When Tutorials Go Completely Off the Rails

9 March 2026

Let’s be honest—nobody starts a game hoping the tutorial will be the highlight. Most of us just want to get past it and dive headlong into the action. Tutorials are supposed to be the friendly handholding that says, “Hey, here's how not to suck at this game,” right?

But sometimes, just sometimes, tutorials go completely off the rails. Like, “What were the developers thinking?” kind of off the rails. Instead of guiding you gently into the game world, they throw you into a pit of confusion, break the fourth wall in the weirdest way, or just straight-up troll you. Whether you're stuck watching painfully long cutscenes, being forced to walk at a snail’s pace for 20 minutes, or surprised by an unexpected boss fight mid-tutorial, these are the moments that make you question everything.

So buckle up, because we’re going deep into the wildest, weirdest, and most broken tutorial experiences in gaming. This isn't just a list of bad tutorials—this is a tale of chaos, confusion, and yes, occasionally, comedy gold.

What Makes a Tutorial "Go Off the Rails"?

Before we start naming names and dragging game devs (with love), let's set the stage. What does it really mean for a tutorial to go off the rails?

1. It Stops Being a Tutorial

Some games start teaching and never stop. Ever played a game for two hours only to realize you're still in a tutorial? Yeah. Sometimes, the tutorial overreaches and becomes half the game itself. That’s not a tutorial—that’s a hostage situation with button prompts.

2. It Breaks Its Own Logic

Imagine: The game tells you, “Press X to open your inventory,” but pressing X throws your only healing item into the void. Or worse, the game teaches you a mechanic... that it never uses again. That’s a one-way ticket to frustration town.

3. It Punishes You for Not Knowing Things... Before You Learned Them

This is classic off-the-rails territory. A tutorial that assumes prior knowledge or gives you one shot to understand a new mechanic before outright killing you (looking at you, some rogue-likes). It’s like being tested on material you haven’t even studied yet.

The Most Infamous Off-the-Rails Tutorials in Gaming

Let’s break down some legendary examples of tutorials that derailed hard.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Ah yes, the ol’ bait and switch. You pop in MGS2 expecting to play as badass Solid Snake, and the tutorial lulls you into mastering his moves on a tanker mission. You're pumped. You're ready.

Then bam—you’re no longer Snake. You're Raiden, and the tutorial no longer resembles anything you've seen before. It’s like being told you're training to be a racecar driver and then shoved into a kayak. What just happened?

Final Fantasy XIII

This one’s infamous for another reason—it basically is a tutorial for 20+ hours. No joke. The battle system doesn’t fully open up until you're well into the game. It drip-feeds mechanics so painfully slow you can’t help but wonder: Is this game hiding something from me?

By the time you understand the full combat system, you’ve already invested enough time for a whole other game. Not off the rails... but definitely off the calendar.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

This one is an intentional mess. A beautiful, neon-drenched chaos. The tutorial in Blood Dragon openly mocks tutorial tropes. “Press A to demonstrate your ability to read.” Seriously. It’s hilarious—but also exhausting.

You're stuck clicking through pop-up boxes again and again like a CAPTCHA test from the '80s. It’s a self-aware dumpster fire of tutorial design... and weirdly, we kind of love it for that.

Kingdom Hearts II

Quick, which game throws a five-hour tutorial at you featuring a character you've never met, doing mostly irrelevant minigames that barely matter later?

If you said “Kingdom Hearts II,” you're absolutely right. The Roxas prologue is beautiful, confusing, and completely unrelated to what the game eventually becomes. It's like watching the prequel to a movie without realizing the main film hasn’t started yet.

Why Do Tutorials Go Off the Rails?

Let’s get into the headspace of game developers. Look, no one wants to make a bad or broken tutorial. But a lot can go wrong between concept and execution.

Overdesigning for Accessibility

Games want to be accessible—that’s a good thing. But sometimes, devs go overboard trying to teach everything. They don't just show you how to jump; they explain the physics of why jumping works. This over-detailing can bog players down and make the game feel like a lecture.

Fear of Leaving Players Behind

Game designers worry: “What if players don’t get it?” So they explain. Then they re-explain. Then they add in popups. Then a character verbally explains it again. Before you know it, you're in "Handholding Simulator 2024."

Trying to Be Too Clever

Some devs want to break the mold. We respect that. But innovation can sometimes confuse rather than enlighten. Tutorials that subvert expectations or mess with player assumptions can crash and burn fast if not done right.

The Emotional Impact of Messy Tutorials

It’s not just about mechanics. Tutorials set the tone for the whole game. When they go off the rails, they mess with your head in all sorts of ways.

Fatigue Before Fun

You sit down, controller in hand, ready for an adventure—and you spend the first hour reading tooltips and turning valves in a virtual sewer. By the time the game actually starts, you're emotionally exhausted. That’s a mood killer.

Loss of Trust

A janky or misleading tutorial breaks your trust. If the opening moments don't work, you start questioning the rest of the game. “If it couldn’t get the basics right, how will it handle the complex stuff?”

Unintentional Comedy

Some tutorials are so bad they're hilarious. Whether it’s broken dialogue, characters standing around awkwardly, or absurdly basic instructions, they can be accidentally entertaining. Hey, at least you're laughing, right?

The Silver Lining: When Chaos Makes Things Memorable

Sometimes, going off the rails isn’t a curse—it’s a gift. A hilariously botched tutorial can become iconic. It gives the game personality, even if that personality is batsh*t crazy. Games like Goat Simulator or I Am Bread thrive on nonsense. Their tutorials don’t make sense—but they don’t have to.

They’re not trying to teach. They’re trying to set the tone. And if the tone is absurdity, then hey—they nailed it.

How To Spot a Tutorial That’s About to Go Off the Rails

Here’s your mental checklist. If you're seeing these signs early on, you might be in for a wild ride:

- The tutorial has tutorials inside the tutorial.
- You’re twenty minutes in, and you’ve only opened one door.
- A pop-up window just said “press jump to jump.”
- You're being quizzed on mechanics you haven't encountered yet.
- There's more dialogue than action in the first hour.

If your gut says “uh oh,” trust it. You’re probably not hallucinating.

What Developers Can Learn (And What Players Can Do)

Hey devs, we get it—tutorials are hard to get right. But let’s keep some things in mind:

For Developers:

- Let players do, not just read. Action over instruction.
- Keep it short. If you need more time, let players opt in.
- Don't punish mistakes in the tutorial—save that for the real game.
- Make it skippable. Always.
- Test it with fresh eyes. Ask someone who’s never touched it before.

For Players:

- Be patient. Sometimes a tutorial stumbles but the game itself soars.
- Give feedback. Game devs need it.
- Laugh if you can. A terrible tutorial is still a story to tell.

Final Thoughts: Crazy but Memorable

When tutorials go completely off the rails, they leave a mark—sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always memorable. It's almost like watching someone try to explain how to ride a bike while actively falling off it. Painful? Yes. Entertaining? Absolutely.

These bizarre tutorial moments become part of gaming history, for better or worse. They’re the weird little footnotes in our favorite stories, the bug that became a feature, the mistake that made us laugh.

So next time you're stuck in a tutorial that's unraveling like a spaghetti-filled suitcase, take a deep breath. Embrace the chaos. Because sometimes, the worst tutorials make for the best conversations.