Editing Loom (video game) (section)

== Gameplay ==
A departure from other [[LucasArts adventure games|Lucasfilm adventure games]] in many senses, ''Loom'' is based on a serious and complex [[fantasy]] story. With its experimental interface, it eschewed the traditional paradigm of graphical adventures, where puzzles usually involve interactions between the game character, the environment, and items the character has in their possession.

''Loom''{{'s}} gameplay centers instead around magical four-note tunes known as "drafts" that the protagonist, Bobbin Threadbare, can play on his [[distaff]]. Each draft is a [[Spell (paranormal)|spell]] that has an effect of a certain type, such as "Opening" or "Night Vision". Some drafts can be reversed by playing their notes backwards, so the "Dye" draft played backwards becomes "Bleach", while others, such as the "Terror" draft, are [[palindrome]]s (e.g. C–E–E–C) and so cannot be reversed in this manner.

[[Image:Loom interface screenshot.png|thumb|right|An early scene from the game showing the distaff in the lower left and a selected object (the Great Loom) in the lower right.]]

Bobbin can learn drafts by observing an object that possesses the qualities of the desired draft; for example, by examining a blade while it is being sharpened, Bobbin can learn the "Sharpening" draft. When the game begins, Bobbin is only able to play drafts using the notes C, D and E, limiting his ability to reproduce more powerful drafts. As the game progresses and additional notes become available, so his ability to play new drafts increases.

The game can be played at three difficulty levels, each differing in how clearly the notes being played are labeled. For example, the "Standard" level indicates the notes on a [[Scale (music)|scale]] below the distaff, while the "Expert" level shows no notes and must be played by ear. In the original release, expert players are rewarded with a [[cutscene]] that does not appear for the other two difficulties. The later [[CD-ROM]] release, however, shows an abridged version of this scene to all players.