{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/point-and-click--family-12","type":"mechanic","id":"point-and-click--family-12","lang":"en","title":"Reconstructing events and history","summary":"The player reconstructs event order and causes from the traces that remain.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/point-and-click--family-12/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-12.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-12.md","aliases":["Reconstructing events"],"tags":["Point-and-click adventures","Information, reasoning and social interaction"],"sourceIds":["source-248d0f12871f66ae"],"sources":[{"id":"source-248d0f12871f66ae","title":"Return of the Obra Dinn","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player reconstructs event order and causes from the traces that remain."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-12-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Chronology: order actions, dates, movements and changes. <a id=\"family-12-variant-1\"></a>\n- Scene reconstruction: restore characters, objects and circumstances. <a id=\"family-12-variant-2\"></a>\n- Causality: connect initial conditions, actions and outcomes. <a id=\"family-12-variant-3\"></a>\n- Time layers: compare a place across years or event versions. <a id=\"family-12-variant-4\"></a>\n- Route reconstruction: use traces, tickets, records, witnesses and stops. <a id=\"family-12-variant-5\"></a>\n- Artifact context: infer origin, age, function and historical connections. <a id=\"family-12-variant-6\"></a>\n- Unreliable accounts: separate fact, error, lies, fantasy and distorted memories. <a id=\"family-12-variant-7\"></a>\n- Fragmented history: combine documents, scenes, memories and investigations. <a id=\"family-12-variant-8\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A working classification with 44 families and 355 variants. Families overlap: one puzzle can combine items, dialogue, deduction and a character schedule. Core actions, progression architecture and assistance are separate layers. Sources identify examples from neighboring adventure genres."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"point-and-click","id":"family-12","title":"Point-and-click adventures","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/point-and-click/#family-12","categoryIds":["section-2"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Reconstructing events","description":"The player reconstructs event order and causes from the traces that remain.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-obra-dinn-01.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Return of the Obra Dinn","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/653530/ss_380dc35237fde7d3863a44270abafc37924d1db4.1920x1080.jpg?t=1686697594","credit":"Lucas Pope / 3909","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A watch beside the remains opens a scene from the past","alt":"A pocket watch and human remains on the Obra Dinn’s deck.","markers":[{"x":36,"y":66,"label":"The watch opens a memory of the event"},{"x":64,"y":56,"label":"The remains connect the scene to a participant"}]},"tips":["Provide multiple independent clues for a key conclusion."],"examples":[{"title":"Return of the Obra Dinn","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original taxonomy adapted from user-selected design discussions; linked sources support specific examples, not the whole classification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/point-and-click"}}