Most Innovative Mechanics (Finals)

[Skullomancer]

We're talking about the mechanic not the story.

I know. So am I.

[SkyPikachu]

Yeah, tough choice between Brothers and Portal here, in my opinion. Brothers had one moment of absolute brilliance, but Portal was pretty brilliant throughout. Was it enough to outweigh the punch-in-the-gut factor of Brothers' big moment? Tough to say. I need to mull this over.

We're talking about the mechanic not the story.

Those of us who experienced the "big moment" know exactly what we're talking about here fella. Can't be described, not least of all because it's a massive spoiler.

I don't remember what the big moment is other than...

Spoiler

The brother dying

[Kong Wen]

Innovative: introducing something new. Innovative mechanics: when the mechanics introduce something new.

People could read this category as "new mechanics" or "ways of translating something new into the medium" (e.g. Rogue's abstraction of "adventure" into a set of new rules) and that would be a fine reading of the category in keeping with the nature of the BGE. Part of the point is to discuss our contexts and motivations for voting.

People could also read this category as using game mechanics to introduce something new to the field, such as using twin-stick controls to break an emotive climax. This is what I believe Vic is nodding at.

I think they're both compelling reasons for voting. Early pioneers that literally introduce mechanics vs. later games that refresh and build on the language and tools that already exist.

For what it's worth, Portal is close to the bottom of the list here for me. I'd be weighing Rogue vs. Tetris on one hand and Brothers on the other.

I think Rogue edges out some of the other "originary" games like Wizardry because it's not a direct translation of existing mechanics from another medium, but does some work to abstract them into new patterns for the video game medium. Rogue's ruleset pretty much became its own sub-medium.

[Ouenben]

Brothers is free on Xbox game pass if anyone has an xbox I think it's $1 for the first month.

It's been removed from Game Pass

[This Old Neon]

The Official "MOST INNOVATIVE MECHANICS EVER!!!" winner is:
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2013, Multiplatform)

[Ouenben]

Wonder how well Baba would have done in this one