Subset Games' technique for bringing narrative into a tactics game is so simple, it's easy to underestimate how well it works. Basically, what they do for ITB is have the pilots say X dialogue in response to Y state occuring. Most of the dialogue just hangs in the air for a few seconds before disappearing, and you don't have to read it to understand the game. So it's completely out of the way of players who don't care (which is important for a game like this).
Read moreFlash Thoughts: Her Story and "Payoff Purity"
Her Story's mechanic (search engine browsing) requires you to pay attention to the words in the videos, making this game more about watching stuff than anything else. And the reward for paying attention to Hannah/Eve's words, for knowing where to look next? More videos! The fact that the test/reward system loops isn't specifically the point, though it's common to pure payoff games. What I'm getting at is that your actions are rewarded in a very 1:1, organic, makes-sense kind of way, a way that doesn't feel like game mechanics at all, but rather the logical result of your efforts.
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