PC Gamer once declared virtual toilets the secret to understanding the unspoken priorities of a game and the people making it, but I'd argue virtual ladders have even more to say. If you approach from the top, does it wrest away control or let you Wile E. Coyote yourself right off the ledge? Does the game give you a button to slide down like an action hero? Will the back of the ladder let you climb until you bonk your head, or automatically swing you around to the front, or refuse admittance altogether?
All these little things say something about the character you're controlling and how clumsy or empowered the game's makers want you to feel when you press some buttons—which is why I immediately noticed that the protagonist of "kungfupunk" action game Phantom Blade Zero doesn't really respect ladders as, like, a concept.
