Metroidvanias. Zelda games. Souls-likes. I love 'em all. And what all these games I love have in common is that their maps were designed with shortcuts in mind.
I'm currently playing through Minish Cap on Nintendo Switch Online and the GBA Zelda has reminded me just how much I enjoy finding a suddenly swift route from A to B. It's especially fun when a game shows you the shortcut from the other side before you can use it.
That's the case here. I've spent a lot of the early game exploring Hyrule and finding boulders placed behind pits. If you try to push the boulder, you fall in the pit. If you try to use the Cane of Pacci to leap out of the pit and over the boulder, you will bunny hop up, then fall back into the pit. This is mildly frustrating, but when you eventually get around to the other side, it's all the more satisfying to push the boulder into the hole, where it shall forever stay, opening up a new time-saving route.
I don't remember a time when I didn't love this. In Pokemon Red and Blue, some of the first games I ever played, you often had your path blocked by a tree (or, on one occasion, a sleeping Snorlax). When you eventually found the Cut HM that let you slice the tree (or the Poke Flute to rouse the snoozing big boy) you suddenly felt very powerful and very smart. I've always understood, on some level, that shortcuts bring satisfaction.
But when I finally got around to playing Bloodborne back in 2017, it took my appreciation to another level. FromSoftware's gothic action RPG was my first foray into the Soulslike subgenre and, even though I had heard people on podcasts talk about how difficult these games were, I was shocked by the extent to which it kicked my ass. When I realized that I wouldn't find the second lamp that would allow me to open a checkpoint until after I defeated the terrifying Cleric Beast, I couldn't believe the degree of challenge the game was throwing at me so early.
Because of that, the opening trek into Yarnham is burned into my brain in a way that few video game locations are. Though I haven't played the game in a few years at this point, I could instinctively make my way through that cobblestone corridor, dodging the jump scare enemy who comes slashing out from behind a pile of crates and taking out the dozing opponent before he can get to his feet. The river of enemies in the main street through Central Yarnham provided me with a baptism by fire.
But, eventually, I made my way past the horde, past the patrolling enemy with guard dogs, past the bigger hounds on the street outside the Cleric Beast's arena, through the dark house where multiple opponents were waiting to strike, and up to the wrought iron gate. I pushed it open and there was the lantern where I had started. Just like that I had a route to the boss that would take one minute instead of five. In looping back around, I understood the magic of this kind of game. That's what shortcuts are all about. In the end, you're back where you started, but better for it.