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Best canonical reasons for in-game mechanics

M

MetroidPrimeRib

Banned
Something I love is when a game takes time to explain a typical game mechanic thing. A good example would be Nier Automata's UI literally being chips installed into the androids, and you can take out your health bar, exp bar etc and even go as far as to remove your own .exe drive and kill yourself.

But my favorite and something that made me want to play the series is in Yakuza. Thousands of gangsters, hundreds of legends, decades of spotlight and a handful of games and random-ass scrubs still want to tussle with Kiryu. You'd think after a certain point even the toughest guys would see him and immediately go the other way, so why in God's name is he always getting jumped by a bunch of hoodlums? The reason is that Yakuza groups have so many wannabe tough guys who think they are hot shit that they send them after Kiryu as a hazing ritual. These guys who think they are the top dogs of the world get their ass beaten in by Kiryu, and they get a lesson. And thats why there are so many random battles.
 
A

Aleh

Member
The Trance in FFIX is used multiple times in the story and is explained as a sort of energy burst caused by the strong will to live of a soul. Fits perfectly with the theme of the game.
 
R

Ragelink26

Member
The health bar being on Isaac's back because it's his suit health is one of my favorite UI workarounds. Does that count?
 
O

Ogodei

Member
Didn't ARMS change it to say that it's the domino masks that give them the ARMS (or activates the ARMS gene?)

Given that Hedlok is just a helmet, it would be consistent with the mask idea.
 
C

CloudWolf

Member
The cheats menu in Enter the Matrix was one of those hacking screens from the movies, so you're literally hacking in the good stuff for the heroes. I loved it so much I actually wrote a paper on it in college.

Of course, the rest of the game isn't that great, but I love that detail.
 
Rei no Otaku

Rei no Otaku

Member
XCOM: The Bureau

The twist in the game is that the whole time the main character was being controlled by an alien. After the twist the main character rejects this and the alien has to find a new host, who you choose from 3 of the supporting cast. While playing as this new character he, or she, remarks that it's amazing because now they can see the locations and abilities of all the people in their squad. Basically the HUD is just the information that the alien is relaying to the character. Thought it was a neat touch.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Kain's vampire powers in Blood Omen, and the lore behind the Soul Reaver's powers

The spectral realm in Soul Reaver, and how Raziel gains his new abilities
by consuming the souls of his brothers, he absorbs their particular ability
.
 
S

super-famicom

Member
The co-op aspect in the Souls series. Lordran, and the other worlds, are multiple parallel instances of the same world, each inhabited by a Chosen Undead. We can communicate between and cross the barriers to temporarily enter the world of another player by using various soapstones.

Solaire said:
"The way I see it, our fates appear to be intertwined. In a land brimming with Hollows, could that really be mere chance? So, what do you say? Why not help one another on this lonely journey?"
"This pleases me greatly! Well then, take this. We are amidst strange beings, in a strange land. The flow of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure. There's no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact. But, use this, to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation! Of course, we are not the only one engaged in this. But I am a warrior of the sun! Spot my summon signature easily by its brilliant aura. If you miss it, you must be blind! Hah hah hah!"
Click to expand...

White Soapstone said:
Online play item.
Leave summon sign.

Be summoned to another world as a phantom
through your sign, and defeat the area boss
to acquire humanity.
(Hollows cannot conduct summons)

In Lordran, the flow of time is distorted,
and the White Sign Soapstone allows
Undead to assist one another.
Click to expand...

Orange Guidance Stone said:
Online play item.
Write/view/rate message.

Messages transmit to other worlds, where they
are rated. Also, rate messages of others.

In Lordran, the flow of time is distorted,
and messages allow Undead to assist
(or deceive) one another.
Click to expand...
 
D

DeathbyCheerios

Member
In Assassins Creed 2: Brotherhood the game starts out with your house getting attacked and burnt and Ezio escapes with a horse and you get to slowly see text showing all the gear you lost from the previous game. It was my absolute favorite way to explain where all the awesome gear went in a sequel.
 
P

Psychoward

Banned
Rei no Otaku said:
XCOM: The Bureau

The twist in the game is that the whole time the main character was being controlled by an alien. After the twist the main character rejects this and the alien has to find a new host, who you choose from 3 of the supporting cast. While playing as this new character he, or she, remarks that it's amazing because now they can see the locations and abilities of all the people in their squad. Basically the HUD is just the information that the alien is relaying to the character. Thought it was a neat touch.
Click to expand...

I finished that game and don't even remember this. Are you sure
 
L

lazygecko

Member
"Hey military FPS protagonist dude! I need you to do this turret power fantasy section! I'd do it myself, but I hurt my pinky finger so it's all up to you now."
 
S

Spring-Loaded

Member
From what I've heard, virtually everything in Nier: Automata down to individual aspects of the hud being modules installed in the player characters.
 
C

CHC

Member
One of the things I miss in WoW is the narrative justification of raid / dungeon challenges, which ended with Icecrown Citadel.

Stuff like the timed runs in Stratholme to rescue the Baron's prisoner (Strat 45!), or taking on Yogg-Saron without the aid of any Titans, for extra loot and status was really, really cool. They just don't put that kind of love in to those things anymore.
 
M

MisterShine

Member
The entirety of Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords?


Why do you get XP, level up and get so strong so quickly? Why do your companions keep following you on this journey despite their own feelings and motivations? Why do all these things keep happening to you and not everybody else?

Now it's Star Wars, so technically the answer is always "The force!", but KOTOR2 ties it all together in a very neat way that has stuck with me for well over a decade now. In fact in almost every RPG I play I pretty much always think to myself "I wish people would comment on how freakishly strong I'm growing over such a short period". Never happens but I can dream.
 
T

theaface

Member
Dead Space HUD obviously, but also the weapons - there's a good reason why an engineer like Isaac would use the tools he does.
 
N

NightShift

Member
I know I'm stretching the purpose of this thread but I'm in love with the idea that when you stop playing Dark Souls for good, your character hollows out.
 
R

RRockman

Banned
Maintenance said:
Was this supposed be good?
Click to expand...

Yes, because it's funny.

Ogodei said:
Didn't ARMS change it to say that it's the domino masks that give them the ARMS (or activates the ARMS gene?)

Given that Hedlok is just a helmet, it would be consistent with the mask idea.
Click to expand...


No. You are born with the abillity or get it randomly but it's difficult to control without the mask from ARMS Laboratories. Tbh I'm pretty sure they are trying to make some super solider with the data from the ARMS fighters(thus Headlok) but that's just speculation on my part.

My personal favorite example of this trope was with Deus Ex HR where you start the game with no HUD whatsoever and after you are basicially brought back from the dead with augmentations you get the full HUD. The HUD also gets janky
if you pick up a suspicious update that functions as a kill switch for your Augs.
I really like this game.

BrB reinstalling it now.
 
E

EBE

Member
Alan Wake's collectable bits of flavor text.
You're a writer, they're pages from a manuscript you're working on that were lost, they weren't just scattered around everywhere like audio recordings are in other games (looking at you, Bioshock) or even like they are with Quantum Break's emails (fuck Quantum Break, such trash).
 
P

Phrozenflame500

Member
Undertale's save system was the first to come to mind

Rei no Otaku said:
XCOM: The Bureau

The twist in the game is that the whole time the main character was being controlled by an alien. After the twist the main character rejects this and the alien has to find a new host, who you choose from 3 of the supporting cast. While playing as this new character he, or she, remarks that it's amazing because now they can see the locations and abilities of all the people in their squad. Basically the HUD is just the information that the alien is relaying to the character. Thought it was a neat touch.
Click to expand...

This is actually pretty cool, and almost makes me want to play the game (although I heard the gameplay isn't that great)
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
The explanation for why sprint and aiming down sights weren't in the early Halo games was because Spartans were always running at top speed and their suits did all of the precision stuff for them.
 
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