{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemy-health-bars","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-enemy-health-bars","lang":"en","title":"Enemy health bars","summary":"An enemy’s bar shows remaining health. The player compares targets and estimates whether the next attack can defeat one.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemy-health-bars/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemy-health-bars.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemy-health-bars.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Game design techniques","Health","Visual feedback","Camera & perception","Immersion killers"],"sourceIds":["source-eb104dc5a08e8d9d","source-c0f12066b5116820","source-8a16030a699023b9","source-e6251cc64b50f9ed","source-7f09c8a736762f4f"],"sources":[{"id":"source-eb104dc5a08e8d9d","title":"Game Mechanics: Enemy health bars","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemy-health-bars","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-c0f12066b5116820","title":"Mortal Kombat (1992)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemy-health-bars/game/mortal-kombat","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-8a16030a699023b9","title":"Dark Souls III (2016)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemy-health-bars/game/dark-souls-iii","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-e6251cc64b50f9ed","title":"Far Cry 6 (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemy-health-bars/game/far-cry-6","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-7f09c8a736762f4f","title":"Slay the Spire","url":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"An indicator reports an enemy's remaining health."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-enemy-health-bars-rule\"></a>\n\n- An indicator reports an enemy's remaining health. <a id=\"gm-enemy-health-bars-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-enemy-health-bars","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-enemy-health-bars","categoryIds":["gm-category-camera-perception","gm-category-health","gm-category-immersion-killers","gm-category-visual-feedback"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Enemy health bars","description":"An enemy’s bar shows remaining health. The player compares targets and estimates whether the next attack can defeat one.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/slay-the-spire-battle.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"crop":{"x":713,"y":188,"width":675,"height":487},"game":"Slay the Spire","sourceUrl":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/","originalUrl":"https://www.megacrit.com/images/ss8.jpg","credit":"Mega Crit","rights":"© Mega Crit. All rights reserved.","caption":"Separate bars for three enemies","alt":"Slay the Spire: each of three enemies has its own current and maximum health bar.","markers":[{"x":68.5,"y":69.5,"label":"The current health of an individual target"},{"x":82,"y":68,"label":"Another target has its own health pool"}]},"tips":["Keep the bar clearly attached to its target.","Keep nearby enemy bars readable and distinct."],"examples":[{"title":"Slay the Spire","url":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}