In Search Of Unique Indie Game Mechanics - Some Of The Best!

[@owenparsley2674]

I had an idea for a unique combat system, a while ago, and I’m trying to turn it into a game right now. Essentially, instead of a sword, you have several orbs/rings floating around you that you can send out in a kind of attack. You can also use special abilities like ranged attacks or healing, which consume orbs, restricting your arsenal until your orbs come back/replenish. So you can use an attack that consumes all of your orbs to do a lot of damage, but won’t be able to do your regular attack or heal until the cooldown finishes. I don’t know what they’ll look like in the end, but I’m thinking something like a glass orb kind of, probably will be blue, because it’s the best color, but I probably shouldn’t worry too much about the graphics just yet.

[@Artindi]

Actually that does sound pretty cool, I different visual way to see stamina/mana, very intriguing. :)

[@aleksandrastvardauskas7288]

This sounds a bit like the Defect character mechanics from Slay the Spire. You might want to check its gameplay for some inspiration if you are not aware of it already :)

[@Artindi]

Me: Sorry if the audio is weird, I'll do better next time! My conscience: Don't make promises you can't keep.

[@KlausWulfenbach]

Although we take it for granted today, the fact that Warcraft's worker units (peasants and peons) were able to harvest, build, and repair buildings was revolutionary. All previous RTSs split up these functions, but Warcraft made the humble worker units into the most important units on the field, and most RTSs that followed continued this idea.

[@Artindi]

This is true, kinda sad how amazing mechanics become old news after a while. And it makes it harder and harder to come up with even better ones! :)

[@benjattkk]

It's really known but Chicory has one of the coolest mechanics I've seen. Painting and being able to do a bunch of different things with it is really cool, especially painting with blue since it's the best color

[@Artindi]

That does sound unique, can't say there are a lot of games out there with painting as the main feature, I'll have to check it out, especially because there is blue in it. ;)

[@CheckovStuff]

While it’s pretty well-known, I still think Katamati Damacy has one of the most unique mechanics as it’s core game loop. It also allows you to roll around in the ocean, which is the best color (blue)

[@Artindi]

What an interesting name for a game! I'll have to take a look! And up close the ocean sometimes looks green, but yeah, green is not the best color, let's stick with blue :)

[@unnamedtoaster]

Hmm, I feel I’m better at optimizing existing things than I am at creating entirely new things. But I’ve thought that maybe a game mechanic where you play a turn-based battle where your attacks are all determined by cooking. So on your turn you would have to select ingredients to combine to basically create your own attacks. For example, maybe you’re facing an ice-based enemy so you add Jalapeños to your dish to make the attack have a fire elemental property for extra damage. I’d imagine blueberries would be the strongest ingredient, but I’m not sure why 🤔

[@ConandeBrodo]

This is one of the few channels that I can just binge-watch all day :)

[@Artindi]

Thanks! That means a lot to me. :)

[@eeviebooth9460]

One of my favorite games, Carto, has a mechanism I don’t think I’ve seen in any other games. The map is split into tiles, which you can rotate and move around. You go around collecting missing pieces of the map in an attempt to find your grandma, who you have been separated from (I don’t want to spoil the entire story!) Also, I really like how the player wears these cute little blue boots, blue is an awesome color!

[@Artindi]

That sounds really cool! And like it could be quite a challenge! I might have to check it out. :)

[@JavaJack59]

In the early 2000s there was a board game called Dungeon Twister that had rotating tiles. The mechanic isn't common though. I'm curious to see your take on it.

[@hsancv132]

Hey. I'm the guy who recommended self game, great video here is my second recommendation "Hinoken"

[@Artindi]

Awesome! it was a pretty great game, I'll have to check Hinoken out too! :D

[@smokeback]

i love these video breakdowns

[@schattenskorpion]

If you haven't already, check out Stacklands, it is by far the most unique game I've played in the last few months. Despot's Game is another pretty fun title that combines auto-battlers with the rogue-like genre.

[@Artindi]

I think I have heard of Despot's Game, I'll have to check to make sure, great recommendations! :D

[@My2CentsOpinion]

The Hex is an interesting case as it hops around between different genres as the story progresses. Some of the genre have more generic mechanics but others do have some unique ideas.

[@ShinSpiegel]

Nice video, the colour blue is the best colour :)

[@Artindi]

I sure is! But you didn't say anything about unique mechanics, :D I guess it can count though because you obviously watched to the end. (or maybe just skipped to the outro? not sure why you would do that though.) ;)

[@Artindi]

Hey! You are one of the winners! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f37aoXyvpJWeodE Reach out to me by any of the below means and I'll get you a key. Discord: discord.gg/EHDTdkN Twitter: twitter.com/TheArtindi itch.io: artindi.itch.io/ Email: [e-mail]

[@subi-prime]

I think worldbox is a very unique game, it's a god simulator with an insanely large amount of features that keeps geeting expanded on to this day, and the originality it has isn't really there in most other god sims, and the way the different nations complexly interact is satisfying (and keeps getting updated, too). Also, you can blow up the entire world with antimatter bombs, making the world an ocean, and covering your screen in blue (which is obviously the best color, so the game instantly gets a 10/10)

[@markmackend8714]

Dorfromantik tile system is similar to Kingdomino. That might be where they got the idea.

[@sztrovacsek13]

Well, I don't know how unique the mechanic is, but I had fun working on it. :D In my game - Fish and Furious -, you control a fish by tilting your phone left and right (yeah, it's Android only for now), and you draw platforms to make the fish land safe (if the fish fall too fast, it will die) and to block the lasers.

[@Artindi]

That does sound pretty cool actually, and I like the name! :D

[@sztrovacsek13]

@@Artindi hehe, thanks! :D

[@BatyushkiDev]

Line war - unique RTS movement mechanic

[@Artindi]

Nice! I'll check it out, Thanks!

[@collinvisser7108]

I really enjoying backpack hero - Have not see again like that before - Inventory management - For the godot game jam 44 I mad a game that the enemies are fragile - The idea was that the player feel powerful and making an arena shooter a more tactical game - the ground colour was BLUE. I have not played if BUT I think the idea of gambling games in a rogelight is neat - Namely Dungeon Reels Tactics and Luck be a landlord

[@Artindi]

Wow, quite the list there! :D Backpack hero sounds interesting! :D

[@jacsok]

I reckon the coolest mechanic is yet to be discovered - sometimes those things just come out the blue, so my recommendation is to keep on digging, keep on dreaming and you will eventually discover this Sapphire of yours (blue gems are the best, hey?) :)

[@Artindi]

Nice, I almost didn't even realize you mentioning the best color because you worded that so well. :) And at the same time you are right, amazing mechanics just seem to pop up by inspired devs and come out of nowhere! :D

[@Artindi]

Hey! You are one of the winners! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f37aoXyvpJWeodE Reach out to me by any of the below means and I'll get you a key. Discord: discord.gg/EHDTdkN Twitter: twitter.com/TheArtindi itch.io: artindi.itch.io/ Email: [e-mail]

[@ink_cube]

I make a turn-based strategy game that has this mechanic: In every two turns each player give instructions to its units and then their execute it simultaneously. and next two turns start in the opposite order it goes like this: Blue(player1) give commands to his units while Red(player2) can see them. After Blue finish his turn, its now Red's turn to give commands to her units in respond to Blue's commands. Once Red finish her turn, both commands get executed simultaneously. Then its Red's turn once more to give commands to her units and Blue can see them when his turn arrives and give commands in advance. and so on player1- commanding player2- commanding ~execution~ player2- commanding player1- commanding ~execution~ ... Till one of the players wins which for no reason at all it will be Blue. (It has nothing to do with his name, seriously) (sorry for all my grammar mistakes in advance)

[@ink_cube]

P.s the idea behind this mechanic is to try to balance the game by reducing the advantage the first player may has (which is a common issue in abstract strategy games)

[@Artindi]

This actually sounds like it has the potential for some amazingly deep strategy! And of course blue would win! :D

[@VaibhavShewale]

well don't about mechaic but there should be a open world game (like second life) where a person can be pirate(like one piece) or something and world is in single server with power fruits, and same mechanic of a person dies that power gets trnsfer to narest fruit! as well a person can do literally anything and some items to be rare like only be obtain by doing some seccret quest by random citizen and rare item can't be duplicate

[@Artindi]

It would be pretty awesome if games had one of a kind unique items, it would make for some interesting interactions as they would likely become a target because others would want to have it, I suppose it would also need a lot of careful balancing. Nice idea! :D