infotagstimelinevideo games list
Video gamesGames groupsMediaCharactersPlatformsCompaniesEventsCross referencesReviews and magazinesForumUsers and editorsFAQs & Contacts
 

Wasted effort

Video game concept

Player is given an arduous task, which upon completion is found to have been completely pointless or unneeded.

17
games
9
platforms
La•Mulana EX (PlayStation Vita)
La•Mulana EX
VITA 2014-12-17
Aliens: Colonial Marines (Xbox 360)
Aliens: Colonial Marines
X360 2013-02-12
La-Mulana (Windows)
La-Mulana
WIN 2012-07
Titan Quest (Windows)
Titan Quest
WIN 2006-06-26
Red Faction: Armageddon (Windows)
Red Faction: Armageddon
WIN 2011-06-07
Aliens: Colonial Marines (PlayStation 3)
Aliens: Colonial Marines
PS3 2013-02-12
Warframe (PlayStation 4)
Warframe
PS4 2013-11-15
Warframe (Windows)
Warframe
WIN 2013-03-21
Torchlight II (Windows)
Torchlight II
WIN 2012-09-30
La-Mulana (Wii)
La-Mulana
WII 2012-09-20
Aliens: Colonial Marines (Windows)
Aliens: Colonial Marines
WIN 2013-02-12
Rance III: Leazas Kanraku (Windows 3.1)
Rance III: Leazas Kanraku
W31 1991-10
Often done for mild comic effect (e.g. player is tasked to find something important, which is later found to be an ingredient for the task master's daily cup of tea, and the person then gets the Real thing from their back pocket) and artificially lengthening the games.

In a more serious instances, upon completion of the task it is found it either didn't work or otherwise isn't usable for the greater problem.

Popular tags

actionrpg hackandslash lootemup metroidvania tenno-series torchlight-series

Parent group

Tropes

Games by year

91939597990103050709111315 82460

The first Wasted effort video game was released on October 1991.

Sega, Runic Games and Digital Extremes published most of these games.

Platforms

Windows 9
X360 1
PS3 1
Win3.1 1
Wii U 1
Wii 1
PS4 1
Linux 1
PS Vita 1