Hello adventurer! In today’s quest, we’re going to explore how the game Expedition 33 hooks players in from the start of the game. Use it as inspiration to make your own game irresistible so players can’t stop playing.

If you want to have players feel connected to the story and the characters, GET CLOSE. Close in the dialogue, cutscenes, gameplay, and menus. Get down to the character’s level and get the player face-to-face with them. This creates a connection much better than a long-distance view or 2D images can.

Have the players show emotions, doubt, sadness, worry, anger, stress, conflict, and have them argue with each other.
Expedition 33 does this in a great way and shows the inner conflict of the characters. It makes us want to see if the problems can be solved, what will change, and what it takes to make change happen. Keeping us playing!

What is everyone in this world so nervous about? They seem to try very hard not to be sad and instead force themselves to be positive, despite the looming sadness everyone feels. This is a great setup that piques players’ curiosity about the event, the world, and what will happen next.

In Expedition 33 there are early talks about the expedition some characters need to take, and clues about previous groups venturing out. This sets the premise that the expedition is important but extremely dangerous. So why do they keep doing them even if everyone before has (presumably) failed?
That is the mystery they present in the Onboarding that makes you intrigued to learn more.

Give the player clues that something is happening, just enough so the player thinks they know what is going to happen. That’s when you do something different!
Thinking that everyone was sad and only saying goodbye to the main character and others going on this ‘journey‘… that’s when you flip the script and actually reveal what is really happening! Wham! The player is hooked!

From the start of Expedition 33, it’s clear that this is a world in decay. Build the world to show the story of the world. We love to pick up on clues and make our own conclusions about what has happened here before. It can be more impactful than you telling them straight up. Aka, Show, don’t tell.

Have the player see WOW when they see the visuals of the game. This goes for the character designs, the level design, lighting, colours, themes, and other strong visuals. Lean into some themes that fit your world and turn it up to 11. If something is decaying, SHOW IT. A powerful attack from a player goes off, GO ALL IN. If there are big towers being taken over by plants and crumbling, MAKE IT BIG! No subtle, half-baked ideas that players don’t notice. MAKE IT POP!

We love a dreamer, and we like to see people reach their dreams. To apply this in your game, make your characters likeable (possibly with a flaw) and give them a dream they talk about. It can be big or small (save the world or open a bakery), but make the players want to root for them.

Create a connection to a specific character by allowing the player to play as them. This can be temporary for a section of the onboarding or as a trick later in the game.
In Expedition 33, this is well done when the player gets to play as another character, Sophie, to see and feel the world from her point of view.

Nothing is sadder than a death… well, perhaps a death of a character the player really likes. A sad death can make players emotional early, and it is a trick many games use to give players (not just the game characters) motivation to set things right. If the player wants to avenge the death, fix the world, or uphold their last dying wish, they are invested in your game and will probably keep playing.

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