I used to dislike how the variety of character classes and builds in ARPGs often boils down to different ways to reach high damage output.
The final play style often isn’t very different between characters.
For that matter, in general it has bothered me that game design so often boils down to an single aggregate value which determines loss of victory.
However, Idle Champions has given me a fresh appreciation for that sort of aggregation.
Initially I played Idle Champions out of curiosity but was underwhelmed by it’s focus on a single damage dealer and the rest of the team being support.
However, as I gradually unlocked more champions, I was repeatedly surprised by how much variety and depth there was in the mechanics used to reach those high damage numbers.
The complexity of approaches and adventure-specific restrictions (which force the player to be creative) is staggering.
Looking at it from a fresh perspective, there really is an elegance to that sort of aggregation. It turns the whole game into an equation.
Systematizing experiences like that can take away the wonder, but I have found that if a designer embraces such truths and pushes past them, they can prove to be a great foundation to build wonder upon.
Part of the issue is wonder is infinite.
People tend to cling to certain aspects of wonder, not realizing that there is even more wonder to be had if they just journey farther.
<aside> 💡
With that said, the cost of dispelling wonder still needs to be weighed.
In trying to recon its setting’s backstory, The Phantom Menace spit on the wonder of the original Star Wars trilogy. I personally believe the new information was less valuable than the lost wonder.
</aside>