Game Subject
Do you wish your favorite games had a way to give you a different experience? A player can make a game they have played many times interesting. Some are: doing a challenge run, speed running the game, and the most bazar idea, of a randomizer playthrough. This new way of playing is so unique, it will feel as if your favorite game has added a new mode.
Note: I have never played a video game randomizer before, just seen playthroughs of them.
Post Discussion List
- What is a game randomizer?
- How to access one?
- Game Examples
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- Kingdom Hearts
- Kingdom Hearts 2
- Mega Man X
- Things you should know
- Pros and Cons
- See them play
Read more to discover the randomizer and why they are interesting.
What is a Game Randomizer?
Imagine playing a game, but everything is randomized. A video game randomizer is taking what a game has and scramble all of the assets in any order or location. Before starting one, you can create your own settings to what you want random. For example, I could allow items in a shop to be random but make all treasure chest goods stay the same.
When the settings are completed, it generates a seed. A seed is the individual randomizer game that you create. Think of it as making your own game copy. When you start a new randomizer, it creates a new seed because the settings and randomness can be different for every playthrough. Examples of what randomizers does not affect are major features, game mechanics, character dialog, and story. How a randomizer works depends on the game.
The possibility of randomness is huge. Here is a list of what can be set on a randomizer.
- The Music
- Sound Effects
- The GUI HUD Colors
- Collectables
- Locations
- Abilities Learned
- Unlockables
- Stat Increase
- Enemy Placement
- Treasure Chest
- and more
The playthrough can get really wild, because what is placed random is completely out of your control. In order to get what you’re searching for; you just have to play the game and hope it’s what you want or need. The creators had to be careful when developing the randomizer, because it can affect certain aspects in a game. They had to set it in a way that doesn’t break the game and the player can complete it from start to finish.
How to Access a Randomizer?
Before I start this section, I have to say that mods, rom hacks, fangames, and emulators are created by non-game developers. That means they are projects made by people using someone else’s work and ideas. Randomizers are a part of this, and I have to make a disclaimer by saying:
The owners of these video game franchises have the right to take legal action and can shutdown anything that is not officially made by them without permission. You will have to search for the content yourself, if you participate in obtaining the software.
I have never post something on fan projects before, so I had to mention this. I will only have links on setting up and preparing for the randomizers in the examples that will be discussed below.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Randomizer
The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask Randomizer
Kingdom Hearts 1 Randomizer
Kingdom Hearts 2 Randomizer
Megaman X Randomizer
The Game Randomizer Site – Mega Man X (google.com)
A randomizer is on PC, but some can be played on console too. There are more video game randomizers out there such as
- Super Mario 64
- The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princes
- Banjo Kazooie
- Papper Mario
- Donkey Kong 64
- Mainline Pokémon Games
- Megaman Battle Network
- The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
If you know any more games that have one, put it in the comment section. The examples discussed will have tips from me and what I learned.
Note: Randomizers are updated over time, so what I explain can be changed with improvements to them.
Game Examples
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask
This is an example of a chest that gives you something else, instead of the compass in the Great Deku Tree.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask randomizers works a little different, but they both function the same. In order to succeed in them, you will need the right items to progress.
What you get is found in chest, shops, and quest rewards (story focused and not) all by chance. It is important to search everything because that one item can be what’s necessary to continue the playthrough.
Tip: When you start the game, try to find a lead that will open to anything to help you progress.
The randomness can be beneficial or useless.
There are times in the playthrough where you will have to stop doing something because there is no way to progress further. When you receive anything like an item or a song, think about all of the options of what you can do with it. That is all to know for both games together, now let’s discuss them separately.
In this randomizer, you start off with having one of the spiritual stones or a medallion in place of the light medallion. In the settings there is an option to have the Door of Time available from the start, so you can become Adult Link anytime. This option will make it easier in case you have something to progress as an adult.
What’s cool about dungeon order is facing a boss with an item you were not so pose to have by that time.
What you have in the inventory at the start is all up to you. The more inventory filled, the easier the playthrough. Your inventory settings will make your dungeon order different every time. The colors of Link, Navi and the UI can be customized too.
Here are the things that can be random for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
- Treasure Chest
- Sound Effects
- Equipment
- Shop Items (Shop Sanity)
- Colors
- Heart Pieces
- Songs
- Side Quest Rewards
- Spiritual Stones and Medallions received
Tip: Make sure to know all of your options and open every chest, do all of the side quest, and play every mini game to get through the game better.
The game starts as Young Link with the Ocarina in Clock Town, instead of the doing the whole Deku Link part. The Song of Time is there and the option to start with one heart. All of the masks are random, so every item you find or receive matters. What’s cool about Majora’s Mask is obtaining a mask will help you get another one. For the randomizer, that’s important because it will be something different instead.
An example of how the inventory can look from playing the game.
The dungeon order will be different as well, depending on when you get the necessary things to complete them. As for the Bombers notebook side quests, the order of doing them can be different, but the schedule time and the quest themselves are the same.
Your colors can be customized and there is an option to play as Kafei, but will have Link’s voice.
Here are the things that can be random for The Legend of Zelda: Majora;s Mask
- Mask
- Colors
- Treasure Chest
- Side Quest Rewards
- Shop Items
- Stray Fairies
- Gold Skulltuals
- Equipment
- Key Items
- Songs (The game’s soundtrack and other video game music that is available.)
- Sound Effects
- Heart Pieces
Tip: There is a tracker site tool you can use to help you show all of your options with the items you obtain. This works with both games.
Video Example
A good explanation of a randomizer and how it changes a playthrough.
Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2
In Kingdom Hearts you start in Station of Awakening and choose your weapon like normal, but you have to choose the wand because the randomizer is only activated in that weapon. After that, you can choose any world in the game. The order is technically up to you, however the things you need to complete one are needed.
This randomizer works by going through the story the same, but the world order is your choice. Sora’s learned abilities and the items you find are random. For necessary items to progress, they are randomized too, but the game will read it as what the item was originally. For instance, the stuff you need to build the raft on Destiny Island is random, but they are read as the normal materials.
To progress in the story, you have to do the triggers first to move on. For example, you need to beat the first visit of Traverse Town, Wonderland, and Deep Jungle to unlock the second part of Traverse Town, just like the real game. Destiny Island can be visited, by selecting the Seashore landmark in Traverse Town.
The other changes are: Gummie Ship travel can be skipped right away, a world exist button shortcut, and you have to do the Riku Destiny Island cut scene in order for you to change your Keyblade.
Here is what can be random for Kingdom Hearts.
- Treasure Chest
- Shop Items
- Item Shop Prices
- Puzzle Rewards
- Level Up Abilities
- Magic Learned
- Trinity Learned
- Syntheses Items
- Keyblades
Tip: Mask sure to open every chest, solve every puzzle, win every mini-game, and check the shops. A really important thing to know is to be aware of your world route because enemy levels are the same. Do not do the Riku boss fight in Hallow Baston unless you are prepared for the enemy level jump because that can’t be undone.
You begin inside the Station of Awakening again, but this time as Sora and you can choose any weapon. After that you are taken to the Garden of Assemblage with the Kingdom Key, necessary key items, ally weapons, drive level at 5 and 50 AP. The Organization XIII data fights are the worlds instead, and the exist is Hundred Acre Wood. Donald and Goofy weapons are all available to buy there at a shop.
The Starting place of the Kingdom Hearts 2 randomizer
In order to complete the game, you need to collect three proofs to reach the final boss. These proofs are obtained completely random. They could be found from: a level up, a chest, completing a min-game, a boss fight reward and others. This randomizer has more options on choosing what can be random.
Here is what can be random for Kingdom Hearts 2
- Treasure Chest
- Shop Items
- Item Shop Prices
- Level Up Abilities
- Mini-Game Prices
- Magic Learned
- Boss Fight Rewards
- Syntheses Items
- Bosses
- Drive Forms
- Keyblades
- Music
- Level Up Stats
- Keyblade Stats
- Area Locations
- Drive Form Abilities
- Absent Silhouettes
- More
Tip: A good strategy is to open treasure chest in the worlds at the start before going through them. Your world route matters a lot, so be aware of your level.
Mega Man X
The walkthrough of completing the game is the same, so its heavily focused on the randomness. The settings you choose will determine the difficulty, strategy, and route of stage selection.
Here is a list of what can be random for Mega Man X.
- Color Schemes
- Game Physics Properties
- Damage Output of everything
- Stage Selection
- Boss Weaknesses
- Stage Boss
- Music
- X Starting Health
- Boss Health amount
- Dr.Light Capsules
- Enemy Types
- Heart Pickups
- More
Shotgun Ice could be Armored Armadillo weakness instead of Electric Spark in a seed playthrough.
In the Mega Man X randomizer, the properties of the game’s physics can change. This all includes Mega Man’s jump height, walk speed, fall gravity speed, buster damage, and buster shot speed. The stage hazard properties like water physics and elevators can be random too.
As for bosses, their weakness, health, properties, and the stage you face them, can be randomize. Everything listed above is important because that can make the game easier or more challenging.
Tip: The randomness of everything stays the same, even if you select a new stage. Remembering everything from collectable locations to boss weaknesses will help you a lot. This randomizer has more glitches than the others.
Things you should know
Other than having a good PC and RAM, there are other things you should know about a randomizer. They are tricky sometimes, so here are some pros and cons I have noticed about them.
Pros
- Unique Game Experience
- Different Playthrough Possibilities
- Fun Randomness
- Endless Replay Ability
- Customization Options
- Challenging
- Felling Overpowered
- Receiving late game stuff early
Cons
- Complexity
- The Set Up
- Difficulty Spike
- Glitches
- Frustration
- Getting Stuck
- Luck Focus
- Game Crashes
If you can handle the cons, trying a randomizer should be exciting. The best advice I can say, is to make sure you understand the original game before playing a randomizer. This idea is really for those who have played the games many times and know mostly everything about them.
See Them Play
Here are some video links to the game’s mentioned for you to check out and see how they work.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Randomizer
The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask Randomizer
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts 2
Megaman X Randomizer
Knowing the game’s world locations, what is all there, and what you need to progress is extremely important.
Video game randomizers are special in the challenge of completing them in a different way. They make you critically think about the game unexpectedly. Those who enjoy one hundred precenting a game will really like it, and that benefits them.
One hundred precenting a game is when someone fully completed every objective and finish the game. Beating a game is doing the school assignment, but one hundred precenting is doing more than the teacher ask and getting an A plus with extra credit included. Now games have a platinum trophy achievement for fully one hundred completions.
Another benefit is knowing certain secrets. In Ocarina of Time, you can use the Megaton Hammer to open grotto holes instead of using bombs. An example like this is taking advantage of what you know and using it to help you more in a randomizer. In the end knowledge is power when playing a randomizer. Being good at the game and playing carefully is important, because the difficulty can change really fast.
I like randomizers because of the unique experience and continuous replay ability. My favorite part is the challenge of randomness and seeing a video game in a different way. I believe this idea will be expanded to more video games in the future. If you have played a randomizer, mention the game below.
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