I’ve spent the last thirty years with a controller in my hand, watching the industry evolve from pixelated sprites to hyper-realistic ray-tracing. But lately, I’ve noticed a frustrating trend: as graphics get better, the actual “play” often gets safer and more predictable. We have these massive, beautiful worlds, yet we are still following glowing breadcrumbs and clearing icons off a map, as if it were a chore list.
There are certain mechanics, some buried in obscure indie titles and others forgotten in 20-year-old classics, that I believe could revolutionize the way we play if they were to become standard. These aren’t just “gimmicks”; they are systems that respect the player’s intelligence and create stories that belong only to them. Here are the game mechanics I wish more developers would steal, refine, and embrace.
The “Organic” Quest Tracking (No More Quest Markers):
The modern “open-world” game has a major problem: the GPS mini-map. I realized recently that I spent ten hours in a gorgeous fantasy world, but I never actually looked at the trees, the mountains, or the architecture. I was just staring at a tiny gold dot on a circle in the corner of my screen.
1. The Morrowind Philosophy:
In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, there were no quest markers. An NPC would say, “Head east past the Foyada, turn left at the ancient Dunmer stronghold, and look for a cave hidden behind a large rock.” The Magic of Discovery: When you finally found that cave, it felt like a triumph of navigation, not a guided tour.
- The Modern Version: Games like Elden Ring or Ghost of Tsushima (with its guiding wind) are starting to bring this back. I want more games where the “world” tells me where to go, rather than a UI element breaking the immersion.
2. Physical Maps and Compasses:
I love the mechanic in Metro Exodus or Far Cry 2 where your character holds a physical map in their hands. You have to glance down at it in real-time. If you’re being chased by a mutant, you can’t just pause the world to see where you are. This adds a layer of tension and reality that a HUD simply cannot match.
The “Nemesis” System (Procedural Rivalries):
When Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was released in 2014, I thought it would change everything. It introduced the Nemesis System, where an accidental nobody, an orc who happened to land a lucky blow on you, would be promoted, remember your face, and mock you the next time you met.
1. Why It’s Underused:
Due to a very controversial patent held by Warner Bros., other developers have been scared to touch this. But the concept of an evolving hierarchy of enemies is brilliant.
- Personalized Stakes: I didn’t care about the main villain of that game. I cared about “Ratbag the Cruel,” the orc who had killed me three times and now had a scar on his face from our last encounter.
- The Impact: It turns a generic enemy into a personal rival. I want to see this in superhero games, where a common thug you beat up in Chapter 1 returns in Chapter 10 as a vengeful supervillain.
Diegetic User Interfaces (The Dead Space Rule):
“Diegetic” is a fancy way of saying “it exists within the world of the game.” The best example of this remains Dead Space. Your health bar wasn’t a green strip at the top of your screen; it was a glowing tube integrated into the spine of your character’s suit. Your ammo count was a holographic projection from your gun.
1. The Benefit of Focus:
When the UI is part of the world, your eyes never have to leave the action. You aren’t “playing a menu”; you are “playing a character.”
- The Implementation: Imagine a racing game where the speedometer is just the needle on the dashboard, or a survival game where your “thirst” is indicated by your character’s labored breathing and dry lips rather than a “hydration meter.” It forces the player to pay attention to the character’s body and the environment.
Meaningful “Stakes” (The Bravery of Loss):
Most modern games treat death or failure as a 10-second setback. You reload a checkpoint, and everything is exactly as it was. While this is convenient, it robs the game of tension.
1. The “Fear” Factor:
I wish more games used the “Corpse Run” from Dark Souls or the “Permadeath-Lite” mechanics of ZombiU.
- The Mechanic: When you die, your previous character is gone, but they are still in the world as a zombie or a ghost holding all your loot. You have to fight your “former self” to get your gear back.
- The Impact: Suddenly, every corner is terrifying. You play differently when you know that a mistake has a permanent consequence on the world state, rather than just a “Try Again” screen.
Environmental Destruction as a Puzzle Tool:
Remember Red Faction: Guerrilla? If a sniper was camping in a tower, you didn’t have to outshoot him; you could just destroy the supports of the tower and watch the whole thing collapse.
1. Beyond Aesthetics:
Most modern “destruction” is just canned animations of walls breaking. I want more games where destruction is a core mechanic for problem-solving.
- The Vision: If a door is locked, I want to be able to blow a hole in the wall next to it. If a bridge is guarded, I want to be able to drop the bridge into the canyon. Games like Teardown are leading the way here, but I want to see this in big-budget RPGs and shooters.
Conclusion:
The best game mechanics aren’t the ones that make the game easier; they are the ones that make the player feel more present in the world. Whether it’s a map you have to hold in your hands or an enemy that remembers your name, these systems create a bridge between the player and the code. As we move further into this console generation, I hope developers stop obsessing over more pixels and start obsessing over more “feeling.”
FAQs:
1. Why don’t more games use the Nemesis system?
Warner Bros. holds a legal patent on the mechanic, which restricts other studios from using it.
2. What is the main benefit of a diegetic UI?
It keeps the player’s focus entirely on the game world and increases immersion.
3. Does removing quest markers make a game too difficult?
It adds challenge, but it can be balanced with a good in-game journal and logical environmental design.
4. What game has the best environmental destruction?
Teardown is currently the gold standard for physics-based, voxel-by-voxel destruction.
5. Is permadeath becoming more common?
It is thriving in the “Roguelike” and “Roguelite” genres, but remains rare in AAA blockbusters.
6. What is “systemic” gameplay?
It’s when different game systems (fire, wind, electricity, AI) interact to create unpredictable outcomes.