How do you playthrough a BIG game?

I'm asking mainly in regards to big/long games with lots of secrets/missables (This problem often arises with JRPGS).

I hate the feeling of missing out on items/characters/quests etc and so I always play with a walkthrough open on a second screen. But it's not a very satisfying solution as by the time I'm partway through a game, I'm pretty much just following text instructions rather than actually playing the game. I lose a lot of the fun of figuring out puzzles, exploring new areas, optimizing party setups etc as the walkthrough just tells me to 'go to X town, buy Y item, talk to Z person..' and so on. I've tried to play without a walkthrough but whenever I reach a literal or metaphorical crossroad in-game(wanting to go the 'wrong' dungeon path first sound familiar?) I always end up going back to the walkthroughs - I just can't stand the feeling of missing out, it's terrible! I played through FF7 (PS1) as a kid and missed all the secret characters, it bummed me out big time.

So my question to all you lovely gamers out there - How do you playthrough a big game full of secrets and missables?

My experience with long games is pretty much only limited to Persona 4 Golden, which I am playing for the first time right now (~76 hours in).
I went in blind for the entire first 6 months of the game because it just didn't occur to me to look up a guide and, despite me generally having a completionist mindset even on first playthroughs, I have missed or done badly a lot of stuff: I have gotten rid of skills I shouldn't have gotten rid of, I completely abandoned one of the most useful party members in the game in favor of the arguably least useful one, I missed a couple of books that were only accessible through certain events and that are required for an achievement, I started 2 social links extremely late and neglected for a long time others, etc. I only searched for guides much later into the game and used them for very limited purposes (knowing who I could meet up with on each day without having to look all over Inaba, what floors to look in for side quest items, etc.) because I still wanted to feel like I was playing the game my way, as flawed and suboptimal as it was.

Honestly, I think for a first playthrough it's completely normal and probably better to go in blind even if you are planning on fully completing a game because it makes for an overall more immersive and genuine experience, as well as boosting the replay value significantly (especially if you end up particularly enjoying the game).

I don't see the point in playing a game just to use a guide all the time. Isn't that what watching a "Let's Play" is for, so you don't have to play the game? I did used to, as a kid, 'cause I didn't want to "miss out" on anything. But I realized I wasn't really playing the game. Plus, it could take far longer to complete a game if you have to stop and read a guide constantly. You're hardly "discovering" the game's secrets if you use a guide anyway.

I try not to use them ever anymore, but I will if I'm stuck and know I'm stuck. If I can't complete a quest that I have started, or can't start one I know exists. I also use maps to quickly find delve bosses and the like. Because I'm a minor completionist, I do allow myself to use maps to find skyshards I've missed, as well as museum pieces. But those fall more under "being stuck" because they're known objectives, not secrets or missed objectives.

I don't use the oldschool GameFAQ type walkthroughs any more. I find that a lot of the time they aren't very flexible and more often that not I find myself disappointed that I've missed some things while following one.

I tend to play with a 100% all items, all quests, min/max style mindset but I never typically follow a quide for the first run. For open world style games I'll probably look the occasional thing up on a wiki, and for your typical RPG I just play very thorougly to make sure I get everything. I tend to restart multiple times and go back if I feel that I've ever missed something or want to do something differently. If I have a good feel for a game and want to understand the mechanics more deeply I'll use things like prima guides If I've got them (the kind of guides which expose the game mechanics for exploitation) and sometimes I'll look up game mechanics on youtube.

For games I've played before, I like to use video walkthroughs for completion purposes.

Some examples of BIG games I've played recently.
Persona 5:
I didn't use a guide, but I did restart A LOT. Whenever I found I could have done something differently, or a different style of play, I restarted or reloaded an earlier save.I did this expecially to take advantage of the calendar system, rainy days, etc, I made notes, I made spreadsheets. And the result was that the game took me 4 or perhaps 5 times longer to beat than your normal player, but I got 100% confidant completion and almost 100% compendium completion on the first run.

Cyberpunk 2077:
Again, no guide, but I have watched videos on youtube explaining some of the mechanics. I have restarted the game 7 or 8 times so far until I am now finally happy to go through the story. I expect I'll complete the game this week. (Note, I've played 130 hours including restarts and etc, and I've not progressed past chapter 2, nor have I really been spoiled.)

I am trash at video games and constantly need a walkthrough for even games like Uncharted. I recommend a walkthrough from IGN, it has everything you need in a game, while still being cryptic enough to let you enjoy the story on your own.

I am trash at video games and constantly need a walkthrough for even games like Uncharted. I recommend a walkthrough from IGN, it has everything you need in a game, while still being cryptic enough to let you enjoy the story on your own.

IGN is pretty good for older AAA games (and maybe newer, IDK), though I can tell the wiki part was not intended for the site's current design or for mobile devices.

For (more popular) CRPGs, GameBanshee is good, though more prone to accidental spoilers. I typically check it before starting some older games to see if there's a character creation guide, because some games weren't designed for their own open-ended character creation and could leave you in dead man walking scenarios. I also use it if I get stuck on a quest because it's laid out in a way that's easy to find what you're looking for (again, at the cost of making it easy to spoil characters, quests and locations).

Usually I just follow the story and I see where it leads me, BUT in some cases I like checking walkthroughs when I finish a zone and I want to make sure I didn't forget anything valuable, i.e. when I recently played Dark Souls 3.

I also use guides when I'm stuck and I feel like it's going to make me lose more than 15 minutes trying to solve a puzzle, but it's only because I consider my time valuable and I prefer having progress instead.

I don't see the point in playing a game just to use a guide all the time. Isn't that what watching a "Let's Play" is for, so you don't have to play the game? I did used to, as a kid, 'cause I didn't want to "miss out" on anything. But I realized I wasn't really playing the game. Plus, it could take far longer to complete a game if you have to stop and read a guide constantly. You're hardly "discovering" the game's secrets if you use a guide anyway.

I try not to use them ever anymore, but I will if I'm stuck and know I'm stuck. If I can't complete a quest that I have started, or can't start one I know exists. I also use maps to quickly find delve bosses and the like. Because I'm a minor completionist, I do allow myself to use maps to find skyshards I've missed, as well as museum pieces. But those fall more under "being stuck" because they're known objectives, not secrets or missed objectives.

I don't see the point in playing a game just to use a guide all the time. Isn't that what watching a "Let's Play" is for, so you don't have to play the game?

Absolutely agree here.

I never played a game like that and it honestly sounds like a horrible experience to me.
I get that feeling of missing out to a degree. I very often find myself in games I like specifically looking for the "wrong" way first to explore before I actually progress in the story. Which can get super annoying when you take the story-progress-path accidentally and can't go back anymore. But even that whole habit often just annoys me and I always just try to let myself play the game without thinking about it too much. Otherwise playing the game very easily becomes more of a frustrating chore than an enjoyable game experience.

Also, I gotta say that I never emphasized with people who want to 100% complete every game on the first playthrough. A game is supposed to be a personal/individual experience in my opinion. So just getting all items and unlocking everything because you feel like you have to, not because it happens naturally because you enjoy the game so much, seems to me like it completely negates that whole part.
Like, for example, when I play an RPG, I value a weapon way more when I earned it from an interesting character or after a good fight, rather than if I get every weapon in the game thanks to walkthroughs and just pick the one with the highest stats out of the overflowing inventory. That's kinda boring to me.

I look up a walkthrough when I get stuck for a long time and really want to see the rest of the game myself. But that's pretty much it.

- Matt

For the most part I do use a walkthrough when I’m stuck or if there’s a part I want to go through perfectly. I mainly go in blind so I can enjoy playing the game, not just reading commentary about it. Although, I have on occasion looked up a shorter section of missables before getting deep into the game. This way I can still enjoy the experience but I’ll still be forewarned about sections I’ll want to be more careful with beforehand.

Try not to stress about it honestly, which isn't the most helpful. I'm not a completionist most of the time anyway so that helps. Just accept that a first playthrough is unlikely to be 100%ed. I'm more thorough with some games than others, but even then I know some stuff will be missed and that's just the way it goes. Here to enjoy the ride wherever it may or may not go.
I do use walkthroughs to check specific things sometimes but never use through a whole game. Usually just if I'm caught on something and getting annoyed and impatient or feel completely lost.
It also helps that if I'm really liking a game I know there's a very good chance I'll end up replaying it at some point so missed things can be gotten then. Heck sometimes the reverse happens and I don't bother with something on a second run because I know it wasn't worth doing for me. So there's that too; sometimes completion just ain't worth the frustration or tedium it might require.

I try to focus on the main story on the first playthrough... Everytime I try to complete a game on the first playthrough I get completely sidetracked from the story while I try to find some secrets and stuff. And with my talent/curse of finding unwanted glitches I usually break the game by trigger something of the main story that shouldn't have been triggered, get stuck somewhere, f*** up the save game without knowing, ... and even if this all doesn't happen and I haven't lost interest in the game while exploring... I'll probably loose interest in the main story... Either because I forgot it or it's still in the tutorial and I've already looted the world to death and all missions are too easy when you have basically everything.

I play everything blind, only after I beat the main story I'll go check on YouTube if there was some secret ending/super boss etc

I've found spoiler free walkthroughs are a great compromise (How are these not way more popular??).
They generally chronologically bullet point important time sensitive tasks as well as well as secrets you're likely to miss, but don't micromanage your playthrough with a super specific wall of text.
I can refer to them once when I start a new area or quest, and because it's like a short shopping list, I can keep it in the back of my mind. Gives me peace of mind lol.

I agree that for first playthroughs one should not hold a completionist mentality, and that some games have new game plus features for that very purpose. But there's so many great games out there, that time spent replaying a previous game means sacrificing time from a new game.

19asher96: Yea I do that a lot too for when I really enjoyed a game but know I missed something and cbf reloading a save.

Just remember you're meant to be having fun. Unless you're a paid critic or some other industry worker, the point of games is to have fun and enjoy yourself. However you manage to make that happen - go with that. If you're not enjoying yourself, change it up. There are no rules... just play things and have fun!

Since I'm a trophy hunter, I generally like to familiarize myself with the trophy list before I start any BIG game. If something is missable, I definitely keep that in the back of my mind when I'm playing, but I try not to use a guide unless it's absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately, with some long games (like Tales of the Abyss/Vesperia/Xillia/etc), there are so many missable events that you literally have no choice but to follow a guide, and even THEN, it's still super easy to miss something.

For sure AlphaOmega247, JRPGS are notorious for the amount of easy to miss content. Oh you didn't give arbitrary item to arbitrary guy back in chapter 2? Whelp too bad no awesome sword for you..

One of the worst feelings is when you see a chest or item lying on the ground, but you accidentally trigger a boss fight or cutscene beforehand, and then after said cutscene you're whisked away to a whole new location. I've experienced games where the item you missed actually appears in the background of the cutscene!

For sure AlphaOmega247, JRPGS are notorious for the amount of easy to miss content. Oh you didn't give arbitrary item to arbitrary guy back in chapter 2? Whelp too bad no awesome sword for you..

One of the worst feelings is when you see a chest or item lying on the ground, but you accidentally trigger a boss fight or cutscene beforehand, and then after said cutscene you're whisked away to a whole new location. I've experienced games where the item you missed actually appears in the background of the cutscene!

Oooh yeah, I got screwed out of the achievement for using every save point in Tales of Vesperia because I walked past a save point, triggered a boss fight, and was teleported elsewhere upon my stunning victory. And, of course, the save point was gone after that. 😒

Tales games are also pretty good about sneaking hidden treasure chests into the background of cutscenes, so I've definitely started watching for them. Since you can't control the camera in the older games, this is the only way you can actually see some of those chests hidden behind trees/bushes/buildings. Sneaky bastards

I'd like to say that I'm also a bit of a completionist. I know the feeling of missing out and the need to complete every little nook and cranny the game has to offer
That being said, I also try to play the game in the way I enjoy the most. If I'm having fun then that's good enough for me. If I care enough about the game to warrant a second playthrough of it, then I'll try to achieve as close to 100% completion as possible
BUT, if halfway through I find it unenjoyable to try fully completing the game then I'll just go back to the way I'm having the most fun, putting aside the 100% mark for another day if I care enough to try it again or just see it as a lost cause and play a different game

In the end, games are meant to be enjoyable. Most people play games to escape from the day to day lives and have fun. If you play in a way that made games not fun for you, then you should consider finding another way to play

A youtuber called Razbuten made a good video about this aspect of game completion. The Completionist also made an appearance in the video and he gave his own method to do 100% completion of games while still having fun playing the game. You might want to give it a try
Completing Games (and why I barely do it)

I will generally just play a big game and hope for the best. However, I like to usually map the progress of how far I've got in a game. If I can get the stage/level names, then I will find a site and not look at the heading name beyond where I am. With Jrpgs I end up always looking up how to defeat the final boss. usually, that is the part I need help with. After completing I will youtube to see all the secrets/characters I missed.

I'd like to say that I'm also a bit of a completionist. I know the feeling of missing out and the need to complete every little nook and cranny the game has to offer
That being said, I also try to play the game in the way I enjoy the most. If I'm having fun then that's good enough for me. If I care enough about the game to warrant a second playthrough of it, then I'll try to achieve as close to 100% completion as possible
BUT, if halfway through I find it unenjoyable to try fully completing the game then I'll just go back to the way I'm having the most fun, putting aside the 100% mark for another day if I care enough to try it again or just see it as a lost cause and play a different game

In the end, games are meant to be enjoyable. Most people play games to escape from the day to day lives and have fun. If you play in a way that made games not fun for you, then you should consider finding another way to play

A youtuber called Razbuten made a good video about this aspect of game completion. The Completionist also made an appearance in the video and he gave his own method to do 100% completion of games while still having fun playing the game. You might want to give it a try
Completing Games (and why I barely do it)

Yeah I fully agree with games are meant to be played for fun, and your playstyle should definitely reflect this goal. For this reason I rarely attempt 100% completion, I usually go for 'Main+Extra' in a playthrough, or what I deem is worth my time i.e. content that a developer actually spent time and effort creating.

Thanks for sharing that link reenreen. It's very refreshing to hear other people's takes on this completionist mentality. Lizard brain! hahaha

I hope more game developers reconsider this topic too. Setting a checklist of tedious grind heavy tasks for the player is complete not my idea of fun.

I kinda use backlogging and 100%ing interchangeably to be honest I tend to do them when I have nothing else I want to play otherwise I just go for as high as I can get without hating myself (have more than a few games with 1 achievement away from 100%)

I used to stress out about missing things in games as well, and would be far too quick to turn to a guide to avoid missing things, particularly if the games had missable characters like Fire Emblem (then I would recruit those characters and never use them because I already had a well trained core team...)

I think the important part is to realize that once you've started to look at a guide it's very easy to feel tempted to do it again, and try to resist the initial temptation. Learn to roll with the punches and accept that you missed a few things along the way. It's painful at first and requires some discipline, but keep on trying to not look up guides unless you're reaching a point in the game where you're just not having fun for one reason or another and just want to get to the next part.

For me this depends from game to game, on some games i just play the game and search normally (meaning not too hard), other games i search any corner for missing items, secret passes, hidden dialogue and so on.

This off course is mostly used in RPG games, but in shooters i have that too, you can find secrets there or missing letters and so on.

This makes a big-long game even longer,but sometimes i have a game i'm playing where i try to find things to do just not to end it.

I just play them as I feel like! I do try not to use a guide and go with the flow, but if there's like... A certain mechanic that isn't explained too well, or if I've been stuck for a while, I look up a guide or a youtube video.

If there's a game with hidden mechanics or a very complicated combat system (as in hard to master) I like watching those "x things you should know" videos. For instances, I'll be restarting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in the future, and I watched Chuggaconroy's video on things he wished he knew before playing... And DAMN I wished I knew half of the stuff on that list before putting 45 hours in the game!!!!

I do enjoy going blind on most games though! I mean SMT IV wouldn't have been half as impactful if I knew what was I getting myself into before jumping in.

I just play them as I feel like! I do try not to use a guide and go with the flow, but if there's like... A certain mechanic that isn't explained too well, or if I've been stuck for a while, I look up a guide or a youtube video.

If there's a game with hidden mechanics or a very complicated combat system (as in hard to master) I like watching those "x things you should know" videos. For instances, I'll be restarting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in the future, and I watched Chuggaconroy's video on things he wished he knew before playing... And DAMN I wished I knew half of the stuff on that list before putting 45 hours in the game!!!!

I do enjoy going blind on most games though! I mean SMT IV wouldn't have been half as impactful if I knew what was I getting myself into before jumping in.

I like game design that encourages experimentation and is forgiving of mistakes. For example an Diablo 3 allows you to respec skills so you're always encouraged to try new builds without fear of ruining your character.
It's a shame I can't think of many such games.

On the other hand there's heaps of games where you can screw yourself. Fallout 1 you can stuff up your playthrough right at the start of the game. Pokemon you can fail to catch legendaries (you can also screw up their builds). Final Fantasy 7 you can miss secret characters/items/bosses.