The Puzzle Approach feature

The Puzzle Approach

One of Irrational Motives main goals is to bring an interesting puzzle experience to the table. In order to achieve not only challenging, but entertaining puzzles, we had to give the puzzle design a thorough backbone that would provide lasting enjoyment. That backbone is simply tension. Very often are puzzles mentally, physically, and emotionally stressful. They tend to be small logical guessing games. Irrational Motive wants to avoid the guessing games.

With that being said, every puzzle you face in Irrational Motive, be it within the real world or the dream world, will follow a similar structure. The tension will rise as the puzzle progresses and the outcomes can differ depending on how you pull it off. Alongside that, you can't guess. You need to think, use logic methodically, and plan ahead of time. Now, don't take this as a brain challenge! I'm not the smartest guy on the planet, so... if I can come up with it, you can surely defeat it.

How does tension build during the course of the puzzle? To put it simply: consequences. The puzzle objective is shrouded with danger, intrigue, and mystery. Only your wits can save you from making a dire and costly mistake. Those mistakes can influence how the puzzle pans out. In a way, the puzzles are dynamic and fluctuate depending on how you handle them.

Imagine a room in which you have become locked inside. You see four doors, all of which are locked. The floor is designed like a checker board. Each dark section contains a lever; the light sections react to the levers by falling out - revealing a pit of doom! The player must methodically figure out how to cross the checkerboard of death, and depending on how he does it, a different door will open on the other side, ushering in a new and mysterious challenge.

At the core of each puzzle are choices, and with each choice a consequence. A simple mechanic not new to video games, but not often used in puzzle design. Stay tuned for the next feature which will pick apart Character Development.

Michael DeLally/ThreeEyedShaman