This research paper explores the incorporation of historical motifs within the context of Polish deductive hybrid games. Such games are defined as those that allow the player to experience both physical and virtual realities simultaneously. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the validity of concurrently utilizing textological analysis and procedural rhetoric to analyze historical content in hybrid games. As this paper is
only an introduction to the very diverse and broad topic of hybrid games, the authors focused on finding the answer for two main questions: „What messages regarding the interpretation of historical realities do the analyzed titles contain?” and „By means of which mechanisms are they delivered, and do they significantly differ in their historical content saturation?”. While discussing the above-mentioned questions, the authors opted for a mixed narratological-ludological paradigm, combining textological analysis, sociological content
analysis (in the context of creator-player discourse), and procedural rhetoric. Additionally, they took into consideration the autoethnographic perspective of one of the authors. During the conducted research, they analysed following examples: Detektyw: Kryminalna gra planszowa, Wiedeński Łącznik (a stand-alone expansion to the game Detektyw), oraz Kroniki Zbrodni: 1400. The conclusion of this research paper is that the analyzed games utilize various tools to deliver historical motifs, encompassing mechanics, an aesthetic layer, and narrative aspects. This might indicate different target groups based on players’ preferences regarding the level of historical context in the game. However, the research sample is too small to substantiate this claim.