Video game mode

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Tetris Attack has several game modes.

A video game mode is a video game term used to describe alternate play styles that may exist in a game. Many video games include different modes to add variety and increase the perceived value of the game.

Definition

The term "mode" refers to a significant variation in game play. For example, taking a single-player game and allowing multiple players to play at once can drastically alter how the game is played, thus the multiplayer variation is often called "multiplayer mode." If the variation only results in a minor change to the game's play style, the difference is better described as a "setting" or "variation" rather than a mode.

Examples

Hard mode

Hard mode is a game play mode where the game becomes more challenging for expert players. Many games have difficulty settings, and the harder difficulty settings are often synonymous with "hard mode," but, to call it a "mode" according to this definition, the game should have significant changes in game play. If a game becomes more difficult simply due to incremental changes (more enemies, faster enemies, stronger enemies, fewer lives, less energy, etc.) then it isn't really a mode, just a harder difficulty level. Players who finish a game on hard mode are often presented with a special ending or achievement.

For example, the game Doom features a difficulty called "nightmare" which adds more monsters than the standard difficulty, makes them move faster, attack you more frequently, and fire faster projectiles. All of these are incremental changes, but there is also a significant game play change: slain monsters respawn over time. Because of this, players can't methodically coax enemies out one by one, they have to rush through the levels as fast as possible before the respawning monsters drain all their ammunition.

Easy mode

Like with hard mode, easy mode is more than just using the easy difficulty setting, it is a significant change in game play that makes the game more accommodating for inexperienced players. In older games, when playing in easy mode (or even in easy difficulty), the player would usually see an altered ending, often one which encourages them to try the game on a harder difficulty, but many modern games are designed with an easy mode specifically to let a player enjoy the story, so they feature the full ending.

An example of easy mode can be found in New Super Mario Bros. Wii,. If the player fails in a level eight times, it will unlock the "super guide," which, when activated, will show a demonstration of Luigi playing through the entire level so the player will know exactly what they must do in order to complete it. The player may cancel the demonstration at any time and assume control which allows them to bypass the areas they are having trouble with.

Permadeath mode

This mode institutes permadeath and is sometimes called "iron man mode" or "hardcore mode." This change alone is usually enough to significantly alter how a player plays a game. Several games with hard mode incorporate permadeath in order to make their hard modes more unforgiving.

The game Diablo II includes "hardcore mode" which uses permadeath. You Have to Win the Game has "YOLO mode," also permadeath.

Story mode

A game with a story mode takes the core game play and builds a story around it usually in the form of cut scenes, increasing difficulty, and a boss fight. In many combat games, the single player mode doubles as the story mode.

The Bomberman games, for example, have their single player story mode in addition to their multiplayer versus mode. Also, Pinball Quest simulates normal pinball tables, but also has an "RPG Mode" which adds cut scenes, characters, dialogue, boss battles, and an ending.

Puzzle mode

Puzzle mode makes puzzle elements the primary focus of a game where they normally aren't, usually by reducing the importance of action or story.

For example, in Tetris Attack, the game has a puzzle mode where you're given a well with pieces placed in a specific configuration and the player is only allowed to make a few moves to clear them all.

Multiplayer mode

This mode takes a single player game and changes it to multiplayer, which usually results in a pretty significant change in game play. There are many different forms of multiplayer, so the modes may be named based on each form.

Age of Empires has a single player story mode, but also features several multiplayer modes including versus, co-op, teams, and deathmatch.

Single player mode

The reverse of multiplayer is taking a multiplayer game and changing it to only allow a single player to play. This isn't the same as replacing other players with AIs or allowing one player to control units that would otherwise be controlled by teammates, but rather changing the game's mechanics so only a single player involved.

Left 4 Dead, for example, is a multiplayer game, but it has two single player modes: one called "Last Man on Earth" the other called "Lone Gunman," both of which eliminate your teammates and makes other changes to the game play.

Endless mode

Endless mode was the primary game mode for many early video games. The play style was largely abandoned as a default play mode by the 1990s, but it still sees a fair amount of use in action puzzle games. Rather than end the game after the player achieves a certain goal, the game just lets you continue to play for as long as they can, but the difficulty typically ramps up continually eventually dooming the player. Depending on the game, it may focus on how big of score the player can achieve, like a high score mode, or how long they can play, kind of like the reverse of a time attack mode.

Endless modes are common in falling block games like Tetris, Puyo Pop, and the like.

Speed run mode

In speed run mode, the game keeps track of how long it takes for the player to beat the game so they can easily track the shortest play through and try to break their record. Basic speed run modes simply tell you how long it took from the start to the end, but more elaborate speed run modes will keep track of milestones throughout the game to show you how well you're doing and eliminate game aspects that may hinder or severely alter the run. This mode is also referred to as a "time attack mode" or often just "time mode," and is present in many racing games.

Axiom Verge has a "Speedrun Mode" which not only keeps track of how long it takes for a player to beat the game, but also eliminates all dialogue and cut scenes, and, in order to ensure every play through is similar, removes all randomly-generated content.

Time attack mode

Similar to a speed run mode is the time attack mode which challenges the player to achieve a minor goal in as little time as possible. By forcing the player to make their actions quick rather than precise, it often upends the game's normal game play.

For example, many recent Tetris games have a time attack mode, sometimes called a "sprint mode," where the player tries to get 40 lines as fast as possible. The typical goal of Tetris is to obtain the highest score possible by attempting to clear four lines at once, but, in this mode, holding out for such a clear will hurt you.

High score mode

In high score mode, the player is trying to get the highest score possible. In older games, this was equivalent to endless mode, but modern games typically add some constraints to make the mode more interesting, like a time limit or a limited number of moves. This requires the player to understand how the game's scoring works, especially how bonus points are obtained. This mode is sometimes called a "score attack mode." When played with a time limit, it's very similar to a time attack mode, only the focus is on the score, not other actions.

Casual mode

A casual mode takes a lot of the more nerve-wracking elements out the game in order to allow the player to just enjoy the game's scenery or story line. This is similar to easy mode, but even easier. Games do this often by giving the player unlimited lives, making their character invincible, adding more checkpoints, and so forth.

For example, Minecraft has a "creative mode" where the player can't die or take damage, has an infinite amount of all block and items, and can fly at will.

Others

There are many other play modes which have been included in games over the years and new ones will certainly be created. Some games have a large variety of play modes like Left 4 Dead 2. There are also some special modes that aren't exactly play modes described below:

Service mode

Service mode is a special mode used by arcade games which gives a technician access to the game's settings and debugging features. As such, it's not really a play mode.

Tutorial

A tutorial is effectively a different play mode, as it does feature significantly altered game play. This is done often by preventing the player from performing certain actions or forcing them to perform actions in order to educate them on the game's mechanics. Tutorials often don't allow the player to die by eliminating hazards, making them invincible, or preventing enemies from doing lethal damage. Games with mandatory tutorials tend to be notoriously annoying, so it's preferred when they're optional rather than built into the game's main story. Mercifully, mandatory tutorials are typically short.