Appreciating Enemy AI in Games

What makes a satisfying battle in a videogame? A good opponent. An enemy that is equal to your current skill level and strength so that it's a fair fight all throughout. Not all players are created equal, though. Some can kill any DARK SOULS boss without a scratch, while others can barely beat the tutorial. That's why we have difficulty levels in many games — the option to change how hard you want to push yourself.

However, when it comes to picking harder difficulties, all too often it boils down to enemies getting better stats than they should. All your usual tactics and strategies work, it'll just take longer… or it backfires and it actually makes the game easier, like Pokémon Black and White's Hard Mode (battling higher level Pokémon yields more EXP, making it easier to over level) or Merciless difficulty in Persona 5 (turns out doubling the damage when hitting weaknesses for both sides makes fights go faster in your favour).

That's why I appreciate it when games do more than make numbers go up when it comes to increasing challenge. At harder difficulties or through natural progression, the game will change your foes to be smarter and craftier when they get in your way.

And so, upon seeing that it's Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day, I've decided to appreciate the artificial intelligence of my virtual enemies… because I respect them more than the AI slop companies are shoving down everyone's throat until the inevitable collapse of the industry that has done nothing but upped the prices of games and ruined the environment.

Um, just in case someone doesn't get it, GameGrin does not appreciate generative AI in any form. This is a stance I very much agree with.

The first thing that came to mind when facing a difficult AI opponent was… in the Nintendo DS Yu-Gi-Oh! videogames. You see, every CPU you duel will have a set strategy they are programmed for with the deck they were given. They play it well… but these duelists can't really break away from their programming. They will make specific plays if they have the cards, even to their detriment. And that's not if they're cheating, because I totally notice when an AI can see my cards.

However, as the card game became more complicated and more summoning methods were introduced, the old system didn't quite work anymore. And so, the AI got a massive overhaul during the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's era, making your CPU opponents make smarter plays and think about how they'll beat you. It's not simulating an opponent's deck strategy; it's looking at its cards and seeing what it will take to win… which ended up causing you to wait as the AI calculates the best move.

A turn against an AI went from maybe 30 seconds (with animations) to well over a few minutes if the board state is complicated enough. And unlike humans, they won't surrender to save time. Still, it allowed for better duels and more satisfying wins, which you can experience in the Solo Mode in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.

Meanwhile, the Fire Emblem games will feature some fairly devious AI that will punish each mistake you make, even on the lower difficulties. It may send units to rush towards killing NPCs if saving them is your win condition, avoid getting baited, and even ignore some of your units if it's sure to strike a far more damaging blow to another. If you're the type of person to make sure no one dies, the enemy AI will ensure that you'll constantly be resetting your battles, time and time again.

But you're probably not into card games or turn-based tactics, so let's talk about a game with more guns and action: Grand Theft Auto V. One of the main improvements made after Grand Theft Auto IV was with the police. In the previous games, the cops were a major nuisance during your rampages, but they were never complicated. They were angry, had guns, and they wanted you dead or alive (mostly dead)… until you get out of their range, paint your car, or just head to a safehouse. Sure, they have firepower, but they were limited. Heck, one of my favourite pastimes in IV was to have a pedestrian punch me, find a police car, and have the cop arrest the citizen.

That changed with the Los Santos Police Department, who are far more aggressive and rarely going to make an arrest. Most of the old tricks don't work anymore and may even punish you. I was seriously surprised when the cops broke into my safehouse for the first time. You need to get out of sight and hide, or change your car and outfit. Heck, if you wear a mask, removing it will lower your Wanted level. And that's just when you're in a car.

In gunfights, they actually use real tactics and manoeuvres to try and flush you out. They'll flank and use grenades to force you out of cover, or suppress you with gunfire. They might even drag their injured over to safety. It's really cool when you notice it (past all the bullets flying your way). Surely, the police AI will have been upgraded in Grand Theft Auto VI, as Rockstar has had plenty of time to improve it and make getting away with murder far more difficult… or fun. Whatever works.

The most experience I've had with smart enemy AI is… well, in HELLDIVERS 2, a game I play practically every day. Despite what Super Earth says, all enemy factions can pull off some very brilliant tactics on the battlefield. For example, let's take a look at the Terminids.

These bug-like aliens will notice when you're dropping a bunch of pods, coming to your location to investigate. Not only that, they know they have practically infinite numbers, willing to forgo survival to simply overwhelm you through sheer numbers or distract you while a tougher enemy, like a Charger, flanks your Helldiver and violently disassembles them like LEGO Minifig.

Stalkers, especially, are one of the more dangerous Terminids you'll face. Not only can they go invisible, but they'll also strike lone Helldivers who aren't looking behind their back or in the middle of reloading. And Super Earth says they aren't sentient…

That's not to say all the games I mentioned here have "perfect" enemy AI. They are still able to make mistakes, do dumb things, and never quite perform their jobs 100% of the time… just like AI like Claude, Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT, etc. Artificial intelligence is, well, artificial. It can only replicate intelligence, never truly become intelligent on its own. In a fair fight, the most dangerous opponent is someone with an actual brain. That's why AI will never replace passionate humans with the talents and skills to create great foes for us to go against (until Skynet becomes a real thing, because companies LOVE ignoring cautionary tales).

And so I applaud all the game developers who don't simply increase enemy stats to make the game seem harder. They change the behaviour and tactics of our foes to create exciting situations and moments of triumph in our videogames.

Are there any other examples of devious enemy AI who are aiming to beat you instead of letting you win? Comment below and appreciate the handcrafted behaviours that make your game a little more challenging.