Three recent video games that theme park designers could learn from: a thread! #themedentertainment #gamedesign

First, a disclaimer: I am NOT a professional game designer. These are my observations as a hobbyist game developer that knows a thing or two about attraction and game design. That being said, please enjoy my musings on what also happen to be some of my favorite games!

THE WITNESS. Imagine a space where your curiosity is driven purely by perspective, a place where you can always discover something new by looking at a problem from a different angle (literally!). This is the magic of The Witness, a 3D puzzle game created by Jonathan Blow.

Heavily inspired by Myst, players must solve a series of increasingly difficult puzzles scattered throughout an abandoned island to uncover its secrets, all of which involve drawing a line from a circle to an endpoint. A simple concept is iterated upon to mind-numbing difficulty.

The "wow" moment is the realization that the island itself is a puzzle! Blow created a custom engine and employed landscape architects to carefully design the space in such a way that sightlines create puzzles in the island itself, like a giant interactive anamorphic sculpture.

Overall, The Witness is a masterclass in experience design and is a fantastic example of how sightlines can be used for more than just wayfinding. I could go on about its non-linear design, but in the interest of keeping this thread semi-short, we'll move on.

OUTER WILDS. If The Witness is a taste of exploratory storytelling, Outer Wilds is everything but the kitchen sink. In this 3D adventure game, players play as an unnamed astronaut exploring a unique solar system stuck in a 22 minute time loop, after which the sun goes supernova.

Outer Wilds is a game that is difficult to describe without spoiling anything, but I'll try my best. It's a game that combines several different genres to create a truly unique experience with no "goal" other than to explore the narrative embedded in the world. Sound familiar?

Now granted, there is a story and intended ending to the game. But the way that the game guides the player along this story is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'd even wager that Outer Wilds is the closest thing to a true non-linear adventure game that I have ever played.

This is by design. Rather than your usual open world game with random missions scattered across a huge map, Mobius Digital framed their universe around a set of what they call "curiosities". These are places that give a bit of information key to unraveling the larger mystery.

Each curiosity points to the all of the other curiosities, so you end up with a big informational web that you can explore in whatever way you want. Overall, it's my personal favorite of these and definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

HADES. Now, I know what you're thinking. What the hell (pun intended) does a gorgeous rogue-like have to do with theme parks? Well, friend, if you think about it, aren't all theme parks technically rogue-likes? You visit, you explore, you discover something new, rinse, repeat.

For those that don't know, Hades is the latest game from Supergiant Games. It's a rogue-like dungeon crawler of mythological proportions that pits you as Zagreus, the angsty teenage son of Hades. Your mission? Defy your father and hack and slash out of the Underworld.

However, what really sets Hades apart from other rogue-likes (other than its absolutely breathtaking art), is the way that it effortlessly interweaves its narrative into its gameplay.

Rogue-likes traditionally struggle narratively because emergent storytelling is difficult when you're constantly dying and being sent back to the start of the game. Failure is thought of in a sort of utilitarian nature. You re-equip your character and try again.

In Hades, failure is not just an opportunity to regroup... it progresses the story. Every character has new dialogue, remarking on your new abilities or on a previous run. It's a rare game that truly understands and sympathizes with the player's journey.

And that brings us back to the parks. As the at-home and in-park experiences become more and more connected, the importance of maintaining a guest's presence between visits is going to become absolutely crucial towards taking the next step in immersive experiences.

If combined with a narrative structure like that of Hades, this technology can allow parks to supplement the rich, detailed environments they are known for with emergent, character-driven storytelling that builds upon previous visits.

But anyways, that's enough rambling. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! If you haven't already, do consider checking out all of these wonderful games. Hopefully I can do another one of these somewhat soon!