One game I really like is Prison Architect. It has a very satisfying feeling in its gameplay and you can temper the pace of the game to be whatever you feel like in that moment. Thinking about game architecture had me remember it in particular as, initially, I couldn’t figure out the differentiation between its loops and arcs… It made more sense when reading about how loops can turn into arcs, as many skills that are built up over repeated attempts bring the foundation for the development of the ‘story’ that is carried through each game you play as a prison architect. To me, it feels like the game uses micro-parallel arcs to develop small portions of the gameplay and keep things interesting as you move from a big milestone to a bigger milestone. There are lots of tiny additions you unlock and can make to your prison, breaking up the slog between unlocking whole new types of people/areas you can have. For example, a new type of door is unlocked fairly regularly and can help you operate your prison better. However, only after a significant portion of gameplay do you unlock squads of armed guards, or sniper towers, that can completely change the way you manage your security in the prison.
