Finding Fun #12: Burnout Paradise
Welcome back to Finding Fun, where I learn more about game design principles through examining some of the best. This time, we're hitting the streets of Paradise City in Burnout Paradise. Known for its open-world approach and emphasis on high-octane action, Burnout Paradise offers a unique take on the arcade racing genre.
Core Gameplay Loop in Burnout Paradise
At its heart, the core loop is simply: Drive. That's really it, which is a remarkable feat of design focus.
More specifically, the driving experience is channeled through various activities discovered organically within the open world:
- Events: Drive to intersections to trigger various event types (Races, Road Rage/Takedown, Marked Man, Stunt Runs, Time Trials/Burning Routes) and achieve the particular objective based on the event type.
- Explore: Drive through billboards, find shortcuts, smash gates, and locate repair shops, paint shops, and gas stations, all seamlessly integrated into the world.
- Unlock: Winning events contributes to upgrading your license and unlocking new, faster, and more durable cars.
What's Fun in Burnout Paradise?
Immediate Fun in Burnout Paradise
You Just Go
The game excels at minimizing downtime and keeping you in the action. Need to fix your car? Just drive through a repair shop at full speed. Want to start a race? Simply drive up to the intersection and spin your wheels. There's an immediacy and flow here that many games lack.
No Menu Distractions
Building on the previous point, Burnout Paradise famously avoids burying players in menus. You won't find yourself pausing to configure your vehicle, navigate complex UI screens, or even select events from a list. What would be a game over and retry UI sequence in another game is a slow-motion cinematic shot in this game, never truly breaking the flow of driving through Paradise City.
Everything Gives You Points (Almost)
The game constantly rewards skillful, and sometimes risky, driving. Drifting around corners, catching airtime, driving into oncoming traffic, executing perfect e-brake turns, using your boost strategically, and completing events. All your actions contribute to your progress or score. Thus, there's always a sense of achievement, even when just cruising around.
Long-Term Fun in Burnout Paradise
Chasing High Scores and Optimization
While each event type has a minimum threshold for success (e.g., finish in the top 3, achieve X takedowns), the real long-term appeal lies in beating your own best scores or times. Unlocking new vehicles at a steady clip opens up new possibilities for optimization on different routes and event types, encouraging replayability.
The Soundtrack and Vibe
Featuring an impressive licensed soundtrack, the in-game radio significantly enhances the experience. Blasting Soundgarden while weaving through traffic at impossible speeds creates a specific, high-energy vibe that's immensely enjoyable and memorable. It perfectly complements the arcade chaos.
Constant Car Unlocks
Even for players who aren't hardcore car enthusiasts, the steady stream of vehicle unlocks provides consistent positive reinforcement. Different cars genuinely offer different strengths (speed, boost, durability, stunt capability), making each new acquisition exciting as you figure out which events it might excel at. The visual variety is also a plus.
Unexpected Fun in Burnout Paradise
Takedowns as Driving Fantasy Fulfillment
Burnout Paradise fully embraces its arcade nature, and nowhere is this clearer than in its Takedown system. Instead of penalizing collisions, it often rewards them, especially in Road Rage events. It's the antithesis of a realistic driving simulator, letting players cause spectacular, slow-motion chaos. This aggressive driving fantasy is executed brilliantly and provides a unique thrill.
Exploration in a Racing Game
Typically, exploration isn't a primary source of fun in racing games, which often feature closed circuits. Burnout Paradise's open world, however, encourages it. The map feels almost like a platformer environment at times, filled with ramps, hidden paths, smashable billboards, and shortcuts. Discovering these secrets and learning the city layout becomes an engaging activity in itself.
Not So Fun in Burnout Paradise
Lack of Fast Travel
While the seamless world is a strength, the lack of any fast travel option can become tedious, especially later in the game. If you fail an event or simply want to tackle specific remaining events scattered across the map, the mandatory drive time can feel frustrating if you're not in the mood for cruising. Sequencing events efficiently becomes almost a necessity to avoid annoyance.
Rubberbanding AI Frustration
Like many arcade racers, Burnout Paradise employs AI rubberbanding to keep races feeling close. While this often works to maintain excitement, losing a race in the final moments because an AI opponent suddenly gained an impossible burst of speed can feel unfair and undermine the player's skillful driving up to that point.
Stress > Relief > Growth > Progress in Burnout Paradise
How did Burnout Paradise deliver on these core game design pillars?
Stress:Navigating tight turns at high speed, avoiding traffic (or aiming for takedowns), the pressure of timed events, competing against aggressive AI, and the risk of wrecking your car at critical moments all contribute to the stress of the game.
Relief:Achieved through successfully landing a jump or shortcut, nailing a drift, earning boost, executing a perfect takedown, driving through a repair shop, narrowly avoiding a crash, and the satisfaction of crossing the finish line or completing an event objective.
Growth:Represented by learning the intricate city layout, mastering car handling and boost management, setting new personal records, discovering optimal routes for races, improving takedown timing, and figuring out new strategies for stunt runs.
Progress:Marked by winning events, upgrading your driver's license, unlocking new and better cars, smashing all billboards/gates, and clearing all events in an area or in a category.
Lessons Indie Game Developers can learn from Burnout Paradise
What takeaways can indie developers adapt from Paradise City?
Maximize Core Gameplay Time: Burnout's relentless focus on keeping the player driving is key. By minimizing menu interactions and integrating essential functions (like repairs) directly into the gameplay loop, it reduces friction and maximizes engagement with the core mechanic. How can you keep players doing the thing your game is about as much as possible?
Benchmark Success, Leave Optimization Open-Ended: Providing clear minimum success criteria (e.g., finish 1st, get 10 takedowns) gives players concrete goals. However, the high score systems and city records offer near-limitless room for optimization and mastery, catering to players seeking deeper engagement without gatekeeping casual enjoyment.
Layer Constant Positive Feedback: The game is eager to recognize player actions: earning boost, near misses, finding shortcuts, event checkpoints, unlocking cars, setting records. This frequent positive reinforcement makes players feel competent and encourages continued play, even during simple traversal. Small rewards add up.
Credits
Screenshots captured from Benedict's channel on YouTube. Thanks for the great gameplay and recording!