{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-04","type":"mechanic","id":"metroidbrainia--family-04","lang":"en","title":"Discovering physical and systemic rules","summary":"Players infer a consistent rule governing forces or interactions and apply it to new problems.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-04/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-04.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-04.md","aliases":["Discovering systemic rules"],"tags":["Metroidbrainia","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-ce656b8313634ee1","source-8a3a7e105b6c798e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-ce656b8313634ee1","title":"Description of Draknek & Friends","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052990/A_Monsters_Expedition/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-8a3a7e105b6c798e","title":"Portal","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player finds out by what laws the world works. These laws may be fictitious if the game applies them consistently. An example of deep exploration of a small set of interactions: A Monster's Expedition, where moving trees creates paths between islands. The developers specifically emphasize simple mechanics with many unlockable possibilities. Description of Draknek & Friends."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-04-variants\"></a>\n\n- Mass and balance. The weight of objects affects platforms, counterweights, supports and structural stability <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-01\"></a>\n- Friction and adhesion. Surfaces hold objects differently, convey movement, or allow sliding <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-02\"></a>\n- Buoyancy and displacement. Objects change fluid levels, become bridges, or lift other objects <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-03\"></a>\n- Material conversion. An object changes properties when frozen, melted, destroyed, dissolved, or otherwise transformed <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-04\"></a>\n- Heat and combustion. The player unlocks the conditions of heating, ignition, spread and cease fire <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-05\"></a>\n- Conductivity and signal transmission. Electricity, energy or conditioned signal propagates according to discovered rules <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-06\"></a>\n- Optical interactions. Light is reflected, refracted, blocked or focused to control devices and access <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-07\"></a>\n- Acoustic interactions. Sound travels through a medium, is reflected, or causes resonance and a physical reaction. <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-08\"></a>\n- Pressure and flows. Closing channels, changing pressure or flow direction rearranges the available space <a id=\"variant-metroidbrainia-04-09\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"In metroidbrainia, progression depends heavily on the player's knowledge: an open rule changes the available actions, routes, or decisions. 91 mechanics in 12 groups, progression techniques, training techniques and edge cases are stored here. For a project, check what knowledge is acquired, how it is derived, what it reveals, and where it is reused. Specific game solutions are not disclosed."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"metroidbrainia","id":"family-04","title":"Metroidbrainia","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/metroidbrainia/#family-04","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Discovering systemic rules","description":"Players infer a consistent rule governing forces or interactions and apply it to new problems.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-portal-04.webp","width":640,"height":360,"game":"Portal","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/400/0000002586.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745368554","credit":"Valve","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A cube holds a button down with its weight","alt":"A cube holds a button down with its weight","markers":[{"x":80,"y":53,"label":"The support transfers the cube’s weight to the button"}]},"tips":["Let players test the rule in another example before a major challenge."],"examples":[{"title":"Portal","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/metroidbrainia"}}