I’ve loved platformers and especially Mega Man since I first started to play video games, and after learning about MDA, I felt out the concepts using Mega Man II as my example. The main mechanics of the game are very simple, almost universally known: run, shoot, and jump. Independently being mindless and boring button presses (or button ‘holds’), when these three mechanics are combined, they emerge to form dynamics that allow for complex and in-depth gameplay. We can now run across a battlefield, climb up towers, and traverse tricky mazes all while combatting an enemy, and the aesthetics related to running towards an enemy, the tribulations of vertical fighting, as well as the frustration of being lost in a maze surrounded by enemies are all captured through level design accompanied with these dynamics. Regardless of how far you progress, you can only really just run, jump, and shoot, which demonstrates the versatility of these mechanics and the dynamics they form. The developers continue to play with these simple dynamics, understanding their combined power, by giving players power-ups or alternative options as to exactly what they are shooting as well as the properties of their projectile while giving alternative options to reaching a point B by shooting a platform, or rocket, or spring, which all combine to create endlessly fun and varied gameplay (no wonder they made so many of these games).
