A video game can be your favorite for many reasons- the theme was mesmerizing, the stories were well told, or you could relate to the character. It’s an endless list, really. But there’s one particular design decision that makes a game stand out. It’s that one thing that leaves you wanting to play the game again, and a thousand times more.
The mechanics of a game make or break your experience.
Funnily, sometimes, everything about the game works but it simply wasn’t fun. Possibly because the game’s mechanics didn’t work in its favor. We decided to dive a bit into this. What are some of the most unique game mechanics that left a mark in our memories?
1. The Leviathan Axe from God of War
God of War (2018) had everything going for it- a compelling narrative with humanistic characters, and mythology wrapped in beautiful tales and heroic journeys. Everything about the game felt perfectly fresh in the series. However, the Leviathan Axe found a home in many gamers’ hearts.
Replacing the Blades of Chaos with a new weapon was risky, but it was also a declaration that the franchise was moving in a new direction, with Norse mythology to back it up. The developers made sure the new Leviathan Axe would be an iconic weapon in its own right to support such a bold decision.
Tossing the Axe and then commanding it back was just the beginning. As you master this weapon, you slash through hordes of enemies and customize your moveset accordingly. God of War expertly used this brilliant technique in both combat and puzzle-solving.
2. Climbing and Gliding in the new Zelda games
Breath of the Wild’s expansive open-world demands your agility. Exploration is made fun due to the game’s fantastic climbing and gliding mechanics. Almost any surface in the whole game may be climbed by Link, who can utilize this skill to reach vantage points and observe distant areas of interest. And once you’re done scanning, leap off vast heights to fly with his glider. It’s an absurdly powerful loop that empowers the entire game.
Games like Immortals Fenyx Rising and Genshin Impact have made use of this mechanic, and we do not doubt that we’ll see many more in the years to come.
3. Web-swinging in Marvel’s Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man mastered the art of living out Spidey’s adventures. When you run across the rooftops in New York, leaping into your next swing, the game ensures everything works in favor of your courage. The music (almost an orchestra) hits a high or a subtle low based on how you’re moving, and the momentum sets in favor of how seamlessly you’re connecting your webs between buildings.
Simply holding R2 and releasing it at the right moment is all it takes to move about in the game, yet it still feels terrific. You can add to this moveset by zipping across edges, wall-running, and even performing subtle stunts mid-air. Heavily physics-based swinging gives every movement and action weight, while the fantastic animations and little touches ensure that things never become too repetitive.
4. Falling in Gravity Rush
It’s plain amazing when basic movement in a game can feel so special. Gravity Rush gets that right. Players get the impression that they are mastering their skills alongside a hero’s journey. This is due to the game’s utilization of player falls throughout the map. The protagonist can travel on a 360-degree plane by regulating how she uses gravity to drive herself. This makes moving around a great deal of fun.
Players freely travel about the map using the protagonist’s abilities, which results in physics-defying mobility. Easily one of the most unique game mechanics we have come across recently..
5. Parrying in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
The schwing and clanks of a sword in Sekiro are some of the most satisfying sounds in video game design, even if you’re dodging and your sword whistles through the air. With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, FromSoftware attempted something new after achieving the slow and methodical action of the Souls games in Bloodborne. In the process, they created one of the most brilliant melee combat systems we’ve ever played. In Sekiro, parrying, stances, and blocking work together to make combat feel kinetically difficult, and every victory feel immensely fulfilling.
6. Interacting with NPCs in Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar tried their hands with NPC interaction long before RDR2. Remember Bully? With time and practice, the team mastered this craft and Red Dead Redemption 2’s stunning open environment feels very much alive thanks to this mechanic.
Red Dead 2 has a novel conversation system that appears straightforward on paper (you only ever have two options for how to talk to someone), but it really conceals a surprising amount of complexity due to how contextual it is. With the press of a few buttons, you’re needlessly annoying an NPC by continually provoking them or building a good reputation for yourself by tipping your hat and greeting townsmen or asking a simple, “You okay there?”
7. Hidden Blade in Assassin’s Creed
Hidden Blades are the signature weapons in any Assassin’s Creed games. Well, at least in the older ones. They are the trademark weapon for any hooded figure walking around a crowded place, looking for their next target.
Using the Hidden Blade gives you that much-needed stealth appeal and satisfaction when a target is taken care of. It feels even better when combined with multiple movesets – assassinating two enemies at once, leaping onto an unaware enemy from a vantage point – adds to the classic Assassin’s Creed appeal to your gameplay. The crucial tool and series icon has evolved along with the games, enhancing its use and appearance.
8. Splatoon Squids in Splatoon games
Splatoon is the epitome of a bizarre game. Who could have guessed ‘splashing paint’ would turn into one of the most unique game mechanics?
Splatoon cleverly uses it to its advantage. The way it handles the reloading of weapons is clever. Even though it might appear straightforward on paper, changing into a squid and swimming through the ink to reload your weapon seems like so much fun. It also significantly impacts navigating the game’s maps, adding to its complexity.
9. The Portal Gun in Portal games
The Portal games expand on a unique weapon that takes puzzle-solving to another level and thrives as a unique game mechanic. Players can move themselves or items between locations using the Portal Gun.
Although it’s easy to use, the puzzles you encounter test your mettle and relationship with the gun. The gun combines your knowledge of the game’s momentum with where you place portals. Hence, the physics engine lets you solve puzzles by combining different systems. In Portal 2, four ‘gels’ that alter the physics of the characters and objects are added to the complexity.
10. Mario’s Cap in Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey’s entire gameplay loop is based on just one mechanic – Mario’s cap. It’s as absurd as it seems to let gamers use Mario’s hat to possess different characters and even inanimate objects. Everything that Mario ‘catches’ has its unique moveset and powers. This includes classics like Goombas to things like a tree. Heck, there’s even a T-rex you can take control of! It’s what makes room for the unrestrained diversity and ingenuity that Odyssey shines on.
11. Social Strand System in Death Stranding
“It’s a strand-type game” is a meme that keeps on keepin’ on.
Death Stranding is undoubtedly one of the most original open-world games ever made, even though there’s a limited fanbase. What makes it unique (other than the bizarre narrative and gameplay) is its asynchronous multiplayer, which Kojima has nicknamed ‘the Social Strand System’.
It’s a compelling feature and one of the most unique game mechanics that completely change the players’ experience. The Social Strand System goes from basic things like giving other players left-behind ropes and ladders to teaming up with individuals you’ve never met to build a whole network of highways or zip lines. This lets you be a part of a world that keeps evolving, and you notice how real people make these changes.
12. Guiding Winds in Ghost of Tsushima
In most open-world games, objective markers are a priority. Traversal and exploration eventually become generic, and modern gaming refuses to let go of this concept. However, this is where Ghost of Tsushima’s open world stands out.
On paper, the Guiding Wind has a straightforward mechanism: guiding the player toward their objectives. Instead of using markings or waypoints to guide you, you call out a blast of wind that blows in the right direction. A simple mechanic like this changes how you navigate the world of Ghost of Tsushima, enriching your experience overall.
13. Rolling up things in Katamari games
Katamari games don’t just have one of the most unique game mechanics; they are also adorably absurd. They revolve around weird quests and ask you to roll up objects into a ball that keeps growing. As a result of the game’s mechanics, players are essentially rolling a Katamari around. Any object that is smaller or slightly bigger than the Katamari can adhere to it. As you roll things up, the Katamari expands. When you’re done with a quest, you’ll be rolling up a massive creation of bizarreness. And that’s precisely what makes the game so much fun.
14. Grand Rewind in Prince of Persia
At the time of its launch, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time brought in a lot of novelty. We were introduced to an entirely new world that looked and felt special. The wall-running was off the charts, the combat was great, and the storyline had us in awe. Another mechanic made everything so memorable – the ability to rewind time. This was a concept still new to the gaming world, and a lot of us were hooked on this mechanic.
You could travel back in time to avoid an early death, repeat a jump, or end a combat scenario with a little more health. Rewind may be utilized in any circumstance (as long as enough sand allows it). Not only was time travel a clever gaming element, but it also served as a significant narrative element. A wiser Prince would reflect on the deeds of his earlier, more impulsive self, which would carry the story forward.
15. Camcorder/Night Vision in Outlast
Given Outlast’s nightmarish world, adding night vision into the gameplay as a sprinkle of horror feels natural. You view much of the indoor universe through a camera lens, which runs on batteries, allowing you to navigate with night vision for some sense of clarity. Otherwise, everything feels pitch dark and insanity feels reasonable.
However, here’s the interesting twist: if you choose not to use this mechanic, the gameplay starts working against you (unless you have gamma and brightness on the highest settings). It reduces your view distance and blurs the image while illuminating and obscuring your vicinity. And if you use it too much, it depletes the camera’s battery, initiating room searches to refuel it. Balance is key here.
16. Fusing in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom built on Breath of the Wild’s success without shuffling the same cards in a deck. It brought into the picture a wide range of new things, including one of the most unique game mechanics modern gaming has seen – the fantastic ability to fuse multiple objects together.
For instance, when two complete weapons are fused together, they stack. This implies the top weapon will ultimately separate, leaving you with the original one again. A long stick and a rusted claymore serve as an illustration of this. When you poke enough foes with the claymore on a stick, the claymore will ultimately break off, leaving you with just the stick once more.
In another example, a weapon becomes a new one when combined with an object or monster part. When its durability is depleted, this cannot be fused again and will be destroyed entirely. The creation of a ‘Rock Hammer’ from a rock or a Bokoblin Reaper from a stick and a bokoblin- you can keep experimenting and try new combinations as you progress.
17. Moving around in The Pathless
The gorgeously huge world in Pathless is brought to life by how you traverse it. You’re essentially a lone ranger that ‘fuels up’ on energy the more you hit targets. Hitting these targets boosts your speed and you can glide, slide, and soar your way across different landscapes. The game’s rhythm sets with its pace, allowing you to modulate your speed based on how and where you hit these targets. In a way, you never stop playing. Yet, it’s as natural as breathing.
These are some of our favorite, most unique game mechanics from different games. Would you like to see more? Let us know in the comments below.
