When I think about squeezing through cracks in games, I think about thePS4generation.

A gradual evolution, more than a complete reinvention.

Should We Shun The Shimmy?

Characters from Naughty Dog franchises including Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Intergalactic, The Last of Us, and Uncharted.

Or Have A Soft Spot For The Squeeze?

Frustration with these stop-and-shimmies bubbled up when Epic firstshowed offits tech demo forUnreal Engine 5back in May 2020.

We thought we were done with this!

ND-5 from Star Wars Outlaws holding a paint brush with yellow paint on it, with Leon from Resident Evil 4 remake standing next to a yellow-painted barrel in the background

You’re telling us shimmying is the future?

The slide-through-the-crack mechanic is still going strong today.

And it usually doesn’t bother me.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Jason Close-Up Driving

Otherwise, it’s fine.

A means to an end in modern video games that can be used in stylishly creative ways.

When Nate is stranded in the desert late in the game, he needs to squeeze through a chasm.

The character from the Unreal Engine 5 tech demo shimmying through a crack, with Barret from FF7 and Nathan Drake from Uncharted on either side.

But it isn’t a commonly used mechanic throughout.

Buddy cant boost if theyre busy shootin."

Triple-A Games

Uncharted