There’s a moment that occurs in a LOT of video games where the player is temporarily depowered. Their cool equipment is taken away, their levels are removed, or their cool powers are sealed. It’s the sort of thing you just expect to happen at some point in a game. A confrontation with a villain goes wrong or you get imprisoned only to find out your 5 different swords can all fit neatly in a small chest conveniently located near the end of the level. I thought it might be fun to examine the different uses of this trope and why so many games benefit from it.
Arguably the first time anyone got exposed to this idea of de-powering the player was in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night where the protagonist Alucard starts the game with a massive slew of abilities. While the player is trying to understand all of these powers, they end up in a confrontation which strips them of everything, scattering the weapons and skills throughout the castle (the game's setting). This simple idea serves two purposes; It justifies how a powerful character somehow begins the game at level 1, and it gives the player a glimpse of how strong they WILL be later in the game. This second point is a great motivator and introduces the player to their avatar being cool rather than introducing them at their starting point where they're probably at their weakest. Some games like Persona 5 use this to craft a memorable opening scene, and games like the first Assassin’s Creed use this to encourage the player to keep playing by showing them all the cool stuff they’ll get. Now, whether or not this is a good idea depends entirely on the type of game you're making but when used well you can create a really great introduction to your game and a source of motivation for the player.
A more common way of de-powering the character is by creating a specific scenario or chunk of the game where the player loses everything. They get it back, obviously, but they must survive for a little while without it. *Minor spoilers* Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Wind Waker have parts where the player is stripped of their weapons and must make their way through an enemy encampment. Heck, AC: Valhalla has an entire story arc built around this idea. A scene like this can have a few beneficial effects:
1) It forces the player to rely on the fundamentals. Making the player recontextualize how they approach a situation after they’ve become reliant on certain items and abilities can be a really memorable and impactful change of pace. Also, from a narrative perspective, it can be a great character moment for the protagonist to succeed using only their most basic skills.
2) It deepens appreciation for whatever is taken. If you play though an entire game with a single weapon, it can feel indistinguishable from the character and without realizing it you might start taking it for granted. Taking it away and giving it back can make the player acknowledge that fact and can create a deeper appreciation for the weapon/ability.
3) It’s actually a good way to teach the player. I’ve seen this very rarely, but I still wanted to mention it. By limiting the systems the player can interact with while introducing new ones can make the player adapt. The best example (in my opinion) is the Forsaken Fortress from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. You have to make it through a dungeon full of enemies without your sword. What’s interesting is that this entire dungeon is actually an indirect tutorial to two mechanics; stealth, and the fact that you can pick up and use enemy weapons. If the player had a sword through this dungeon there would be know need to interact with and understand these mechanics because they would have just killed every enemy. On that note, it’s also SUPER gratifying when you return later with all your gear and can just charge right through.
I feel like this trope is heading for the point where a game will include it “just because”, but I hope we remember why it’s used. It can justify characters de-leveling, give a deeper respect for gear and skills, and it can force the player to interact with other mechanics they might not have otherwise used.
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