{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/metroidvania--family-group-10","type":"mechanic","id":"metroidvania--family-group-10","lang":"en","title":"Perception Tools and Puzzles","summary":"Observation tools reveal hidden properties and allow you to check puzzle solutions.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/metroidvania--family-group-10/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidvania--family-group-10.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidvania--family-group-10.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Metroidvanias","Systems"],"sourceIds":["source-72f2f5aae82230dd"],"sources":[{"id":"source-72f2f5aae82230dd","title":"Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/see-through-vision","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Observation tools reveal hidden properties and allow you to check puzzle solutions."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-group-10-variants\"></a>\n\n- Scanning the hidden. Rule: A device or ability detects destructible surfaces, tracks, and objects. <a id=\"variant-mv-106\"></a>\n- Special vision. Rule: Perceptual mode reveals a layer of information that is inaccessible to ordinary eyes. <a id=\"variant-mv-107\"></a>\n- Sound signal and echolocation. Rule: Sound detects objects or causes a reaction from the environment. <a id=\"variant-mv-108\"></a>\n- Observing the behavior of creatures. Rule: The player derives rules and uses predictable reactions as a tool. <a id=\"variant-mv-109\"></a>\n- Luring and repelling. Rule: Food, sound or object changes the position and behavior of a creature. <a id=\"variant-mv-110\"></a>\n- Redirection of light and rays. Rule: Mirrors and other devices conduct the signal to the desired target. <a id=\"variant-mv-111\"></a>\n- Symbols, codes and melodies. Rule: Access requires recognizing and reproducing a conditional sequence. <a id=\"variant-mv-112\"></a>\n- Switching order. Rule: The desired result depends on the activation sequence of the devices. <a id=\"variant-mv-113\"></a>\n- Synchronous activation. Rule: Several conditions must remain true at the same time. <a id=\"variant-mv-114\"></a>\n- A portable item with multiple uses. Rule: One tool solves the problems of movement, combat and interaction in different ways... <a id=\"variant-mv-115\"></a>\n- Exchange of properties between objects. Rule: The reactions of objects form a chain of transformations to solve the problem. <a id=\"variant-mv-116\"></a>\n- Spatial connection puzzle. Rule: The solution requires understanding the relative positions of rooms, transitions or layers. <a id=\"variant-mv-117\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"The author's working taxonomy of mechanics, access rules, structural patterns and support systems. This is not an industry standard or a statement that every item is required or present in every game. Hybrids and support are highlighted separately. Any finite list is limited by the level of detail; combinations and new options remain open."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"metroidvania","id":"family-group-10","title":"Metroidvanias","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/metroidvania/#family-group-10","categoryIds":["section-4"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Perception Tools and Puzzles","description":"Observation tools reveal hidden properties and allow you to check puzzle solutions.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-see-through-vision.webp","width":500,"height":278,"game":"Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/see-through-vision","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/deus_ex_mankind_divided_see_thru_walls.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":1.64,"credit":"Eidos-Montréal; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses.","caption":"Smart Vision reveals people behind a wall","alt":"Two orange silhouettes appear behind a wall beside a door in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.","markers":[{"x":64,"y":44,"label":"Silhouette behind an opaque wall"},{"x":76,"y":47,"label":"The door preserves room context"}]},"tips":["Connect a revealed property to a testable hypothesis."],"examples":[{"title":"Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/see-through-vision"}]}},"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/metroidvania"}}