once you have a mechanic, you need to question it from several angles:
- what is interesting about this?
- what circumstance would make this worth using?
- what circumstance would make this not worth using? (having a reason to not use a game mechanic is just as important as having a reason to use it!)
- what other mechanics would enhance this mechanic?
- what other mechanics would contrast interestingly with this mechanic?
- what themes does this mechanic invoke?
- what stories would this mechanic work well within?
answering these questions will provide a ton of new ground for you to explore. for example, let's look at the "choose your hubris" mechanic from SNAKE FARM, where between rounds you buy enemies to fight (which gets you money and upgrades, which let you buy more snakes, etc etc etc). in many ways, it's the core of the game!
- what is interesting about this? it provides a new perspective on difficulty curves in roguelikes while creating a profound feeling of power in the player; every death is your fault because every difficulty you face is your choice.
- what circumstance would make this worth using? a score-chasing system would incentivize buying as many snakes as possible to get as much money as possible to get as many snakes as possible.
- what circumstance would make this not worth using? using this mechanic increases your difficulty, lowering the chances of surviving a run. the fact that the player needs to balance these two sides of the coin is what drives the game.
- what other mechanics would enhance this mechanic? an upgrade system on a completely different currency (dropped at random from snakes) lets players choose their own route to power. the fact that it's on a different currency means players don't have to feel bad for taking upgrades while also buying snakes (at least not until a very high level of play).
- what other mechanics would contrast interestingly with this mechanic? we can contrast infinite growth with a finite lifespan. the player character dies after ten days, tightening every financial decision to a strict timeframe.
- what themes does this mechanic invoke? well, capitalism, of course; it's a game about forcing infinite growth into a very finite situation. it also invokes themes of hubris, being your own worst enemy. also it's kinda funny; you are buying snakes that try to eat you, after all.
- what stories would this mechanic work well within? none that are very directed. SNAKE FARM is more about a moment in time than an expanding plot. the moment is that of trying to run a small business, buying snakes from a shopkeeper who hates you, risking your life in absurd ways for absurd currencies.
so from these questions, we've gone from a single shop mechanic to a game pitch. we've introduced score-chasing, time limits, weapons, a nebulous concept of difficulty curves which can be refined further, and the themes and limits of the story. we can take each of those mechanics and put it through the same set of questions, which would result in refining the combat loop, adding a time limit to each day, setting up leaderboards, etc etc etc. game design is a process of iteratively asking questions about the thing you've created in order to approach the true core of it.
happy designing!





























