Ludonarrative coherence and ludomusical
harmony: the case of Night in the Woods
Ludonarrative coherence and ludomusical
harmony: the case of Night in the Woods
Author(s): Aleksandra Mochocka, Radosław WalczakSubject(s): Sociology of Culture, Sociology of the arts, business, education
Published by: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
Keywords: ludonarrative coherence; ludonarrative harmony; ludonarrative dissonance; narrative-driven games; narration in games; gameplay; Night in the Woods;
Summary/Abstract: The article presents two related concepts crucial for the discus-sion and design of narrative-driven video games, namely ludonarrativecoherence and ludomusical harmony, as represented in Night in the Woods(Infinite Fall, 2017). Ludonarrative coherence encompasses the designchoices that help to integrate the narrative with the gameplay, and ludo-musical harmony represents this concept in relation to game music. In otherwords, 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 ludon-arrative coherence and harmony, as we illustrate on selected examples ofmechanics that imply limited agency, relatively low level of difficulty, or asense of failure.
Journal: Homo Ludens
- Issue Year: 16/2023
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 127-141
- Page Count: 16
- Language: English
