Keywords
ludonarrative harmony
ludonarrative dissonance
narrative-driven games
narration in games
gameplay
Night in the Woods
How to Cite
Abstract
The article presents two related concepts crucial for the discussion
and design of narrative-driven video games, namely ludonarrative
coherence and ludomusical harmony, as represented in Night in the Woods
(Infinite Fall, 2017). Ludonarrative coherence encompasses the design
choices that help to integrate the narrative with the gameplay, and ludomusical
harmony represents this concept in relation to game music. In other
words, in narrative-driven games the story told, the gameworld created,
and the game mechanics afforded should enhance, rather than encumber,
one another. Night in the Woods is a game that successfully maintains ludonarrative
coherence and harmony, as we illustrate on selected examples of
mechanics that imply limited agency, relatively low level of difficulty, or a
sense of failure.
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