5 Games With Great Gameplay Grading Systems (2024)

Grading systems are a unique way of registering how well a player completes a specific objective throughout their playthrough. This usually involves pulling off something unexpected or flashy, such as racking up a combo or chaining together multiple kills in a short amount of time. There are plenty of ways a grading system can be used, but they can easily be ignored if they don't mean anything.

A good grading system needs to make the player feel like they've truly accomplished something special, since this will encourage them to reach for the highest score, adding a tremendous amount of replay value to a game. While there have been many games that have attempted to integrate a grading system in one way or another, there's a handful of series that have managed to execute it to perfection. It should be noted that the grading systems featured in this list will be ones that activate in-game to monitor the player's actions, rather than a results screen which pops up at the end of a level.

5 God Hand

The Level Up Grading System In God Hand Will Adjust The Difficulty Depending On How Well The Player Performs Mid-Battle

God Hand is a fairly weird and unique game that Shinji Mikami would go on to create after leaving his position at Capcom. The game is essentially a beat 'em up which features an over-the-top story and exaggerated characters, and while it wasn't well received upon its release in 2006, a lot of people have looked back on it a lot more fondly over the years.

One of the major mechanics of the game is the "Difficulty Level" which is a bar that will either rise or drop depending on how the player is performing in combat. This was put in place to ensure things never get too overwhelming, but the sound effects of a crowd booing when the level drops can still feel quite embarrassing, so it's really just a way to spur the player on by reacting to their gameplay. Many players have attempted to complete the game without the Difficulty Level dropping even once which has added a ton of replay value to the experience and made it a fairly well known system among fans of speedrunning, and those who are fans of Mikami's more unique titles.

4 Killer Instinct

The Loud And Passionate Announcer In Killer Instinct Will Reward The Player With Specific Voice Lines Upon Executing Certain Moves And Combos

There are many fighting games out there that have a hidden grading system built into their gameplay which will reward the player for executing a combo or performing a certain action, but none have done it quite as well as Killer Instinct. The announcer of the 2013 reboot, known as "Announcer Mike", will scream out several quotes depending on how well the player is doing, with some of the most popular voice clips being "Extreme Combo" and "Godlike Parry".

What really makes these stand out though is just how much fiery passion the announcer is putting into his lines, especially the ones that are much harder to activate where he's screaming at the top of his lungs. This might not be your typical grading system with any stats or numbers, but it's nonetheless an exciting indicator as to just how much damage a combatant is dealing in a fight.

3 Bayonetta

Bayonetta Players Will Need To Rack Up Some Flashy Combos If They Want To Get A Good Grade And Medal For Each Encounter

While Bayonetta might be considered to be a little more accessible compared to the Devil May Cry series in the eyes of many, it can still take a lot of practice to fully master the many weapons and techniques that are acquired throughout the games. Not only does this help with taking down entire hordes of demons without taking a scratch, but it also leads to an extremely satisfying grading system that will flash up on the side of the screen during a fight.

As Bayonetta annihilates enemies in the flashiest ways possible, alongside using Witch Time on the right occasions to slow down a fight to a crawl, the player will gain bonus points that can multiply depending on how well they've performed. This all results in a medal being awarded for the encounter which can range from Stone to Platinum, but that's not the only grading system in the game as Bayonetta also features them for its plethora of quick-time events. Players will need a mash certain button during these sequences to fill up a bar which will eventually result in a gigantic attack. While not everyone is too fond of QTE's, the spectacle and sheer creativity on show for the ones in Bayonetta really do make them a feast for the eyes.

2 Halo

Halo's Iconic Announcer Will Grade The Player's Performance With Some Amusing Shoutouts In The Middle Of A Match

Having a grading system in a first-person shooter game that isn't the multiplayer leaderboards can seem a little strange at first, but Halo was always a series that took some creative liberties with its gameplay which is the reason it became so beloved. One of these creative choices was inserting an announcer into matches who would congratulate the player with certain Medals depending on how many Spartans or Elites they could kill in a row.

In Combat Evolved, he only had five different voicelines with "Killing Spree" being the most popular, but by the time that Halo 3 rolled around, he had a lot more to say with some now-iconic phrases, including "Killimanjaro" "Killionare". These medals also extended to getting kills without dying while using certain weapons. For example, getting 10 kills with a shotgun awards players with the "Open Season" medal. This is another grading mechanic that might not be very flashy in its presentation, but there's no mistaking just how satisfying it is to get this sort of recognition while going on a rampage.

1 Devil May Cry

The Style Rank Is The Most Iconic Grading System In Any Video Game Which Encourages The Player To Get As Stylish As Possible With Their Attacks

As players fight their way through swarms of demons throughout the Devil May Cry games, their performance will be registered every step of the way with a "Style Rank" which essentially grades how flashy and creative they are getting with their combos. For the first two games, the Style Ranking could only reach an S rank, but this was expanded in Devil Mary Cry 3 where SShowtime and SSStylish were introduced to encourage players to get as eccentric as possible with their weapons.

What really makes this mechanic stand out though, aside from the badass voice and vibrant catchphrases that pop up on the screen, is how well it feeds into the actual gameplay. If players use the same attack over and over again, or rely on a single weapon or Style for too long, they can expect their rank to slowly decrease over time. This encourages players to think up new ways to take down their enemies which keeps the gameplay from ever becoming dull or repetitive. There's no doubt that the grading system in the Devil May Cry series has influenced many games within the same genre to adopt a similar mechanic, making it extremely effective, memorable, and iconic.

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