Hello adventurer! In today’s quest, we’re going to explore the map for how to make great Tutorials in your games! Designing the Onboarding and Tutorials can seem hard, but follow these 5 (more) steps to ensure success!
Did you miss Part 1? Check it out here:
GUIDE FOR GREAT TUTORIALS
6. Let Failure Be Funny or Meaningful
Failure is a powerful teacher… if it’s not too punishing.
Examples:
Exaggerated rag doll physics when players fail a jump or make the ‘dead‘ screen interesting, with perhaps some helpful information.
Humorous dialogue after repeated mistakes. This can be from the player character, NPCs or the storyteller’s voice. Just don’t make it mean or talk down to the player. No one likes to be told ‘wow you are bad‘ when trying to learn something new.
Fast re-tries that encourage “one more try” thinking. This is done by managing the loading time, fast fade out and in sequences, and how long it takes to get back into the gameplay again.
👉 Result: Players learn faster and stay positive if they are not punished for failing.
7. Pace Information in Small Satisfying Chunks
Avoid overwhelming players with too much information, instructions, or text at once. This can overwhelm players and make the Tutorials feel like tedious homework instead of fun learning.
Examples:
Teach one major mechanic per encounter. Some mechanics are easy to learn (such as walk, look, jump, and crouch), but don’t stack too many things at the same time. Let players learn, practice, and repeat the actions a couple of times before moving on to new concepts and mechanics.
Unlock abilities only when they become necessary. Context is as important as how long it is between learning an ability and using it.
You don’t have to teach EVERYTHING about a mechanic right off the bat. You should instead add new learnings and things later on, building on what they learned earlier.
👉 Result: Learning feels simple and builds their skills.
8. Make Tutorials Optional or Invisible
The best tutorial is the one players don’t realize they’re playing, or they have control over if they play more of or not.
Examples:
Offer optional training areas for advanced mechanics or more practice time.
Context-sensitive hints that appear only after repeated failure or after X time the player hasn’t used an action.
Difficulty-adaptive tutorials that respond to player behaviour. This is a bit more advanced, but making enemies easier if the player keeps failing can help players not quit the game before getting through the onboarding.
👉 Result: New players get help, experienced players stay immersed.
9. Use Audio and Visual Feedback Generously
Good feedback reinforces learning without words. Think about all the different senses you can use to layer feedback to the player. It’s important to make this extra clear in the Tutorials so players can learn the game’s basic patterns.
Examples:
Unique sounds for successful actions.
Clear enemy animation and audio when they are about to hit the player.
Visual cues like glowing edges or checkmarks on an objective list.
👉 Result: Players instantly understand what worked.
10. End the Tutorials with a “You Got This!” Moment
Finish onboarding with a moment that proves mastery. Finishing off with a celebration and a moment where the player feel good about what they learned so they feel pumped and ready to enter into the next challenges of the game.
Examples:
A short challenge that combines everything learned. (This is usually with a mini-boss)
A cinematic payoff after completing the tutorial section. (The character is celebrating, lifts their sword in victory or hugs their friend).
NPCs acknowledge the player’s growth. The “You are ready for a real test” dialog moment.
👉 Result: Players leave the tutorial feeling confident and excited.
TLDR: There are many ways to create good Tutorials, and these are some methods to use to get there. While not all of these tips are needed in every game, you should be aware of the tools so you can use the ones that best fit the game you are working on.
Thank you for reading!
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