A game that I love that does a great job of implementing mechanics and dynamics in an aesthetic-focused way is Persona 5 Royal. P5R is a JRPG combining a narrative social sim with dungeon crawling and turn-based combat. When considering its battle system, P5R takes seemingly simple and repetitive turn-based mechanics and makes them fun and engaging for both new and experienced players. The combat is focused on fighting enemy shadows using acquired personas. Each persona has its own elemental strengths and weaknesses, forming the dynamic of strategy that the player must consider for every fight. Mechanics-wise, systems such as status ailments, technical damage, and baton passes add additional layers of strategy that affect the way the player approaches fights. While these elements provide a diverse range of dynamics for the player to engage in, they also express the aesthetic expression of the game at the same time. While the combat fulfils the aesthetic of challenge, the game’s soundtrack and visuals provide the aesthetics of sensation and narrative. With different tracks being used for basic enemies, bosses, and other encounters, battles are made unique. Visually, even mechanics such as all-out attacks and showtimes, which mechanically are simply high-damage attacks, consist of animated cutscenes that display the characters and their personalities in a creative way.
