Kishotenketsu as a story form
Also said as Four-act structure, Ki-sho-ten-ketsu
A four-part form from Chinese and Japanese writing: introduce, develop, twist, reconcile. The drama comes from a turn that changes how you see the earlier parts, so it needs no conflict at all.
It is a good answer to the idea that every story needs a villain. It suits small stories and puzzles, and short games can use it to end on understanding, not on a fight.
Say it
“Build this chapter as kishotenketsu: four short scenes of her daily routine, the third reveals who the meals were for, and the fourth repeats the first scene word for word.”
Where you’ve seen it
Koichi Hayashida, director of Super Mario 3D Land, has cited it as a model for level design, using the form of four-panel comics: a new idea, more of it, a twist on it, and a last flourish.
Not to be confused with three-act structure
Three acts run on conflict and its resolution. Kishotenketsu runs on recontextualising: nothing has to be in conflict for the third part to change everything.