Comeback Mechanic: Difference between revisions

Video games can be cruel sometimes. After all, [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]. However, some games feel sorry for a player who might need a positive shove. When done well, this creates a motive for less experienced players to keep playing and a deeper layer of strategy for more experienced players. When done shoddily, it will needlessly drag out a match longer than it should. In general though, the purpose of such mechanics is to keep the game close so that less experienced players aren't left in the dust, which can have disastrous results in the game's popularity.

 

 

Comeback Mechanics are most commonly seen in genres where matches end quickly. Fighting games and racing games are prime examples of these, with matches rarely exceeding a few minutes. Games with time limits for multiplayer will also often have Comeback Mechanics regardless of genre. This is because there is little to no harm in extending the matches a bit longer. Comeback Mechanics are less common in genres that traditionally don't have a time limit and tend to take a long time to complete a match, such as shooters, puzzle games, and turn-based strategies.

A supertrope of [[Desperation Attack]]. A subtrope of [[Anti-Frustration Features]] and [[Mercy Mode]]. Compare [[Rubber Band AI]], which is when this is applied to the computer players but not to human players; and [[Dynamic Difficulty]] and [[Critical Status Buff]], applied to a single-player mode (though not necessarily for the latter). [[Turns Red]] is a Comeback Mechanic applied to a boss. If a game has a particularly strong comeback mechanic, this may invoke players to [[Do Well, But Not Perfect]]. Contrast [[Unstable Equilibrium]] and [[Kill Streak]], which is when a game gives advantages to the ''winning'' players.

 

* All [[Mario Kart]] games will bestow more powerful items the further behind a racer is. This was at its most potent in ''Mario Kart Double Dash!!'', where characters have powerful special items.

** This extends to Battle Mode's Balloon Battle in ''Mario Kart Wii'': When a player runs out of balloons, they are considered knocked out, and that player's team loses 1 point. The fewer balloons a player has, the more likely an Item Box will yield something powerful. If one team has a substantially higher score in any mode of Battle Mode, the game will give the losing team a powerful item, such as the Lightning Bolt or POW Block, which hits all members of the opposing team.

* In ''[[Sonic Rivals]]'' and ''Sonic Rivals 2'', any racer who isn't in 1st place gets an increased top speed. There are long empty sections in each stage to allow them to catch up.

 

* ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' has the X-Factor mechanic, which boosts the speed and attack power of the current player character. The fewer characters the player has remaining on his or her team, the stronger X-Factor becomes.

* ''[[Street Fighter X Tekken]]'' has Pandora. This allows a player 7 seconds of infinite super meter (and changes the character to black with glowing purple, including the clothes), at the cost of disabling the partner character and losing the match once Pandora wears off.