---
key: mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12
type: mechanic
id: metroidbrainia--family-12
lang: en
title: Rethinking the interface and rules of the game itself
summary: >-
Players reinterpret an interface element or presentation rule as part of the
gameplay problem.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12/'
jsonUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12.json
markdownUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12.md
aliases:
- Reinterpreting interfaces and rules
tags:
- Metroidbrainia
- Mechanics catalog
sourceIds:
- source-af7928fd89126d4c
- source-73d6fb8c09cf6ed8
sources:
- id: source-af7928fd89126d4c
title: Article by Andrew Shouldice
url: >-
https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09/21/the-creation-of-tunics-invaluable-in-game-manual/
verifiedAt: null
- id: source-73d6fb8c09cf6ed8
title: 'There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension'
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/'
verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
- catalogId: metroidbrainia
id: family-12
title: Metroidbrainia
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/metroidbrainia/#family-12'
categoryIds:
- section-1
supersededBy: []
attributes:
preview:
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
title: Reinterpreting interfaces and rules
description: >-
Players reinterpret an interface element or presentation rule as part of
the gameplay problem.
image:
src: images/mechanics/adventure-there-is-no-game-00.webp
width: 1280
height: 720
game: 'There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension'
sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/'
originalUrl: >-
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1240210/ss_8c20dd0ab3a824c27fae5b2c921a3984d1821a34.1920x1080.jpg?t=1728289933
credit: Draw Me A Pixel
rights: >-
Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
caption: Title letters become objects on the playing field
alt: Title letters become objects on the playing field
markers:
- x: 47
'y': 26
label: Interface letters participate in the puzzle
- x: 47
'y': 69
label: A detached element enters the playing area
tips:
- Keep unusual solutions connected to observable game behaviour.
examples:
- title: 'There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension'
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/'
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
---
# Rethinking the interface and rules of the game itself
id: metroidbrainia--family-12
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/metroidbrainia--family-12/
Players reinterpret an interface element or presentation rule as part of the gameplay problem.
## At a glance
[There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
1. Interface letters participate in the puzzle
2. A detached element enters the playing area
- Keep unusual solutions connected to observable game behaviour.
- [There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/)
## How it works
These techniques are not suitable for every game. They must be distinguished from random errors and external interference in files. In TUNIC, the manual contains instructions, maps and secrets at the same time. The approach itself is important: the communication of the rules becomes a riddle that the player solves. The developer describes this principle in detail in the article on creating the guide. Article by Andrew Shouldice.
## Variants
### Variants and applications
- Interface as a gaming space. The map, inventory, or menu allow interactions that change the state of the world
- Physical properties of the document. The fold, page turn, image overlay, or document scale are involved in the decision
- Metadata as information. Numbers, timestamps, signatures, or other service elements appear to be part of a pattern
- Progress through the provided save operations. Loading, selecting a state or working with slots participate in the author's puzzle
- World generation rule. The player masters the pattern of building changing levels, instead of memorizing a single layout
- Unlocking the real victory condition. Progress depends on understanding what exactly needs to be changed or completed
- Rethinking the object type. What was thought to be a picture, map, decoration or message turns out to be a working mechanism
## Context and limits
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.
## Connected materials
## Sources and 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.
- [Article by Andrew Shouldice](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09/21/the-creation-of-tunics-invaluable-in-game-manual/) (id: source-af7928fd89126d4c)
- [There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/) (id: source-73d6fb8c09cf6ed8)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors