Prevalent in just about any video game that has weapons and armors, the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope has its roots in old-school gaming, but it’s become much more obvious over the last two decades or so. From first-person shooters to RPGs to adventure games and even the racing genre, the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope is everywhere, and once gamers begin to notice it, they won’t be able to forget it.
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What is the ‘Elaborate Equals Effective’ Trope?
The ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope is incredibly simple. Essentially, this trope is when a player is tricked into believing that a weapon or piece of armor is more powerful, simply because it looks more visually impressive than their current loadout. For example, a basic iron sword has a very simplistic design, with straight edges, a dull blade, and a rudimentary wooden hilt. After exploring for a while, the player will undoubtedly find a sword of a higher quality. Along with a stat boost, this improved sword will also often look more impressive, with a sharper, more detailed blade and a uniquely shaped hilt.
The ‘Elaborate equals effective trope’ is most often used in large-scale open-world RPGs to signify that the player is making constant progress on their journey. While this trope is often linked with finding better weapons in the environment, it also comes into play when a player upgrades their arsenal. Upgrading a weapon will usually add some visual embellishment to it, and the same can be said for armor. Armor upgrades tend to give the gear a color rework, along with some additional, more elaborate armor plating.
The Best Examples of the ‘Elaborate Equals Effective’ Trope in Video Games
One of the best examples of the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope in video games can be found in The Elder Scrolls series, and in particular, Skyrim. Players begin the game with the most basic set of weaponry and armor, usually an iron sword and the standard wooden bow. Soon, they’ll stumble upon an upgraded version of their current weapon, such as an ancient Nord sword.
Over the course of the game, players will continue to find better versions of their weapons, steadily improving over the course of the game, from the Elven set to the Dwarven set, to the Ebony set and beyond. With each new set of weaponry and armor, the items become more elaborate and visually impressive, with players going from a simple tunic, to leather armor, eventually making their way up to Skyrim’s iconic Ebony set, adorned with wings on the helmet, an elegant pauldron, and plenty of hidden details.
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The Legend of Zelda series is another perfect example of the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope. Throughout the Legend of Zelda series, players upgrade their weapons, and every time they do so, the weapon becomes more visually elaborate, often gaining a new, shinier hilt design, and embellishments along the blade. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, upgrading Link’s sword gives the blade a golden diamond pattern and gives the hilt a more intricate design. In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the whole game is actually built around Link upgrading his sword. Every time the player imbues the sword with a sacred flame, it becomes more visually impressive and detailed, until it eventually becomes the iconic Master Sword.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is actually the outlier in the series, with its weapons’ designs not necessarily indicating their power level. For instance, Breath of the Wild’s Master Sword looks fairly basic, especially when compared to some of the other weapon designs in the game, yet it’s the most durable, and arguably the best weapon in the entire game.
The Call of Duty franchise has a unique way of expressing the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope. Ever since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, each entry has let players customize their own loadout, and equip their weapons with a range of different attachments. While newer entries throw so many attachments at the player that it’s hard to determine which is best based on visuals alone, the concept of adding more components to a weapon to make it better is very much in line with the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope. If a weapon has no attachments, players rightfully assume that it’s less powerful than a weapon that’s fully decked-out.
The Call of Duty franchise also shows this trope in its Zombies mode. When players upgrade their weapon through the Pack-a-Punch, it’s given a visual makeover, wrapped in an elaborate skin that matches its new power level.
One of the most recent examples of the ‘Elaborate equals effective’ trope comes from The Last of Us series. Throughout the game, players will have the opportunity to upgrade their weapons at a workbench. Upon selecting an upgrade, the player-character will begin working on the weapon, using tools to clean it and add new components. Once they’re finished, the newly upgraded weapon can be seen in all its glory, often with a new attachment equipped, and some added visual textures along the barrel and handle, indicating that it’s a better weapon now.
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