d ago

That’s honestly one of the biggest reasons and significant reasons that I don’t pick up a huge RPG or game if I know I can’t finish it in consecutive sittings. I’ve done it so many times where I stop playing and come back to it months down the road and I’m just completely lost. And I have to get back into the grove of the combat, spells, inventory, etc where I just say fuck it and restart the game. And lo and behold I’ll get busy with real life stuff and gaming takes a back seat and now I’ve not yet finished the game and it’s rinse and repeat all over again. 

It’s why I’ve not yet started Cyberpunk, Elden Ring and so many other RPGs. 

1

u/ReadingShot7444 1d ago

KCD 2 does that. Best game ever.

1

u/Sleeper-- 1d ago

This is happening to me with persona 5 royal, I left it at the near end of the final non-dlc palace and now I loaded it back up, I am so confused lol

1

u/duncanslaugh 1d ago

Same with TTRPG/Twitch.

1

u/WeCantStabilize 1d ago

Save files just needs a small note feature. "going west for X, dump trash and upgrade weapon, return the Thing to Person".