Summary
There are all types of players out there, and some like to be more immersed in their gameplay than others. A stamina meter is one way developers have thought of connecting players more to their characters with realistic weaknesses. For some, it can be distracting if a character can run across an entire world without getting tired.
For example,Assassin’s Creed: Shadowsis a good open-world RPG with lots to do, but there are no limitations to exploring or combat. Let’s look at some examples where stamina does matter, though from modern hits to older classics. They will be ranked based on how exhausted their stamina meters get in the game.
Dead Island 2is a weighty game where every swing matters. Set in California during a zombie outbreak, players have to make their way through the streets, fighting infected and looking for loot to get stronger.
If players fight too much, their stamina will decrease, leaving them vulnerable to attack, which is traditional for stamina drains in RPGs. Sometimes, it’s better to run away from a fight, but even that won’t solve every problem, as running has a cost too.
Those hopingDragon’s Dogma 2would be easier to understand than the first game were sorely let down when the game launched. For diehards, it was a good thing, as the challenge from the original is what helped make it special, akin to a Soulslike game.
Even though there are magic and monsters, this world is more down to earth where every hit counts and players can realistically interact with the world from mounting enemies to tossing them over a cliff. Players can mount larger creatures, which will drain stamina as they struggle to look for weak points, for example, making encounters more exciting like other games on the list.
Palworldis in Early Access, but it’s still an incredibly rich game full of content, even if Nintendo and Game Freak are trying to sue it into oblivion. When players defeat monsters, called Pals, they will gain EXP to share with their good monster friends.
When leveled up, players can dump points into stats like stamina. Stamina will drain when players run, climb, swim, and even glide, and the more stamina players have, the easier it will be to explore and discover new Pals to capture.
No matterwhat FromSoftware gameplayers engage with, stamina is going to be a big part of the gameplay.Elden Ringis their first big open-world game, and like all Soulslikes, players can dump EXP at rest points to boost stats.
Stamina is mostly used in combat and will drain while attacking, dodging, or defending, which will drain quickly, especially during the game’s many intense boss fights. If drained, players are basically SOL until their stamina replenishes, which is why it’s one of the most important stats in the game.
TheMonster Hunterserieshas had stamina as an important stat for decades now. The latest game,Monster Hunter Wilds, uses stamina in several ways, from swinging or shooting weapons normally to performing special attacks. Players can even get lucky and mount monsters and open up Wounds to exploit.
The nice thing about this game and the overall series, though, is that players can regain stamina quickly with items or even increase their meters temporarily through delicious food made back at camp. HP can be increased in this same way.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis the most obvious pick, and it changed games andtheZeldaseriesforever, even though it admittedly borrowed from a few sources as well. Players can upgrade Link in two major ways: health and stamina. When they get enough resources, they can pray to upgrade one of these meters, and health needs no explanation.
Stamina controls everything from being winded in battle to how long Link can glide and climb. While stamina still existed in the sequel,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it was less necessary to boost it thanks to Link’s new abilities. In many ways, stamina is way more important than health, at least initially inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as players can explore more freely.
Death StrandingwasHideo Kojima’s first gameafter leaving Konami and theMetal Gearfranchise behind. In the game, players control a delivery man, Sam, in the post-apocalyptic wastes of North America. Players had a certain weight limit for carrying packages, and the heavier Sam’s load got, the harder it was to keep balanced.
Stamina would drain rapidly while going through water or when trying to sneak past otherworldly entities. It was a vital stat in the game, which makes sense, given the strength/energy it takes to be a delivery man in any scenario.
Shadow of the Colossusis probably the best example of why stamina matters in a game because the premise of it is simple. As the hero, players will have to race around a giant open world, devoid of life, to fight boss-like enemiesknown as Colossi. To defeat the Colossi, players will have to climb them, find their weak points, and then stab, stab, stab until putrid black blood oozes out.
It’s a simple gameplay loop but one that is incredibly hard as these beasts do not want to die, and players can get thrown off easily as stamina will drain the more they cling on. There are ways to increase stamina, but it’s extremely hard to find the necessary components no matter what version players choose to engage with, from the 2005 original to the 2018 remake.
