The second was that they coughed up a seeming endless supply of distinctive trinkets. Each item can be seen close up and rotated within your inventory, but I don't quite know what to do with them and have begun to wonder if, as in life, the pleasure taken from them is found in simple possession. In the purposeful world of gaming, that would be something new. It is one telling detail among many. There seems no end to its depths.
Most game worlds are comparatively empty.
They contain little that doesn't directly contribute to the story or your characters' survival, and objects and people who fit that description are identified simply by their being interactive and communicative. If you can take something, you should take it. If someone talks, you should listen. By contrast, Shenmue offers a richly interactive environment that places kitten food and trinkets from gum machines beside scrolls that reveal new fighting moves. I spent two days examining the contents of every drawer, cabinet, hamper and closet in Ryo's substantial house.