PC Gamer Chat Log Episode 12: Tropes, tropes everywhere!

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Robin Valentine joins Mollie and Lauren to talk about the good, bad, and ugly of videogame level tropes.

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Another week, another episode of the PC Gamer Chat Log podcast! This week, we've brought in senior editor Robin Valentine to chat all about our favourite (and least favourite) level tropes.

You know the ones: The classic water level, the weird stealth level that doesn't belong in the ultra-violent action game, the bizarre segments that plonk you on a turret and force you to down hundreds of goons with infinite bullets. They're everywhere in games, and we've all slogged through our fair share of stereotypical game design. Why do games default to these often out-of-place levels? Why are tailing missions so goddamn boring? Why do we still kinda love them anyway?

We discuss some of the most common videogame level tropes, which ones we really love and the ones we really, really don't. We seem to generate a half-official tier list every time we do one of these, and this episode is no different. Which level tropes can we stomach for games to come, and which ones deserve to go straight in the bin? Does a good escort mission exist? Tune in to find out.

Like always, Lauren and I take a bit of time at the start of the podcast to chat about what we're up to. Has Lauren finally bought a train ticket to Honk(ai) on a Star Rail? Am I playing anything other than Tekken 7 right now? Don't kid yourself, everyone. I'm definitely playing Tekken 7.

You can check out the PC Gamer Chat Log podcast on a whole bunch of podcast platforms:

If disembodied voices aren't your thing, you can also peep the video version on YouTube below:

Mollie Taylor
Mollie Taylor
Features Producer

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.