Games
One folder per game. Each entry starts with a snapshot, a macro-loop diagram, and links to mechanic sub-pages, design tensions, and lessons.
Sorted alphabetically.
| Game | Released | Iconic mechanic | Core dialectic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balatro | 2024 | Poker hands × Jokers × deck-mutation × Ante staircase | Familiar surface, deep math underneath |
| Hades (series) | 2020–2025 | Boon-draft + dialogue-after-death narrative | Death as story beat, not failure |
| Hollow Knight | 2017 | Charm-notch loadout + soul-as-heal-resource | Exploration as mastery, not direction |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 2017 | Multiplicative chemistry engine + climb-anywhere stamina + 120-shrine puzzle network | Reach for any visible point — and pay for it in stamina, weather, or weapons |
| Mega Man Battle Network (series) | 2001–2005 | 6×3 real-time grid combat + Folder of Battle Chips + Custom Gauge | Action reflexes + card-game collection — combined, not alternated |
| Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault | 2025 | Backpack-puzzle pricing + dual-life loop | Greed vs gold |
| Nier: Automata | 2017 | Plug-in chips replace the HUD + multi-route ABCDE structure | Form mirrors theme — every system rereads the fiction |
| Path of Exile | 2013 | 1500-node passive tree + skill gems as gear | Friction over convenience |
| Path of Exile 2 | 2024 (EA) | Slowed combat + weapons grant skills | Re-litigating PoE1's drift toward speed-clearing |
| Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald | 2002–2004 | 17-type RPS + 4-move loadout + permanent stat profile per Pokémon | Math under cute — a six-axis stat optimisation sim packaged as a kids' adventure |
| Slay the Spire | 2019 | Card draft + Ascension staircase | Risk vs reward, fractally |
| Sparklite | 2019 | Patch-board grid inventory + permalife | Power growth vs spatial budget |
| Warframe | 2013 | Forma + Riven Disposition | Power fantasy vs grind |
| Xenoblade Chronicles (series) | 2010–2025 | MMO-shape combat + new systems unlocking 30+ hours in | How long can you keep teaching a player? |