Innovative game design creates truly emotive experiences

Games have evolved over time in pretty much the same way as other things do: by trying on new ideas and letting them bubble out of the primordial soup, new genres are spawned to give way to a new generation of games.

Games that try to innovate may not always be grand-daddies of a new generation, but they are the kind of attempts at innovation that keep things fresh and interesting.

And every now and then we get something truly special. Here are 2 games that epitomise this.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Metacritic: 90

It is not often that new and novel ways are invented to use the gamepad to play a video game. Enter Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

You play as two brothers on a touching quest to cure their dying father. This is a co-operative game, but it is not about playing with another person: co-operation is between your left and right hands.

The gamepad is essentially split in two, with each side dedicated to controlling one of the brothers. By the end of the game, the splitting of the gamepad extends into your left and right limbs; eventually your left arm has become annexed to the older brother and your right arm to the younger brother. This is used to great emotional effect towards the end of the game.

Starbreeze (the studio behind The Chronicles of Riddick and Syndicate) did not hold back on the rest of the game. The world brings new meaning to the word “fantasy” in that it is a world born out of truly imaginative and creative minds, not just another exercise in mimicking other works.

The soundtrack is the cherry on the cake, able to punctuate and reinforce the moving story being told. A truly memorable game, both in atmosphere and ingenuity.

Journey

Metacritic 92

Friendship and family – the ties that bind people. These comprise one of the central themes of Journey.

It starts as a lonely pilgrimage, although it’s not so lonely if you have an Internet connection: soon after you start playing, you are randomly paired up with another player. You quickly find comfort in this chance meeting, all of a sudden aware of the pleasure of being able to share the experience with someone else.

It is amazing how such an impromptu union ends up building a close bond between two random people. Lose sight of your companion, and loneliness starts creeping in, prompting you to search around for them.

You have no obligation to that other player: the game can be completed entirely on your own. But for some reason, you will find yourself time and again looking for your companion before carrying on.

The game achieves this through blending different aspects of its production. All of the key components, from visuals and sound to multiplayer game design, combine to create a beautiful story about the importance of sharing our lives – our journeys – with someone else.

Which games left their mark on you? Let us know in the comments below.