"Gameplay gimmicks" refers to unique or unusual features or mechanics in a video game that are designed to make the game more interesting or engaging. They are additional components added to the gameplay experience that make it stand out or feel different from other games.
Full definition
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is essentially a string
of gameplay gimmicks and mini-games, but in a combination and pace that feels fresh and energetic.
The Harvest Moon games all basically boil down to managing a mix of time, tasks, and metrics, and recent entries in the series have relied heavily on exploiting a
new gameplay gimmick with each iteration: in one it's crafting structures for the town, in another it's trading with foreign economies.
While Apple is quick to brag about the processing power of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, the resulting games still feature the same kinds of finger -
swiping gameplay gimmicks that we saw three years ago, as well as virtual * on - screen buttons and D - pads, which are awful.
Yoshi's Woolly World is a fun and amusing platformer in its own right, though the quirky art style and
gameplay gimmicks seem to take center stage here.
The music of the very cleverly designed Lanayru Mining Facility mimics its
major gameplay gimmick — when Link moves a timestone onto a designated pedestal and sends an entire room back to more colourful, more productive days, the music takes on a richly layered character that you can listen to here.
No game in history has included these
amazing gameplay gimmicks, so we're surely in for a treat when the finished product hits stores.
So people who've played Blast Corps will know what to expect - for the first hour or so it's pretty tough, but once you get past that there are all sorts
of gameplay gimmicks to enjoy, and if you really want to hone your skill in that game you can spend forever digging into it.
The level designs — which contain so many alternate routes and introduce so many
new gameplay gimmicks that they never lose a shred of their charm — are arguably the deepest in the series, and even have a Mario sense of exploration about them to track down their every last secret.
You have
gameplay gimmicks that feel redundant, special moves that break the flow of the game and an overuse of springs / grind rails that take the control of the game away from the player.
As much as it strictly adheres to its visual stylings, it also holds tightly to
its gameplay gimmick.
Docomodake DS, so long as more effort were put in to expanding on the original concept beyond the most basic character concept and
gameplay gimmick.
If you've ever leveled up a Skylanders character, you know how the new skills are actually new skills, with new visual effects and new
gameplay gimmicks, with a sense of payoff.
Super Mario Galaxy did away with
the gameplay gimmicks of Sunshine and let Mario run loose across the universe, unencumbered by gravity.