Guild Wars 2

Based on the progression through World 2, the first look at world 3 and the design of the makitten eems pretty clear that World 3 is the underground world of SAB. Zone 2 is caverns. Zone 2 is underwater. Zone 3 is lava caverns. Caverns and Lava Caverns is pretty straight forward. We should know what to expect, and there shouldn’t be much deviation from what we’re used to mechanics wise.

What I’m worried about is World 3 Zone 2. It’s possible they’ll go a different way, but based on the image it really looks like the intention is an underwater level. Underwater levels are always a pain because the mechanics are all screwy. You’re no longer jumping, you’re “swimming.” You might be fighting gravity or you might be fighting buoyancy, but you’re definitely wobbling more than anything else. The thing is, GW2 underwater doesn’t work that way.

They’ve shown they can force movement by inflicting knockback, and imposing super jumps. They’ve shown they can handle moving platforms. They’ve shown they can effect movement through momentum. My concern is if they can impose universal push on a character without it being an ineffectual struggle to even accomplish movement. I’m looking at Mario for this. In Mario underwater worlds you are always sinking, and you have to jump to swim up to fight your perpetual plummet into the depths. GW2 works similarly, if you jump you swim up. If they can come up with a way to make every moment underwater push you down, such that you have to constantly jump to stay up it could work, but I don’t know that even that would be effective to making such a level fit the expectations it engenders.

I suppose the question is, considering the design of underwater in GW2, is it even worth it to try and break the mechanics for such a level, or should it be ignored entirely and done a different way to keep it inline with the jumping puzzles that it currently employs?