10 Incredible Games With Only ONE Mechanic
These video games are best described as "easy to learn, surprisingly amazing to play".
You've no doubt heard the adage that, sometimes, less is more. Well, when it comes to the world of gaming, that's an outlook that's often left by the wayside.
Gamers are more than used to seeing titles bloated beyond proportion. From indie hits to Triple-A releases, it's rare to find games that don't come with a variety of features and mechanics. However, this is not always the case, as there are a few games that stray away from becoming masters of none and opt instead to perfect one thing.
The idea of a game with only one mechanic will leave many running for the hills. Surely, there's no way something so simple can be exciting, right? What even is there to do? Well, you'd be surprised, as there's a boatload of excellent games that pull such a premise off, offering a solitary piece of player input yet generating a memorable experience.
Outside of foundational elements like movement (which won't be counted as a mechanic in this list), the following games only ask you to do a single thing, and yet once you start playing them, you'll struggle to stop.
10. Slapping (Thank Goodness You're Here)
Have you ever had the desire to be a weird little guy running around a quaint English town slapping things? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, if you have, this side-splittingly funny game has got you covered, as it lets you do exactly that.
Created by indie studio Coal Supper, Thank Goodness You're Here is a surrealist cartoon-style game set in the fictional town of Barnsworth, a silly place full of eccentric people and slappable objects. Your goal is to help the kooky residents with all their bizarre problems, leading to countless eye-watering interactions.
Mechanically, all you do is walk around and slap things, with the world changing as a result of whatever you've laid your hands on. Hitting one small thing often leads to massive environmental changes, causing a butterfly effect with unexpected outcomes. Baking an enormous pie, uncovering a rat supermarket, using butter to help someone unstuck themselves from a gutter - you'll do it all and more.
It's one of the funniest games you'll ever play, and it does it all with just one mechanic.