A Landscape of Knowledge Games
9 days ago
- #game genres
- #knowledge games
- #metroidbrania critique
- The term 'metroidbrania' is criticized for being dorky, hard to explain, and ultimately useless as it fails to coherently group games.
- A list of games often labeled as 'metroidbrania' includes titles like Outer Wilds, Return of the Obra Dinn, and The Witness, but these games don't form a coherent genre.
- The author prefers the term 'thinky game' to describe knowledge, deduction, and puzzle games, as it is more neutral and broadly applicable.
- Knowledge games are defined as those where the player's knowledge is a central resource and progression mechanic, such as Her Story and Animal Well.
- Knowledge gating is a mechanic where player knowledge unlocks sections of the game, similar to ability gating in metroidvanias.
- The term 'learn action' is proposed as a better alternative to 'metroidbrania' for knowledge games with open-level exploration, like Tunic and Outer Wilds.
- Database thrillers are games where searching for information in a database is central, such as Her Story and Immortality.
- Deduction games require players to make inferences from incomplete information and prove their deductions, like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol.
- Incremental deduction games, popularized by Obra Dinn, confirm conjectures only after multiple correct deductions, avoiding discouragement from single mistakes.
- Language and translation games involve constructed languages players must learn, such as Chants of Sennaar and Tunic.
- The author emphasizes that genre labels are imperfect but useful for discussing and critiquing games more effectively.