A game needs a story, strong characters and a clear message — or at least that is what I thought before I played “Brawl Stars.” I was surprised to find myself enjoying it tremendously, slowly realizing that not all games require storylines to be enjoyable. This led me to realize: from wild west shootouts to dystopian apocalypses, the factors that influence the quality of a game are an intriguing story, unique game structure and polished mechanics.

When I think of good games, “The Last of Us” instantly comes to mind. Going past the common apocalypse tropes, I instantly fell in love with the cinematic storytelling style the game adopted. As Joel’s task to protect Ellie transformed from an emotionless agreement to an almost filial love, every warm moment and heartbreaking decision let me build a strong personal connection with the immersive story. The well-crafted elements of surprise and tragedy pack an emotional punch that sets this game as a standard for excellence.

However, games do not have to have a strong message and movie-like style to be enjoyable. “The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe,” the sequel to a similarly insightful game named “The Stanley Parable,” engaged me emotionally without a complex story. Instead of introducing strong characters in a conventional manner, this masterpiece toyed with some of my deepest fears through satire. The game trapped me in a world with no freedom and no hope, the only person aware of my existence being a sentient narrator whose dialogue and instructions are ultimately unimportant. Through this, I grasped the necessity of companionship and purpose, with a variety of positive, negative and confusing endings imparting this message to me. After I finished playing, the game left me in deep thought, forcing me to question the very fundamentals of life.

On the other hand, making a game with an emphasis on mechanics like stunning graphics or innovative fighting styles can also be a major factor in determining how good a game is. “Mortal Kombat 1” is a game that highly values the importance of its gameplay mechanics. Being a fighter game, it is essential for it to have developed and satisfying movement and combat techniques. Although they can be gory at times, the game has special character combos that incorporate their character’s physical aspects and abilities in clever ways, such as Scorpion’s iconic chain kunai. Consequently, the variety of attack styles and combo finishes help elevate my interest during battles by keeping the game dynamic.

Through some introspection, it becomes clear that both the game’s emotional meaning and the actual gameplay equally impact the audience’s experience. Many games take advantage of particularly unique ideas, building from there. From “The Last of Us” to “Brawl Stars,” the best games often succeed in this manner, presenting their audiences with something new and intriguing, yet still remaining enjoyable overall.