One game that I used to love playing was Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. This game was the first game I played in the AC series that integrated a unique set of mechanics for player engagement through the use of a mobile app. Despite the central game remaining an open-world, narrative-based PC/console game, a new mobile gameplay mechanic that allows players to send their in-game ships on missions via the app, even when they are not playing on the console. While the duration of interaction on the mobile app is designed to be very short (2-3min), this immersive mechanic bolsters the sense of fantasy, as players can remain engaged in the adventure while they are away from their main gaming setup, transcending the physical limitations of their consoles.
The mobile app also served as an accelerant for in-game progress, providing players with additional resources and currency to enhance their experience. However, there was also an element of risk in the mobile interaction, as every ship a player sends out on a mission in the app has a chance of being lost or destroyed, causing the player to lose this ship from their fleet, forcing them to replace it by capturing a new ship in the main game. This dynamic injects a sense of challenge into the game, as players are forced to weigh the risk of sending their ships on riskier, higher-payout missions. This also motivates the player to be more adventurous in the full game, compelling them to find and capture stronger ships. In this way, the mobile app also creates a greater impetus for discovery-centric fun in the console game.
