Author Brandon Sanderson defines the difference between a rule-based magic system and one driven purely by atmosphere through his First Law. According to this principle, an author’s ability to resolve conflict using magic is directly proportional to how well the audience understands that magic’s rules. While novels can sometimes gesture at a system’s logic before moving on, video games require players to actively learn and interact with mechanics.
Sanderson has periodically discussed bringing his own magic systems into video games, and each of his powers links a specific substance to a learnable effect, much like an RPG skill tree. Several prominent titles feature mechanics that align with Sanderson’s laws of consistent inputs and meaningful limitations.
Consequence and cost in Dishonored and Prey
Arkane Studios’ 2012 stealth-action game Dishonored grants protagonist Corvo Attano abilities tied to a single named source, the Outsider. The game tracks choices down to the pixel through a visible chaos meter, altering the city, NPC reactions, and the ending based on the player’s actions. This reflects Sanderson’s Second Law: that limitations and rules make a magic system interesting by rewarding exact positioning.
Similarly, Prey gates its alien powers behind a scanning ritual using the Psychoscope. Players can unlock creature abilities like shapeshifting or kinetic force, but excessive use increases station corruption and triggers the pursuit of the Nightmare.
Environmental and modular spellcasting
Larian Studios’ 2017 RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 treats environmental elements like a chemistry set rather than isolated spell categories. Fire spreads across oil slicks, water conducts electricity, and poison ignites upon contact with fire, turning combat encounters into solvable physical puzzles.
Obsidian’s 2016 RPG Tyranny constructs every spell out of a small, fixed set of base, accent, and expression sigils. The core components never change their meaning, matching the textbook definition of a hard magic system.
Physical simulation and resource management
Nolla Games’ 2019 roguelike Noita simulates every single pixel in its world as an actual physical material, ensuring that water, lava, sand, and gas react according to consistent physical and chemical rules rather than scripted exceptions.
Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom uses Ultrahand and Fuse mechanics that operate on consistent physical logic, allowing players to weld objects together with predictable, repeatable results.
Remedy Entertainment’s Control roots protagonist Jesse Faden’s abilities in the Federal Bureau of Control, tying telekinetic powers to a visible energy resource and cooldowns that reward strict resource management. Finally, Arrowhead Game Studios’ Magicka builds its spellcasting entirely out of eight mix-and-match base elements. Because the rune combinations remain strictly consistent, players quickly learn that friendly fire obeys the exact same physical rules as enemy attacks.
