Having a story in a video game is a great way to hold player engagement, however, a better way to hold player engagement is to tie the narrative to the gameplay. In my game, Draconic Echoes: The Ardent War, I tried to do this as much as possible.
First and foremost, the magic element system I have discussed in previous posts, the one where certain magic elements cause others to do more damage (like how water spells can cause following lightning spells to do more damage), is guided by somewhat of a “narrative.” It’s not the overall plot in this case, but the game mechanics do follow the general real-world aspects of the spells. So here, magic combat in the game has a somewhat narrative feel to it.
In a more specific case, there is a side quest in the game where the player party has the chance to sneak up on some ogres. If the player chooses to knock over some torches onto the ogres’ tents, then the player can initiate combat against the groups of ogres with a reduced number of enemies and full TP (a resource that allows powerful moves), in addition to the enemies not being able to attack until they are attacked. These mechanical advantages represent the real-world advantages the party would gain through the distraction of a fire blazing around the enemy camp.
Another side quest in the game where narrative shines through game mechanics is the quest in the “Miasmic Caves,” where the player must collect and consume “Pure Sprigs” so that they can be temporarily immune to the cave’s titular miasma. Mechanically, the miasma significantly increases the damage that the player party takes, so it is essential that the player remains aware of the narrative miasma and its in-game mechanics.
Now, after explaining this cross between narrative and mechanics, one might ask the following question. Why bother? Well, interaction with the game’s narrative in an RPG is one of the main reasons players play RPGs. So the more you can provide them with chances to do so, the better. Also, another big reason is to cut any sort of feeling that the player is doing the same grind over and over, and following the narrative of the environment and/or the situation allows more mechanics to emerge, reducing the feeling and actuality of repetition.
As a rule of thumb for my quests that weren’t all that significant to the central plot, I asked myself, “What makes this quest different?” or, “What are some reasons that someone could have for deeming this quest their favorite?” If I can’t answer either of these questions for a certain quest, then I know that quest needs more attention. In other words, put your quests in a competitive environment in your head, like trying to get views on platforms like Twitch. All of the quests should be about equally engaging in one way or another. Each quest needs something to garner attention, and using the narrative to create that special something is a great method.
If you’re curious about how all my nonsense actually plays out in a game, check out Draconic Echoes: The Ardent War on Steam!