When I play games, I see more than just what the game is about and what I am doing. I see the hidden systems that make the game more enjoyable. Below are some of the key systems that have inspired me.
League of Legends
Riot Games
Keeping Live Service Fresh
Most games would struggle to stay alive and fresh for 14+ years, but League of Legends is an exception, where players continue to come back for new characters but most importantly new ways to play and engage with the game.
League of Legends keeps the game fresh and interesting through the creation of new ways of playing the game while maintaining its core ideas and fundamentals. While characters represent a new way to play for players, the game continually draws plays back through the introduction of game modes.
One of LoL’s newer game modes, Nexus Blitz creates interesting game states and experiences with each playthrough. The events within the game mode create new ways of engaging with the champions and their abilities on offer. For example, Scuttle Racing and DPS Check spotlight the sheer damage values of some champions and require other champions to zone enemies away from the objectives in order to effectively win the event while Bardle Royale and Prize Fight spotlight player skill and positioning due to the event being more aligned with “normal” gameplay.
The new game mode SWARM (coming very soon) takes this concept to a whole other level. The game strays away from the typical gameplay and controls and opts for a style of gameplay. The game mode, drawing inspiration from Bullet Heaven games, gives the player a sense of progression with each playthrough with both its in-game permanent rewards and the knowledge gained from the playthrough just finished. This game mode doesn’t feel out of place though due to the thematic decisions around characters and abilities.
The methods used to keep players engaged with the same game for more than a decade is a great example of the dedication and respect the League of Legends team and Riot Games has to their audience.
Hitman – World Of Assassination
IO Interactive
Open World Gameplay
Hitman’s way of handling open worlds by allowing players to make free choices, despite potential sacrifices to the story, inspires me to make systematic games where the player can make free choices always.
The levels within the Hitman games are small open worlds, filled with gameplay and story. Most open-world games have story points that need to be reached before the player is able to access different areas. Within these story points/ missions the player does not have free choice and is led down the predetermined path. On the other hand, Hitman never takes away player choice. The player can always pull out items and weapons during meetings with NPCs and kill their targets, or the player can continue the conversation with the NPC and progress the story.
Similarly, the game encourages the player to explore and make decisions constantly. The player can overhear a discussion between NPCs that leads the player to find a new way of killing the targets or discovering new parts of the story.
None of this can be achieved without the game setting out rules that are consistent within every level. The rules set out are self-explanatory and obey the laws and rules of the real world. This allows the player to use real-world knowledge to gain the upper hand and to plan and execute missions in a variety of ways.
In my opinion, this way of handling open-world experiences allows for more creativity and player freedom. This freedom and creativity engages the players and encourages the player to continue playing the game.
Mario Franchise
Nintendo
Learning Without Tutorial
Mario games inspire me to make games with simple mechanics that can be taught without the use of a tutorial.
Games with many different mechanics can become overwhelming and difficult to learn. But, this isn’t the case when it comes to Mario. Mario games are filled with different mechanics that are fully explored within as little as a single level but are never difficult to understand. This is achieved through the versatile action of Mario’s jump and the way the new mechanics are introduced throughout a level.
Besides basic movement and the occasional power-up, Mario’s only ability is to jump. This one action is used to get over obstacles, avoid pits and kill many enemies. This allows for the player to know how to interact with the new mechanics easily, due to the limited options.
New mechanics are typically explored within one level. This can be achieved due to the way the mechanic is introduced. The player is given a safe space to explore the mechanic (typically with some floor beneath to prevent death). The mechanic is then expanded upon in a more complicated way, used in conjunction with other mechanics and finished off with a way for the player to show what they have learnt, by reaching the top of the flag.
The methodology used by the designers allows the player to easily understand a mechanic without the need for a tutorial and allows each level to use different mechanics.
It Takes Two & A Way Out
Hazelight Studios
Story Through Gameplay
Hazelight Studio’s games inspire me to create games which tell stories through gameplay and mechanics.
The 2 Hazelight Studio games I have played, It Takes Two and A Way Out, have expertly told stories. These stories were both told, not only through the standard cut scenes, but through the gameplay. Both games explore the relationship between 2 different characters. Although both games could have had the player pick a character and control the other, they opt for a multiplayer experience, where both players experience the gameplay and story at the same time. This greatly improves the quality of the relationship between the 2 characters as the other character is controlled by a friend.
Both games follow a predetermined story in which the players follow and play along. Both characters have the same mission and hence the players must work together to achieve goals. Through this cooperative gameplay, the players strengthen their relationship and overcome hurdles together. This story progression and relationship building is only strengthened by the mini-games scattered throughout the levels. Mini-games such as arm-wrestling, chess, painting and card throwing allow the players to strengthen their relationships which mirrors the story aspects of the game.
Making these games multiplayer and allowing 2 players to cooperatively play the game only enhances the gameplay and story. Through this enhancement, the players are naturally more involved and connected to the story, making the story more meaningful.