Crescendo

Ductus base_pattern · ascending

The intensity builds up continuously over the entire playing time – a steady rise to the climax. No let-up: resources grow scarcer, decisions more consequential, the pressure rises steadily.

Design question – What makes your game more urgent from minute to minute?

Reference example – Pandemic: with every epidemic the infection rate rises; the last rounds are the tightest. Tetris: level by level the pieces fall faster.

Intensity

A steady, monotonic rise to the climax without recovery phases.

Compatible with

• Three-Act Structure (NA-01) – The arc of escalation as a narrative correspondence.
• Hero’s Journey (NA-02) – An ascent to the climax.
• Branching Narrative (NA-10) – Converging paths to the finale.