While knowing what the game mechanics are in your favorite game, and being able to play accordingly with pre-established rules, sometimes the best moments come when these rules are turned upside down. This has been increasingly used in a variety of game types, all incredibly successfully. In fact, it can make the gaming experience even better as it adds an element of shock and surprise. Here are some of the more unexpected elements that help make a game so much better.
Turning the narrative on its head
Depending on the game, the narrative can be flipped very effectively, making for some of the most memorable moments. Take The Last of Us, for example. Typically, throughout the game, Joel helps Ellie get to higher positions. However, there’s a moment in the game when Ellie doesn’t respond to the command to get to a higher place. This shows, in the game, that she’s become more troubled, and it’s a great, yet subtle way of pushing the story forward without being too in-your-face.
Turning it upside down
Other games opt to use standard game mechanics in unusual ways in side quests. For instance, Sleeping Dogs has a side quest with a mini karaoke game. Unlike what you would expect, the idea here is to sing as badly as possible, ultimately failing the karaoke. By failing, you end up winning the quest, but it subverts all expectations in one go.
Taking this concept to the next level is Metal Gear Solid 2. If you get the ‘Game over’ in arsenal gear, the game keeps going but within the ‘game over’ screen. It keeps stacking psyche-outs and then reveals that it’s a meta deconstruction of the very first game, including all the games and battles. It’s a surprising moment that actually hits hard with many gamers.
And for a real upside-down one, just think of Heavy Rain. For the entire game, players are used to a specific key combo to get Ethan, the main character, to safety. However, after completing a car chase where Ethan lands on the roof of the car, this standard combo ceases to work. Instead, the game says you’ve hit the wrong buttons until you realise that you have to do everything opposite because you’re upside down and stuck on the flaming car roof.
Changing up game mechanics
There are other games, like casino games, that are taking these types of cues from their more detailed game brethren. Take recent developments in slot games. For years, slots only had five to ten paylines or winning ways in place. Players knew this and could simply take this into account when playing their games. Now, though, slot developers have added a ton of new game mechanics, already surprising players by increasing the number of paylines. However, with the arrival of the Megaways reel, depending on the spin, you can be surprised by thousands of ways to win instead. This is actually a great way to really boost the gameplay and make it more exciting and memorable. Similarly, some slots have taken things in a different direction. Gone are the paylines and instead, wins occur in clusters, which makes the whole process entirely new.
Crash games are also known for their unpredictability. In Aviator, for example, the challenge is to cash out before the plane crashes—a concept that keeps players constantly on edge. The game has gained traction in various regions, including through platforms like Aviator Bet Malawi, where its sudden, high-stakes moments mirror the broader theme of surprise that runs through many modern games.
With so much going on in the world of games, there are always some new, surprising game mechanics in place. Games are always trying to surprise, and when they do, they often give us more cause to play them.
