---
title: 'Pointless Mechanics That Make Games Better'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fpg4U08E9yQ'
video_id: 'Fpg4U08E9yQ'
date: 2026-09-16
duration_sec: 1440
channel: 'Razbuten'
---

# Pointless Mechanics That Make Games Better

> Source: [Pointless Mechanics That Make Games Better](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fpg4U08E9yQ)

## Summary

The video explores the design philosophy behind 'pointless' mechanics in video games, using the salute in Hades 2 as a central example. The creator argues that such mechanics, which serve no progression or reward, add meaningful intentionality and player agency to the experience. The discussion contrasts these with the pervasive trend of progression systems, ultimately advocating for a balance that preserves player choice and intentional engagement.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Hades 2 and its mechanics** [00:00] — The creator is playing Hades 2 and loves how it expands on the first game's ideas, creating satisfying feedback loops through intertwined systems.
- **The salute mechanic** [00:31] — The salute is a simple action tied to the game's factions (Unseen and Silver Sisters). It offers no gameplay advantage, reward, or story progression—just a bit of dialogue.
- **Why the salute is compelling** [01:16] — Despite having no mechanical purpose, the creator still uses the salute after 40 hours because it feels like the right thing for the character, adding a layer of personal role-playing.
- **Progression as the core of games** [19:14] — Progression is what turns general play into a game, creating stakes and structure. Free-form games are often classified differently, like simulations or chat rooms.
- **The pros and cons of progression** [19:46] — Weaving mechanics into progression can create tight, meaningful experiences, but rewarding everything can feel exhausting and condition players to care more about progression than gameplay.
- **The value of shutting your brain off** [20:15] — Sometimes players want to shut their brains off, and that's okay. However, the creator craves intentionality more as the world becomes more designed for passive consumption.
- **The need for separate, slow mechanics** [20:43] — Games should include mechanics that are separate from progression, slowing things down and giving players a way to play that feels like their own.
- **Examples of pointless mechanics** [20:58] — The creator lists examples like raising Chao in Sonic Adventure 2, dancing in Lethal Company, and barking in Okami, hoping these mechanics never disappear.
- **Beyond mechanics: art and sound** [21:33] — Games are more than mechanics; Hades 2's soundtrack and Okami's art style are crucial. Okami's art was originally inspired by Resident Evil's remake, showing how art influences gameplay.
- **Sponsorship and Nebula** [22:01] — The video is sponsored by Nebula, a streaming platform supporting creators. The creator highlights exclusive content and a promotion for a lifetime subscription.

### Conclusion

The creator hopes that games continue to include 'pointless' mechanics that foster intentionality and personal expression, even as progression systems dominate. These mechanics, while not mechanically rewarding, add depth and meaning to the player's experience.

## Transcript

I've been playing a lot of Hades 2, and given that I was a big fan of Hades, I've unsurprisingly been loving it. It expands on the ideas and mechanics of the first game in so many interesting ways, providing countless intertwined systems that are a joy to engage with. There is so much to uncover
and dive into, and nearly everything you do leads to some type of notable progression, creating one of the most satisfying feedback loops I can think of. However, there is one mechanic that I've been thinking about more than all the rest, and it's actually one of the few
that isn't part of those intertwined systems, that being the salute. When the protagonist, Milena Wee, comes across a character or boon associated with one of the two factions she's
a part of, she has the option to give a quick salute. It is always just a couple words, typically either a mantra of the unseen, the band of folks residing in the main area of the Crossroads, all of whom aim to unkeep Kronos, the god of time, or the Silver Sisters, a
group of moon goddesses in service of Nyx, the goddess of night. These salutes do not improve Melenoi's relationships with other characters, yield any reward, or move the story forward. You just get a tiny bit of dialogue, at most variations on the core set of phrases.
From a progression standpoint, it has no purpose. Yet even after 40 hours of playtime, I still do it every chance I get. It just feels like the right thing to do, the thing that my Malenawee would do.
For such a small action, it somehow holds massive implications, and also unique implications depending on who it is being done to. Like with Hecate, the headmistress of the Crossroads, it seemed like the expectations,
the call and response of a student and teacher after a lifetime of instruction and training. With Odysseus, it seemed like a way to show respect for the wisdom and aid he brought to the cause. With Artemis, it felt like a way to build camaraderie.
With Nemesis, it felt like a challenge to get on the same page, and every time she refused to salute back, it made you want to get to a point of common ground all that much more. With the Shrine of Hades, it felt like a promise to make things right.
There are a few other interactions similar to the salute. Melenui can confide in her pet frog, brood over a family portrait, admire flowers she's planted, assist with incantations, sing alongside Artemis.
All of this is in the service of adding flavor, and despite it just being a simple button prompt, that flavor goes so much farther than it has any business going. This starts with the fact that there are so many variations of these inputs,
not just with what Milenawee can do, but also in terms of what is actually said, the way it is said, and what the response is. Amid all of its incredible gameplay systems, one of the most impressive things about the Hades series is the sheer scope of unique dialogue the games contain, and the fact that that attention to detail is present even in these tiny interactions is mind-blowing.
Obviously, the repetition of the mantras Malenoi regularly repeats is the whole point, but due to the slight variations, it somehow never manages to feel repetitive. It doesn't come off as a video game character saying the same canned line over and over
again. It feels like Malenoi saying something important. Beyond that, it also creates a sense of community within the Crossroads. This is a group that has long been working together building resistance against the unruly
titan. While the player is just now being dropped in, Malenoi is not. She has a history here, and more importantly has bought into the ways of the Unseen and the Silver Sisters, of Hecate and the witchcraft she practices.
So with something like the incantation, it so easily could have just been a moment that she stands around watching, but instead she has the chance to be a part of it, to demonstrate her awareness of how the crossroads work and play a small part in helping her mentor.
It informs who Malenui is. While the player does not have control over how she responds to any given situation in the way some titles do, they do have control over if she responds to certain things. if she is the type of Milanovi who will take a moment to sing with her friends,
to stomp and smell the flowers, to pay respects to a father she only knows through story. I've not watched many people play the game, though I imagine it is a mechanic that falls to the wayside for most,
because there is no real reason to do it. It could be removed and nothing else would really be changed. But I have no doubt in my mind that the game would feel lesser without it. There technically does become a mechanical purpose for the salute later on.
Once you get a certain incantation, saluting effectively changes the seed of your next run, which is to say, it doesn't really have a purpose for 99% of people. It's sort of just an easy way to help out speedrunners and those who do very specific types of runs.
And I'm really glad that this is the extent of its purpose, as had they made it a part of the actual progression, I think it would have cheapened the interactions for me. For a comparison, consider Red Dead Redemption 2.
In it, there is a mechanic that has some similarities to this one, where Arthur can greet or antagonize anyone he comes across. However, unlike in Hades 2, this shapes who Arthur is in a much more direct way.
It isn't about if he engages, it is how he engages. And along with that, there are wider mechanical implications, as greeting or antagonizing people will raise or lower Arthur's honor, respectively. This has impacts on how he is treated by those he comes across,
and how certain things play out. On one hand, it does seem like a clean way to get players to engage with the system. The problem, though, is that as it has a mechanical effect, it becomes more of a resource than a form of expression,
a resource that is very easy to farm. This encourages players to spam it every chance they get. It goes from being a way to characterize Arthur and get pulled into the world to being exploitable,
incentivizing players to do the action that will move their honor in the direction they want instead of using the mechanic in an organic way It certainly still is a fun inclusion that I glad is there but I can help but think it would have been more effective if it weren tied to any sort of gameplay
system, if it were mechanically pointless, or at least closer to it. Throughout the lifetime of this channel, I've often advocated for gameplay systems that motivate players to engage with every mechanic, typically by giving them a notable role within
how progression works. However, more recently, I've found something extremely compelling about features like the Salute and Hades 2 that are pretty much disconnected from everything else. It isn't just that it's optional.
It's that choosing to engage with it doesn't really have any tangible rewards. That isn't to say it has no effect. Obviously, it does. Otherwise, I wouldn't be making this video. But it's something the player engages with for intrinsic reasons.
For some, they are the sorts of things that will be dismissed as a waste of time, but for others, they can bring shape to a gaming experience in a significant way. A mechanic like this that I appreciate for entirely different reasons than the salute in Hades 2
can be found in Grand Theft Auto V. If you hit circle or feet depending on the controller you're using while in the middle of a jump, whoever you're playing as will ragdoll in the air. To my understanding, there really is no reason or benefit to ever do this.
It is not a useful mechanic in terms of completing missions or escaping chases or getting the edge in gunfights. It doesn't even make sense in terms of being a movement a character would want to do, as no one would ever choose to do a faceplant like this.
Truthfully, the only reason I can imagine the developers included it is because it's very funny. Being able to bail mid-jump and crash into the ground, or do flips off a house into a pool, or bowl into a group of people just trying to enjoy their afternoon
provides a kind of mechanical expression that feels really good to mess with. And it just feels so GTA. Despite being well-crafted games with notable stories and missions, a big part of what has made the Grand Theft Auto series so famous
has nothing to do with what can be considered the core of each game. I imagine there are many of you who have played dozens and dozens of hours of these titles without even playing a mission, and instead have just engaged with the chaotic playgrounds they provide.
This small mechanic of being able to ragdoll at will is in service of that side of these games. The side that isn't focused on Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, that doesn't care about the corrupt antics of the FIB.
The side that's only goal is to allow players to create as much chaos as they possibly can. This stupid ragdoll dive opens up so many opportunities for self-imposed challenges and general goofing around.
I imagine it is something many will never even know is there, but it does add so much for those who do. A less self-destructive version of a mechanic in this vein can be seen in Kia, where if you hold right trigger while in mid-air, you can then use the right joystick to spin and flip.
There isn't any sort of scoring system that doesn't boost your speed or make terrain easier to clear, it is just cool. There are many different ways to traverse the world, but as running is probably the one you'll be doing the most, it provides a little thing to do when heading from one place to another.
And as it isn't simply a flip button, but rather a series of inputs where you need to time things right to not over- or under-rotate, there is just enough skill involved for it not to be mindless. It also fits thematically with the rest of the game.
The story is all about a treacherous adventure from the perspective of a young girl, and so everything is tinged with a sense of whimsy and magic. There is a childlike playfulness to being able to flip at will that makes the mechanic make sense within the frame of the story.
It might be that I've just been obsessed with pointless flips in video games since playing Majora's Mask as a kid and seeing Link do them in the intro, but I can't help but feel like it's including here enhances what the game is going for in a notable way.
Speaking of Majora's Mask, it also has a memorable mechanic that I'd throw in the pointless category in the form of the Brennan Mask. When worn, it allows Link to march while playing the ocarina, causing some animals in the area to follow behind him.
Now, this mask is technically needed for a side quest to get a different mask, so it isn't completely disconnected from the James Progression, but its usefulness is so limited that it's hard not to feel like it's largely pointless.
And what certainly is pointless is that it works in places other than the zone it's actually needed in. And of course, this is where the Bremen mask is at its best. When I was a kid who did not appreciate the three-day time limit in the way I do now,
marching around Clock Town with a dog in tow made me feel oddly powerful, like I was disrupting how the game should work. And this made me want to test it out pretty much everywhere I went. Which probably the coolest use of it is if you use it in the Iconowarrior fight,
they will march along with you. I suppose technically you could say this gives a slight advantage in the fight, but more than anything it is a fun easter egg that rewards players for using something that really has no practical utility. All in all, the addition of this mask made me explore and consider the world in a way
I wouldn't have without it. Honestly, the most common types of Pointless mechanics are ones involving animals, more often than not being related to petting them. Its inclusion is becoming almost expected with a lot of games, and honestly it almost
feels strange when a title has an animal in it but doesn't let you pet it. The simple reason it gets put in is that it's an action many people connect with. They like petting animals, and the mere act of watching the character they are controlling
do it makes the character more relatable, and creates a potential bond with the animal that can make the player care about the world just a little bit more. The mileage on this obviously varies depending on how much of an animal person you are, but at the very least there is something humanizing about video game characters doing pretty normal
things. It can even be a nice contrast from how the gameplay of a title tends to have them interact with the world. And this can be said for all sorts of interactions aside from petting animals, whether it be Arthur Morgan taking a bath,
the bee playing pool in a grown apartment, Sam Porter messing with a camera while in his private room. They act as ways to slow things down and redirect to let us see these characters in new ways Any sort of emote whether it be contextual like these or through a menu doesn really
have a practical purpose within a single player game. With no one else there to communicate with, they only serve as fun things to witness or tiny ways for players to express themselves, to get in the mind of the character they're
playing as. Frankly, any sort of clothing or cosmetic customization that isn't meaningfully tied to stats does the same thing. It gives players a chance for expression and even storytelling. For example, especially with big open world games, I like to have my character's outfit reflect their
status in any given moment. Generally, this takes the form of them wearing nicer clothes as they can afford to do so, but also I often pick based on what they're going through or what I imagine they would value in that moment. In a small way, it feels like I get to add to the story and help set
the scene for what everything seems to be building towards. Of course, none of these things need to be used in serious ways. The goal can be for it to just be funny, whether it's doing an emote at an inappropriate time or wearing the stupidest outfit imaginable during a serious cutscene.
No matter what, it gives a small outlet of control for players to create experiences unique to their playthroughs and have the tone of the experience better reflect their sensibility, even if it is in this small way. Another kind of pointless mechanic, or in this case more of a pointless
feature that I've always found interesting are games within or in some cases alongside the main game. What is probably the most popular example of this is Gwent in The Witcher 3. There really isn't much mechanical motivation to play it. It does technically tie into a few
progression systems, you can get a little gold for winning and gain some experience points for for playing in matches tied to side quests, but the amount you receive for both is so minimal that it isn't worth playing it with either of those things in mind.
It largely exists in its own space, and the rewards you get for playing it are tied to that space. Its inclusion obviously has a pretty massive impact on the game, though. In a lot of ways, it makes the world feel fuller,
as we see and can actually engage with an aspect of its culture. Also, it can inform how you feel about your version of Geralt. If you have him play a lot, maybe you see his Gwent obsession as a humanizing characteristic,
or a shift in how he views his role in the world, or a vote of confidence in Ciri's ability to take care of herself as he is choosing to spend his time playing cards instead of urgently following leads about her. Or maybe you just find it fun to play.
It can mean something, but it doesn't have to. I really don't think Gwent would have worked nearly as well if it benefited mainline progression. If it were a great way to make money or get better gear, it would drastically change the stakes of the world and call into question why Geralt would
risk his life when he could just toss cards. It also pushed players to play it, which, while I understand many people love Gwent, is not how the majority of players want to spend their time when engaging in a title as expansive as The Witcher 3. Due to it being disconnected
from everything else, it can be something players engage with because they like it, instead of it being an unwanted disruption from the main part of the game. Ultimately, regardless of if you spend much or even any time playing it, the way Gwent is incorporated builds
the world out and makes it feel more like an actual place. A very similar thing can be said for the arcade cabinets in stuff like Stardew Valley, Yakuza, and Cyberpunk 2077, as they also don't feed into the main progression in any notable way, but they do provide more things to engage
with, adding some depth to those worlds. They also place your character as someone who likes to play games, which says something about them for better or worse. A cool example of this can be seen with
Demon Tower in Night in the Woods. It is a fairly robust 2D action game that Mei can play when at her computer, and while in some titles spending a bunch of time on a distraction like this may seem off, it kind of perfectly plays into Mei's character, who when we meet her is directionless.
She has no real plans and is cagey whenever she is pushed to confront her past, so engaging with a distraction like demon power feels like what she would do. There certainly are instances where these sorts of inclusions can be jarring and a little too far off tone, but when done well,
they can create a meaningful way for players to dive just a little bit deeper into the themes of a game. A much different kind of pointless feature that is more hands-off than any of the ones I've mentioned but still feels like it fits within this broader idea can be seen with the player
ghosts in the vast majority of FromSoft titles, where the other indirect online interactions in these games like bloodstains and messages can help guide folks away from danger or toward secrets, the player ghosts almost never reveal anything useful. They are just a peek into a couple seconds
of someone else's journey. But as these games often leave you feeling like you'll never be able to get through them, there is something reassuring about seeing someone else in the same place you are, knowing you're not the only one trying to best some area or some boss. It may
bring any tangible benefit, but for some it could be the difference between rage quitting after a death or re-centering and trying again. It is an impact that can't really be measured, but certainly is felt, the type of mechanic you are almost barely even meant to notice, with no meaningful
way to engage with it in-game, but it still manages to add a sense of depth and connection for those who do pay attention to it. No matter the form it takes, that is the value of these
kinds of mechanics. They are a way to get pulled in a little bit more. And what I think makes them stand out so much is in how there is no pressure attached to them. They are done purely because they are things the player wants to do. Them being disconnected is what brings a sort of
authenticity to engaging with them. Honestly, I think when looking at Hades 2, the fact that it has such a tight progression system is why the salute mechanic worked for me. In the game, you can barely take three steps without having some sort of meta progression. And while this does
create a solid game flow non rewards can kind of muddy the waters between what is and isn important Frankly this is a sentiment I been feeling more and more as so many things in our lives especially outside of video games have started to be designed in this way
That being grasping for your attention with the promise of something that will feel like a reward regardless of whether or not it actually is. It has proven to be an effective tactic, but it does always kind of beg the question of is what you're engaging with worth engaging with?
Do I actually like these mechanics, or does seeing the number go up just make me think I do? In the case of Hades 2, I'd say I largely do enjoy the core mechanics even when separated from the dopamine-fueled progression system.
I enjoy the way the gameplay shifts based on my weapons and the foods I get and not just that the lights and colors become brighter. With that said, it is nice to feel attached to a mechanic like the salute that is entirely separated from all of that.
An action I am choosing to do because it provides something impactful to the lens through which I view the game. And it matters because I make it matter. It is a tiny reminder that not everything I do needs to feed into something else.
Of course, framing anything not tied to progression as being pointless is a vast oversimplification. It is a framing I find it hard not to fall into because progression towards some sort of goal, whether it be a credit roll or scoring more points than the other team,
is what turns general play into a game. It's what creates stakes, structure, and meaning. I don't know that I'd go as far as to say that if something doesn't have progression or a goal that it isn't a video game, but obviously titles that are more free-form feel different, and the way we tend to classify them illustrates that.
They are simulations or virtual chat rooms, and while no one would fault you for including them under the wide umbrella of video games, they aren't what we typically think of when talking about video games. Instead, we think of stuff with progression, and so progression becomes the point.
On one hand, I think weeding as many ideas and mechanics as possible into a game's core progression has the potential to create tight experiences where everything feels like it matters, where players will engage with systems that they otherwise might have ignored.
On the other hand, I think having a reward for everything can feel exhausting, and at its worst, it can condition players to care more about the acts of progression than the gameplay the progression unlocks. With how a lot of games are designed now, it is easy for your brain to fall into autopilot.
And I don't think that's entirely bad. Sometimes shutting your brain off is exactly what you're looking for, and maybe even what you need. However, as more and more things in the world have become designed for us to shut our brains off, I find myself craving intentionality more than I ever have before.
And I think that is part of why I've spent so much time thinking about this stupid salute and mechanics like it. No one else's desire is what gets me to engage with them. I am fully in control of making that choice.
To be very clear, I don't think games should get rid of progression systems or mechanical motivation. However, I do think it's important for them to include mechanics that are separate, that slow things down, that give players a way to play that feels like their own.
So whether it's raising Chao in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, dancing on the ship in Lethal Company, looking out at a vista in Hob, yelling Mario when pressing A in Luigi's Mansion, barking in Okami, or saluting in Hades 2. I hope we never stop getting pointless
mechanics in games. While this video has largely stripped games down to how they function mechanically, there obviously are so many aspects that make a game a game that have little to do with their gameplay mechanics.
mechanics. Like, Hades 2 isn't Hades 2 without its incredible dynamic soundtrack, and something like Okami isn't Okami without its astounding art style. Interestingly, the developers of Okami originally planned to use an art style inspired by the then-recent Resident Evil
remake, which is jarring to imagine given the final product and how much the art style they went with influences the gameplay. I learned about this from the first part of Team K's new series, Masterful Mimicry, which examines the importance and influences
of Wakami, among other things. And if you're interested in checking that out, it is available right now on Nebula. You've probably heard me talk about it before and will again, but Nebula is a big part of why I've been able to do what I do for as long as I've done it. It hosts the work
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