What takes you right out of a game?

I think that for myself, the quickest way to break any immersion I have in a video game is for the music to make literally no sense for a moment. This is an especial issue when watching a cutscene, but it also can affect gameplay. There was a particular moment in Skyrim near the beginning that I still remember with the Dragon attack and your escape that the game bugged out for me and played the opening theme — a piece of music I very much enjoy — while I was literally just walking down a hill. It threw me right off.

Another thing that can break me out of rapt gameplay is when a game’s mechanics are so difficult to understand that I need to stop and go back over the tutorial again. Or unnecessary quick time events — I understand that we’re trying to gamify moments in a cinematic or semi-cinematic scene, but having to press X to pay my respects at a funeral is the opposite of fun and engaging. I blame Shenmue for this, I’m not going to lie.

Also, any time I’m playing a game and suddenly I have to control another character with different abilities or a vehicle? It had better be fantastic or I’m mentally checking out. The opening of the Ulduar raid in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King was close to torture for me and I still grit my teeth when doing it today. I play a game with unique characters to play that character, not a Naga with a trident in a flashback.

So, what about you? Is there anything that stops you cold and throws your interest when playing a game? A voice actor you recognize from another performance? Realizing that a game has reused the exact same cave for the tenth time? What breaks your immersion fastest?