Abilitease

Abilitease is a video game concept

Abilitease is when a game will give you a glimpse of your full skill-set only to quickly strip your powers away.

The act of a character starting with all of his or her powers in an early level and then subsequently losing them only to have to slowly recollect them throughout the game.

The point of the abilitease is to give the player further incentive to play through the game.  Often the abilities that they are given at the beginning are not as advanced as those the player will get further into the game.  The Metroid series is notable for including an abilitease in almost all of its games.  This is because of the linear nature of the gameplay, which leads players from one quest to another, with each providing a recovered ability.  Other games have found other ways to work the abilities back into gameplay.  For example Assassin's Creed has you rework your way up the Assassin rankings to retrieve your abilities, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed actually offers you a different, more advanced character, to play as in the beginning of the game.  While on paper the abilitease would seem aggravating, fans have yet to voice serious discontent about including it in games.

Abilitease games Edit

Add an Game to
Name Platforms Developer
Cross Edge
PS3 Compile Heart, Inc.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
PSP Square Enix
Cardboard Senki
PSP Level-5 Inc.
Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant
PSP, PS2, X360, WII, DS Radical Entertainment Inc.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
DS Square Enix, h.a.n.d. Inc.
Phantom Brave Wii
WII Nippon Ichi Software Inc.
White Knight Chronicles
PS3 Level-5 Inc.
Monster Hunter 3
WII Capcom Production Studio 1
Valkyria Chronicles
released on Nov. 4, 2008
PS3 Sega
Crysis Warhead
released on Sept. 17, 2008
PC Crytek GmbH
Battle Fantasia
released on Sept. 16, 2008
X360, PS3 Arc System Works Co., Ltd.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
released on Sept. 16, 2008
PSP, PS2, X360, PS3, WII, DS, IPHN n-Space, Inc., Krome Studios Pty Ltd., LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC, Krome Studios Melbourne
Inazuma Eleven
released on Aug. 22, 2008
DS Level-5 Inc.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
released on Aug. 21, 2008
PS3, PSN Insomniac Games
Spectral Force 3
released on July 29, 2008
X360 Idea Factory
Rondo of Swords
released on April 18, 2008
DS Success Corp.
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
released on Jan. 8, 2008
X360 Blueside
Assassin's Creed
released on Nov. 14, 2007
X360, PS3, PC Ubisoft Montreal Studios
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008
released on Nov. 13, 2007
PSP, PS2, X360, PS3, WII, DS Yuke's Co. Ltd.
Growlanser: Heritage of War
released on Sept. 18, 2007
PS2 Career Soft
Heavenly Sword
released on Sept. 12, 2007
PS3 Ninja Theory Ltd.
Drift City
released on Sept. 5, 2007
PC NHN Games Corporation
Brave Story: New Traveler
released on July 31, 2007
PSP Game Republic, 8-4, Ltd.
Odin Sphere
released on May 22, 2007
PS2 Vanillaware Ltd.
Etrian Odyssey
released on May 15, 2007
DS Atlus Co., Ltd.
God of War II
released on March 13, 2007
PS2 SCE Studio Santa Monica
Need for Speed: Carbon
released on Oct. 31, 2006
MAC, PS2, X360, GC, XBOX, PS3, WII, PC EA Black Box
Tales of the Abyss
released on Oct. 10, 2006
PS2 Namco Tales Studio Ltd.
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
PS2 tri-Ace Inc., Edgeworks, Inc., tri-Crescendo Inc.
Xenosaga: Episode III - Also Sprach Zarathustra
released on Aug. 29, 2006
PS2 Monolith Software, Inc.
Half-Life 2: Episode One
released on June 1, 2006
PC Valve Corporation
Metal Saga
released on April 25, 2006
PS2 Crea-Tech
Grandia III
released on Feb. 14, 2006
PS2 Game Arts Co., Ltd.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
released on Nov. 15, 2005
PS2 Level-5 Inc.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
released on Nov. 15, 2005
GBA, PS2, X360, GC, XBOX, PC EA Canada
The Matrix: Path of Neo
released on Nov. 7, 2005
PS2, XBOX, PC Shiny Entertainment, Inc.
Kameo: Elements of Power
released on Nov. 7, 2005
X360 Rare, Ltd.
Blitz: The League
released on Oct. 17, 2005
PSP, PS2, X360, XBOX Midway Chicago
Killer7
released on July 7, 2005
PS2, GC grasshopper manufacture inc.
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
released on Feb. 21, 2005
PSP, PS2, PC Nihon Falcom Corp.
Xenosaga: Episode II - Jenseits von Gut und Böse
released on Feb. 15, 2005
PS2 Monolith Software, Inc.
Suikoden IV
released on Jan. 11, 2005
PS2 Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker / Metroid Prime
GC Nintendo EAD, Retro Studios
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
released on Nov. 16, 2004
GC, WII Retro Studios
Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball
released on Nov. 16, 2004
XBOX WXP, Inc.
Need for Speed Underground 2
released on Nov. 15, 2004
GBA, PS2, GC, XBOX, DS, PC EA Black Box
Phantom Brave
released on Aug. 31, 2004
PS2, WII Nippon Ichi Software Inc.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
released on Aug. 31, 2004
PS2 tri-Ace Inc., tri-Crescendo Inc.
Front Mission 4
released on June 15, 2004
PS2 Square Enix
Ninja Gaiden
released on March 2, 2004
XBOX Team Ninja
.hack//QUARANTINE - Part 4
PS2 Cyber Connect 2 Co., Ltd.
Need for Speed Underground
GBA, PS2, GC, XBOX, PC EA Black Box, Pocketeers
.hack//OUTBREAK - Part 3
PS2 Cyber Connect 2 Co., Ltd.
Chaos Legion
PS2, PC Capcom
.hack//MUTATION - Part 2
PS2 Cyber Connect 2 Co., Ltd.
Dark Cloud 2
released on Feb. 17, 2003
PS2 Level-5 Inc.
.hack//INFECTION - Part 1
released on Feb. 11, 2003
PS2 Cyber Connect 2 Co., Ltd.
Metroid Prime
released on Nov. 18, 2002
GC, WII Retro Studios
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
released on Oct. 21, 2002
GBA, PS2, GC, XBOX Stormfront Studios
Dual Hearts
PS2 Matrix Software
Kingdom Hearts
released on Sept. 17, 2002
PS2 Square Co., Ltd.
Dark Cloud
released on May 28, 2001
PS2 Level-5 Inc.
Digimon World 2
released on May 19, 2001
PS1 BEC Co., Ltd.
Grandia II
released on Dec. 6, 2000
PS2, DC, PC Game Arts Co., Ltd.
Xenogears
released on Oct. 21, 1998
PS1, PSN Square Co., Ltd.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
released on Oct. 2, 1997
PS1, SAT, XBLM, PSN Digital Eclipse Software, Inc., KCE Tokyo, Backbone Charlottetown Ltd.
Wild Arms
released on April 30, 1997
PSP, PS1, PS3, PSN Media.Vision Entertainment Inc.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie
SNES, DS Heart Beat, ArtePiazza
Final Fantasy IV
released on Nov. 23, 1991
GBA, SNES, PS1, DS, WSC Square Enix