The Rise Of Surprise

Making games about discovery in the age of spoilers

- Xalavier Nelson Jr

In a 2016 documentary by YouTube channel toco toco tv, NieR: Automata director Yoko Taro said, “Looking at AAA titles, of course I find them beautiful and interesting, but after 20 minutes of gameplay, I wonder whether it is going to be the same for the following 20 hours. I am a bit tired of this. If possible, I would like to make games that are unexpected, games that keep changing form.” The spirit behind this statement drove NieR: Automata to incorporate a mind-bending, emotionally fraught recursive narrative, and it brought the game incredible success. If this example is anything to go by, titles relying upon a sense of surprise and discovery have more of an audience than ever before – even in the age of social media and internet spoilers.

According to Jim Crawford, developer of constantly-shifting browser game Frog Fractions, this environment actually contributes to a desire for such media. “I grew up with mystery-heavy games – back then, every game was mysterious by default, just by the nature of how games were made, played and marketed,” Crawford says. “Now, any mystery that’s not truly industrial strength is eaten up by marketing, wikis and data mining. Persisting mystery is a rarity that you have to work hard to achieve, so it’s something that people sit up and pay attention to.”