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| - When starting a game, often the player starts out with an extremely powerful party, character, weapon or ability, which can easily slaughter anything it comes across, playing through a short battle or dungeon. The player is in no real danger of losing at this point, but this incredible power never lasts long. Once the introductory segment is complete, the player switches to the real party, usually at level 1 with basic starter gear. Frequently used in RTS games to allow the player to be given a tutorial of all the game elements in one sitting. Also known as "Abilitease" on the Giant Bomb wiki.
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| abstract
| - When starting a game, often the player starts out with an extremely powerful party, character, weapon or ability, which can easily slaughter anything it comes across, playing through a short battle or dungeon. The player is in no real danger of losing at this point, but this incredible power never lasts long. Once the introductory segment is complete, the player switches to the real party, usually at level 1 with basic starter gear. The primary purpose of this trope is to get a player into a game and teach them the rules without overwhelming them with dangerous enemies early on. This can also give them a preview of the powers and skills they'll be acquiring later in the game. Common marketing wisdom is that you have to sell your game on the players in the first ten minutes, or you risk them not sticking around to get to the really good parts - hence A Taste of Power to draw a player in. Another advantage to A Taste of Power is that the player gets to do something and have some fun while the scene is set and the story established, instead of sitting through an uninteractive opening Cutscene or simply wandering around the First Town talking to people and trying to figure out what to do. Frequently used in RTS games to allow the player to be given a tutorial of all the game elements in one sitting. This is sometimes done by means of a Crutch Character, who leaves, is killed, or is depowered after the segment is over, weakening your fighting strength. It frequently ends with a Warmup Boss. If some programming oversight allows you to retain some of this power, such as by removing the ridiculously powerful equipment from a temporary character, the result may make the game incredibly easy. Also known as "Abilitease" on the Giant Bomb wiki. Compare Bag of Spilling, where a player character's hard-won power is somehow lost between the end of one game and the beginning of its sequel. If you wind up having to fight the Crutch Character later, you've been walking in Villain Shoes. May coincide with And Now for Someone Completely Different. The inversion is Eleventh-Hour Superpower, where you get special abilities at the end of the game. Also contrast Second-Hour Superpower, where the player character starts generically and gets his/her defining ability only partway through. May be Purposefully Overpowered. Examples of A Taste of Power include:
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