Grading systems are a unique way of registering how well a playercompletes a specific objectivethroughout their playthrough. This usually involves pulling off something unexpected or flashy, such as racking up a combo or chaining together multiple kills in a short amount of time. There are plenty of ways a grading system can be used, but they can easily be ignored if they don’t mean anything.
A good grading system needs to make the player feel like they’ve truly accomplished something special, since this will encourage them toreach for the highest score, adding a tremendous amount of replay value to a game. While there have been many games that have attempted to integrate a grading system in one way or another, there’s a handful of series that have managed to execute it to perfection. It should be noted that the grading systems featured in this list will be ones that activate in-game to monitor the player’s actions, rather than a results screen which pops up at the end of a level.
God Handis a fairly weird and unique game thatShinji Mikami would go on to create after leaving his position at Capcom. The game is essentially a beat ‘em up which features an over-the-top story and exaggerated characters, and while it wasn’t well received upon its release in 2006, a lot of people have looked back on it a lot more fondly over the years.
One of the major mechanics of the game is the “Difficulty Level” which is a bar that will either rise or drop depending on how the player is performing in combat. This was put in place to ensure things never get too overwhelming, but the sound effects of a crowd booing when the level drops can still feel quite embarrassing, so it’s really just a way to spur the player on by reacting to their gameplay. Many players have attempted to complete the game without the Difficulty Level dropping even once which has addeda ton of replay valueto the experience and made it a fairly well known system among fans of speedrunning, and those who are fans of Mikami’s more unique titles.
There are manyfighting gamesout there that have a hidden grading system built into their gameplay which will reward the player for executing a combo or performing a certain action, but none have done it quite as well asKiller Instinct. The announcer of the 2013 reboot, known as “Announcer Mike”, will scream out several quotes depending on how well the player is doing, with some of the most popular voice clips being “Extreme Combo” and “Godlike Parry”.
What really makes these stand out though is just how much fiery passion the announcer is putting into his lines, especially the ones that are much harder to activate where he’s screaming at the top of his lungs. This might not be your typical grading system with any stats or numbers, but it’s nonetheless an exciting indicator as to just how much damage a combatant is dealing in a fight.
WhileBayonettamight be considered to bea little more accessiblecompared to theDevil May Cryseries in the eyes of many, it can still take a lot of practice to fully master the many weapons and techniques that are acquired throughout the games. Not only does this help with taking down entire hordes of demons without taking a scratch, but it also leads to an extremely satisfying grading system that will flash up on the side of the screen during a fight.
As Bayonetta annihilates enemies in the flashiest ways possible, alongside using Witch Time on the right occasions to slow down a fight to a crawl, the player will gain bonus points that can multiply depending on how well they’ve performed. This all results in a medal being awarded for the encounter which can range from Stone to Platinum, but that’s not the only grading system in the game asBayonettaalso features them for itsplethora of quick-time events. Players will need a mash certain button during these sequences to fill up a bar which will eventually result in a gigantic attack. While not everyone is too fond of QTE’s, the spectacle and sheer creativity on show for the ones inBayonettareally do make them a feast for the eyes.
Having a grading system in a first-person shooter game that isn’t the multiplayer leaderboards can seem a little strange at first, butHalowas always a series that took some creative liberties with its gameplay which is the reason it became so beloved. One of these creative choices wasinserting an announcer into matcheswho would congratulate the player with certain Medals depending on how many Spartans or Elites they could kill in a row.
InCombat Evolved, he only had five different voicelines with “Killing Spree” being the most popular, but by the time thatHalo 3rolled around, he had a lot more to say with some now-iconic phrases, including “Killimanjaro” “Killionare”. These medals also extended to getting kills without dying while using certain weapons. For example, getting 10 kills with a shotgun awards players with the “Open Season” medal. This is another grading mechanic that might not be very flashy in its presentation, but there’s no mistaking just how satisfying it is to get this sort of recognition while going on a rampage.
As players fight their way through swarms of demons throughout theDevil May Crygames, their performance will be registered every step of the way with a “Style Rank” which essentiallygrades how flashy and creative they are getting with their combos. For the first two games, the Style Ranking could only reach an S rank, but this was expanded inDevil Mary Cry 3where SShowtime and SSStylish were introduced to encourage players to get as eccentric as possible with their weapons.
What really makes this mechanic stand out though, aside from the badass voice and vibrant catchphrases that pop up on the screen, is how well it feeds into the actual gameplay. If players use the same attack over and over again, or rely on a single weapon or Style for too long, they can expect their rank to slowly decrease over time. This encourages players to think up new ways to take down their enemies whichkeeps the gameplay from ever becoming dull or repetitive. There’s no doubt that the grading system in theDevil May Cryseries has influenced many games within the same genre to adopt a similar mechanic, making it extremely effective, memorable, and iconic.
