Game mechanics
almost never enhance a game for me. Almost, not never.
A badly done mechanic can easily ruin a game. Or even one that is convoluted enough that I can't pick it up pretty easily. But there's very few good game mechanics that enhance a game for me. Basically, to much is easy to do. But unless you're doing something interesting and/or unique, it's easy to overdo it.
Some recent examples I've experienced, or otherwise stick out in my head.
Harvesting Corruption. This game has a pretty simple free roam. Not good, not bad. But it has an annoying daily chore system that is just shy of being an offensive grind. It also has a simple randomized bar server game that has lewd aspects and some degree of challenge. It's enough to be interesting, but it'd get old, so I hope it isn't the games only draw once they get further along (Currently day 3).
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. There are a massive number of slightly different branching paths. It's enough to be interesting, while having to little unique content that it can get old before you see all options. So the game becomes kind of a "Pokemon: gotta collect them all" game.
Train45. This has a simple but pretty unique mechanic. There isn't much plot or even content. But it isn't so long it gets stale, while being long enough that you feel like you actually can master it.
Cabin by the Lake. This game IS the mechanic. The plot is in service to the unique mechanic. You have a series of 15 or 20 branched story plot points that get reset and you go through them again. But as you unlock story branches you can open further branches.
Best Friends. This is a simple linear visual novel. But the exact same story can be views from two persons perspectives. This can get you a little more mileage from a single story and 90% recycled renders.
Welcum to the City. This is a simple trainer management style game. But there is so much mechanic to manage that you can't just play for the story or lewd content.
Fallen Flower. This is a game that is so focused on the game mechanic and engine that it has almost no content. This had to be a massive time drain to make, and it is well done, but it's got almost no game play to boast for that time expenditure.
Out of Puberty. There is no game mechanic of note. It's just a series of events you can explore. Because while there is choice and story advancement. There is no notable mechanic to tie anything up. There's also no plot either, so the game devolves into racking up notches in the headboard. Maybe a mechanic would be an improvement. I don't know.
Siren of the Dead. This game is a mix of filling the pokedex entries, and a very simple tower defense game. With some rather brutally graphic lewd content. It's three game mechanics in a trench coat. It's not deep, and it's not especially comfortable to play. But it knows what it is, and does that reasonably well.
A Home Between Us. The message the author wanted the story to tell is how difficult life can be just to stay afloat. He did this by making an upkeep mechanic that is so unforgiving and expensive that it necessitates grinding just to continue. I couldn't get far enough into the story to even figure out if there is a better method of earning the in game currency to allow me to advance the plot. It's a shame, the plot looked good, but I am not playing a game to work. I get that it's the authors artistic vision for the game. I did however delete said artistic vision from my game drive.
These just sprang to mind. It doesn't feel like there are many unique mechanics, but there kind of are.
