Summary
Despite all the demand forgigantic open worlds, getting around in video games can be a slog, especially with all the backtracking or checkbox ticking. There’s one faster way to get around, be it across long distances or to find a shortcut to the enemy’s big glowing weak spot: teleportation.
Instant movement across space looks and feels cool and can potentially lead to some rather creative gameplay. Besides, who wouldn’t relish the chance to break the laws of physics once in a while just out of convenience?
Final Fantasy 15 - Warp
Launching Weapons And Catching Them As They Land
Thanks to his royal lineage,Final Fantasy 15’s Lucis is able to break the laws of physics with his Warp ability. This involves throwing a weapon at an enemy and teleporting to it just as it lands. By blessing his friends, they, too, are able to use this ability in battle.
Besides using it to shift between foes in deadly style, Lucis is able to warp a short distance ahead when not targeting an enemy, adding apotent traversal option for open-world travel. Whether zipping to vantage points in the open world or dashing to a foe’s weak spot, the Warp Strike cultivates a fluid, cinematic feel to every movement.
Out There Somewhere - The Teleporter Gun
Putting A Twist (In Spacetime) In Classic Platformers
Teleportation in 2D games is not unheard of. For example,StarboundandNoitaeach have teleportation mechanics, and their smaller number of dimensions allows for tighter precision and far easier level design that could be afforded to a 3D space. However, a game that really puts teleportation front and center is theshort and sweet indieOut There Somewhere, which uses jumping around points in space as a traversal and puzzle-solving tool.
The sci-fi adventure has an astronaut armed with a teleporter gun explore a strange world filled with danger, roaming goop monsters, and inexplicable floating platforms. Perhaps because of the aforementioned cutting through physical space, Out There Somewhere can be finished in around an hour or two, providing the player has enough lateral thinking skills (the “thinking with a teleport gun” equivalent of Portal’s “thinking with portals.")
Guild Wars 2 - Shadowstep
Pick A Point On The Ground And Go
Shadowstep is a mechanical holdover from the originalGuild Warsassassin profession. InGuild Wars 2, the thief inherited most of its abilities, including the ability to jump from one place to another through the shadows. However, shadowstepping is not limited to one profession, as the guardian, mesmer, revenant, necromancer, warrior, elementalist, and engineer each have at least one ability that magically transports them across short distances.
The two classes, besides the thief, known for doing so are the illusionist-themed mesmer and the light-and-justice-styled guardian. With an instant cast in an MMO with an excellent (if excessively flashy) combat system, porting from one place to the other feels snappy and clean, regardless of the profession, especially when using it to break out of a stun. Teleporting isn’t just limited to professions, as some ofGuild Wars 2’s mountsalso gain access to blink abilities.
The Sims 3 - Meditation, The LLAMA, And The Quantum Power Suit
Instantaneous Travel Via Zen, Phone Boxes, And Tears In Space
Teleportation has been with the series since the beginning (for example, it is one of the learnable “Makin' Magic” powers inThe Sims), and it has even appeared in the latest game in the series. However, teleportation is the most fun inTheSims 3, thanks to its open-world neighborhood. If a sim is able to earn five Martial Arts points in the “World Adventures” expansion, meditation gives them the power to “Zeniport” anywhere in the neighborhood with a little mindfulness.
Items can also provide sims with the ability to displace themselves around. For example, the LLAMA (Lightning Leap Atomic Molecular Arranger) in “Supernatural” (whichstrangely resembles a British phone booth) can instantly send sims between one another. The Quantum Power Suit from “Into The Future” can summon a wormhole for a sim’s travel convenience.
Furi - Dash
Snap-Flashing To Break The Enemy’s Guard
InFuri, style is king. The Stranger’s moveset includes a blaster, a sword made of crackling light, a parry, and a short-range dash teleport. The Stranger can zip around multiple times in quick succession in a fight and is geared towards one-on-one combat.
This is good, as the whole game consists pretty much ofintense boss rushesset to a ripping soundtrack. The Stranger can charge up their dash ability, giving them extra distance to work with. Mastering the dash is necessary for defeating each enemy, and mastering the skill-based mechanic is incredibly gratifying.
Dishonored - Blink
Snapping Through Space With Pinpoint Accuracy
One of the frustrations of first-person stealth games is the feeling that the character is somehow too sluggish or slow in moments when they need to snap out of an enemy’s line of sight. Another frustration with first-person games is platforming, as the lack of physical presence can be unsettling when making a leap from one rooftop to the next.
Dishonoredfixes both of these problems by giving the player access to Blink. This upgradable ability allows Corvo to flicker across distances and even scale upward to gain ground. Of course, it is well-suited toassassination and revengefor those inclined to do so.
