I first heard of Exp Share–a mechanic the place all get together members achieve expertise factors no matter in the event that they’re in battle–in Pokemon. Many RPGs have some degree of it. Typically, it is only for members of your present get together. Typically, it is for the whole roster. Its absence or restricted implementation particularly stands out when revisiting older video games like Persona 4 and evaluating them to newer ones like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Regardless of what may seem to be a minor quality-of-life function at first, its presence–or lack thereof–can have a big effect on a recreation, inflicting you to play a lot in a different way than you in any other case would.
I am calling it Exp Share as a result of that is what it is known as in Pokemon, and it would not appear to have one other widely known title. In Pokemon’s case, Exp Share began as an precise merchandise that you might give to a person Pokemon in order that it could achieve expertise even with out being concerned in a battle. It was particularly handy for elevating low-level monsters into common get together members. Exp Share finally changed into an merchandise that distributed expertise factors to your total staff. Ranging from Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee, it was constructed into the sport as a default mechanic somewhat than an merchandise that you just wanted to acquire.
It wasn’t an addition that stayed distinctive to Pokemon, although. Simply prior to now yr, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and One Piece Odyssey each supplied their very own model of Exp Share. These video games have a number of characters with distinct talents, sufficient to encourage gamers to experiment with them. In Xenoblade 3 particularly, it felt virtually prison to disregard your Heroes (seventh get together member) when there have been so many character lessons to attempt. All members of your principal get together are there to remain, however it could’ve been a frightening activity for even probably the most diligent participant to degree up every of the Heroes individually. By permitting Heroes to build up expertise factors even once they’re not in battle, it opens up alternatives for experimentation and selection that may in any other case be untenable.
Even One Piece Odyssey, Bandai Namco’s first time making a One Piece RPG, was a way more seamless expertise due to this mechanic. As a substitute of worrying about grinding all of your characters to the identical degree, you might simply progress by way of the story utilizing whichever characters you needed.
Exp Share looks as if such a pure, welcome component in any RPG, making it all of the extra noticeable when it is absent. That is why it was so jarring after I picked up Persona 4 and there was no Exp Share to be discovered. Persona 4 Golden was ported to Nintendo Swap earlier this yr, however it’s primarily the identical because the 2012 model that got here out for PlayStation. I did not begin craving Exp Share till I recruited my fifth get together member, at which level I used to be compelled to begin benching characters. It then appeared counterintuitive to put money into the brand new character as a result of their Social Hyperlinks (one other a part of Persona 4’s advanced ecosystem) had been a lot much less developed than these of the characters I already had. Even when later recruits gained Social Hyperlinks extra rapidly, including them to the get together nonetheless felt like a short lived drawback as a result of they lacked the fight bonuses I had with veteran members.
At first, the dearth of Exp Share made me much less prepared to experiment as a result of it could imply letting different get together members lag behind the remaining. Nevertheless, I spotted you can technically revisit dungeons to grind ranges for all of the characters if you wish to. It wasn’t an excellent resolution, however there was a manner out.
Exp Share makes it in order that there isn’t any must spend time grinding ranges for characters that are not in your principal get together. In Persona 4, I realized to drop into dungeons extra typically in order that I may mess around with different characters as an alternative of solely counting on the occasions I needed to in an effort to progress the story. It’s a must to dive again in, even when no new plot-related content material is accessible, to degree up get together members. In any other case, you threat the lesser-used get together members falling behind. It looks as if Altus finally determined that its previous system was outdated, too, contemplating Persona 5 included Exp Share. A minimum of for now, Persona 4 is the final mainline Persona installment to not have the function.
Hearth Emblem is without doubt one of the few sequence that also would not use Exp Share (with just a few exceptions, like Path of Radiance). Hearth Emblem Fates, which works equally to the franchise’s newest entry, Hearth Emblem Have interaction, additionally satisfied me to fastidiously select easy methods to degree my most prized characters. You’ll be able to’t spend time endlessly leveling characters. As a substitute, it’s a must to plan which characters to tackle the principle mission and which of them to degree up in aspect quests in order that they sustain with the group. Fates had a restricted variety of aspect quests obtainable per chapter, so that you solely had just a few possibilities to degree up characters earlier than transferring to the following chapter.
It by no means felt like the sport was suggesting that you just solely use a handful of characters and ignore the remaining due to sort weaknesses, although. Hearth Emblem video games emphasize technique, so it is best to use the items that work finest given a selected battle. It is a extra aware determination than in Persona 4, which does not cease you from leveling up different characters however forces you to grind to take action. In the meantime, Fates (and Hearth Emblem basically) pushes the participant to select and select which characters to put money into due to the restricted battles. It additionally allowed gamers to experiment with out Exp Share as a result of you may management many items per battle as an alternative of simply 4 at a time like in Persona.
“Grind” is the important thing phrase right here. It is grinding for those who’re combating enemies or repeating dungeons with out every other cause than to farm XP. Fates manages to keep away from grinding as a result of the quests do not overlap. Even for those who’re combating the identical sort of enemies, they seem on new maps in numerous situations. You do not repeat a map to realize XP, and do not even have the choice to. Briefly, it sacrifices the experimentation you may have with the complete forged for a extra streamlined expertise.
I nonetheless loved Persona 4. I ended up revisiting dungeons and unlocking Social Hyperlinks as a result of I preferred the brand new characters and needed to make use of them. Nevertheless, Exp Share would have lessened that must grind and stored my give attention to advancing the story. It makes me want that video games with out Exp Share would no less than have a extra optimum different or setup–like in Hearth Emblem, the place it is a deliberate, strategy-based determination.
Exp Share has change into more and more widespread in RPGs as time goes on, and I am unable to blame builders for leaning into what makes it simpler for gamers to experiment with completely different characters with out feeling like they’re repeating content material. I nonetheless really feel some nostalgia each time a recreation forces me into old-school useful resource administration with out it. Nevertheless, it is a mechanic that has freed up hours of my time by lessening the monotonous grinding that turn-based RPGs had been as soon as infamous for, and that is definitely one thing to be grateful for.
The merchandise mentioned right here had been independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot could get a share of the income for those who purchase something featured on our website.