One example of ludonarrative harmony in games can be found in the DS game 999 (Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors). 999's plot follows Junpei and eight other participants in a life-or-death Nonary Game, where the objective is to 'find a way out' of the ship they are trapped on. The situation involves solving lots of puzzles and piecing together aspects of the story to proceed through obstacles set by the anonymous 'Zero' who set up the game.
The gameplay in 999 is divided up into two sections, one visual novel-style Story mode where the player, Junpei, may observe the situation, talk to other playable characters and make decisions regarding the plot's progression; this can push the game into one of six different endings. The other aspect of the game, potentially the one that fits with the story more, is similar to escape-the-room style games, where the player must move around a room (they are able to scroll through the environment and investigate different areas) and find objects and complete puzzles to help them escape.
I feel that this is a suitable example of ludonarrative harmony in games, as the game would be much less effective if the puzzle and escape-the-room sections were omitted. The addition of these aspects of gameplay allows the player to experience the pressure and frustration that the characters feel within the story. Even the fact that there are different endings in the game makes much more sense when the player reaches the finale, as the game's plot involves perception of different routes in the future in order to find the one 'true' route that solves a certain character's objective.
The gameplay in 999 is divided up into two sections, one visual novel-style Story mode where the player, Junpei, may observe the situation, talk to other playable characters and make decisions regarding the plot's progression; this can push the game into one of six different endings. The other aspect of the game, potentially the one that fits with the story more, is similar to escape-the-room style games, where the player must move around a room (they are able to scroll through the environment and investigate different areas) and find objects and complete puzzles to help them escape.
I feel that this is a suitable example of ludonarrative harmony in games, as the game would be much less effective if the puzzle and escape-the-room sections were omitted. The addition of these aspects of gameplay allows the player to experience the pressure and frustration that the characters feel within the story. Even the fact that there are different endings in the game makes much more sense when the player reaches the finale, as the game's plot involves perception of different routes in the future in order to find the one 'true' route that solves a certain character's objective.
image from ign