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A form of Deconstruction, which has apparently become a rising fad in flash games.

A deconstruction game is a game that deconstructs aspects of Video Games in general. At the minimum, it takes one aspect, and blows it up to such ridiculously exaggerated proportions that it simply becomes laughable, as if to make a point that "You can't make a game based just on this!" or with some, "If you enjoy games because of this one reason then you are an idiot!"

In order to qualify, a single part of the game at the minimum must take at least one single trope, mechanic, or gimmick, and either explore it exhaustively to the possible point of Mind Screw, or play it far too simple and flat to be taken seriously. Typically they rely heavily on their nature as a parody to be entertaining, but on rare occasions they're fun to play as well. They often make use of Playing the Player.

Examples of Deconstruction Game include:


Action Adventure[]

  • Shadow of the Colossus: Boss Battles. The game is almost nothing but boss fights, and what little bit of plot the game has makes most players question whether they're really doing the right thing by killing them.

Adventure Game[]

Fighting Game[]

  • MUGEN, the customizable fighting engine by Elecbyte, can be seen as a deconstruction of crossover fighting games, as well as games with guest characters, as you can see the far more realistic consequences of having characters in your roster with widely different rules and gameplay. Gaze in awe as characters from games with the simpler mechanics [1] are mercilessly demolished by characters from fast paced, combo-oriented games,[2] or games with more complex mechanics.[3]
    • It also counts as a Decon Recon Switch, as you can also rewrite the files and states of your characters, weaken the overpowering ones and buff the weaker ones for a proper balancing.

First-Person Shooter[]

Interactive Fiction[]

Platform Game[]

  • I Wanna Be the Guy: Difficulty / Unfair deaths
  • You Have to Burn The Rope: Portal. The game consists of a short hallway which serves as a tutorial, a boss fight, and a catchy theme song that plays over the credits. The song mocks the short length of the game, including suggesting that you just try playing it over again. There is no story given outside this, and there are only two characters (the player character and boss). And the theme song is longer than the game itself.
    • Arguably a failure, as it misses one important part of Portalthe part after the furnace where the game stops telling you what to do.
  • You Only Live Once: Platformers in the vein of Mario.
  • Level Up: Leveling up in games.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog OmoChao Edition: Stop Helping Me! (This game actually has added challenge—you have to avoid everything that triggers Omochao's comments as much as possible for Rank Inflation, and for Speed Run enthusiasts, there's the fact that the timer won't freeze whenever Omochao speaks.)

Role Playing Game[]

Simulation Game[]

  • Desert Bus, from Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors: Simulation Games. The simulation aspect is carried so far that the game is somehow less fun than it would be to actually drive a bus through a desert.

Stealth Based Game[]

Survival Horror[]

  • Nanashi no Game uses the cursed, nameless game to deconstruct RPGs. There's no battles to win, levels to grind or heroics to engage in—you just walk around, talk to people and collect hidden items that must be found to reach the good ending.

Web Games[]

  1. Street Fighter, Kaiser Knuckle, The SNK fighters and, in general, fighters from the 90s.
  2. Marvel vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear
  3. Melty Blood, Arcana Heart, Under Night In-Birth