Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Fight or Kite: Final thoughts on Eldegarde’s PvE content – before it’s gone for good
Notorious Studios is sunsetting the MMORPG Eldegarde at the end of March due to insufficient revenue. The author expresses frustration, having enjoyed the game's PvE content and classes like Paladin and Wizard, despite struggling to find a long-term MMO home. The article details challenging PvE experiences in the Greenwood at night zone and long matchmaking queues for arenas, suggesting these issues contributed to the game's closure.
After trying Subtractive Runemixer, I can't unsee the links between RPG element systems and colour theory
The free RPGMaker game Subtractive Runemixer by Starbage explores the connection between RPG elemental systems and color theory. The game's combat involves mixing colored runes, drawing parallels to mixing paints and the principles of color theory. This approach is compared to Chrono Cross's mechanics, suggesting a potentially deeper way to consider RPG elements beyond traditional strengths and weaknesses.
Resident Evil Requiem’s Star Wars-Level Pandering Drags the Whole Game Down
Resident Evil Requiem is criticized for its excessive reliance on nostalgia and callbacks to previous games, which detracts from new elements like the character Grace Ashcroft. The game's frequent references to past characters and events, such as Leon S. Kennedy, Albert Wesker, and Mr. X, are seen as pandering and a lack of confidence in original storytelling, drawing parallels to perceived missteps in recent Star Wars media.
Death Stranding 2 Almost Had Mech Suits, Spider-Nests, And One Seriously Cursed Cat
The art book for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach reveals several cut concepts, including mech suits for Fragile, different outfits for Sam, and a cat companion with demonic wings. Early designs also featured unique iterations for characters like Tomorrow, Dollman, and Die Hardman, alongside aquatic-inspired BTs and HR Giger-influenced mech designs. The game is set to release on PC on March 19.
Get to Know Go! Go! Mister Chickums 🐥
Marcel Rebenstorf, founder of com8com1 Software, discusses the development of their single-screen arcade platformer, Go! Go! Mister Chickums. Inspired by classics like Bubble Bobble and Mario Bros., the game features cute characters, distinct enemy behaviors, and 100 unique screens. Rebenstorf also touches on scoring mechanics, favorite level designs, and potential future character expansions.
Site News: Where's Our Marathon PS5 Review?
Push Square will delay its PlayStation 5 review for the live service game Marathon until its end-game content, the Cryo Archive, is released later this month. The publication wants to test the full scope of Bungie's creation, including its raid-like puzzle solving and close-quarters combat, before submitting a scored review.
Roguelike deckbuilder TOKENS announced at the 2026 Pégases ceremony — MP3s & NPCs
TOKENS, a new roguelike deckbuilder inspired by the roaring twenties, has been announced by French studio Atelier QBD, led by veteran designer Quentin De Beukelaer. The game, which replaces cards with tokens and features strategic deck-building with Arcanas and Effigies, is set to release later this year on PC via Steam. A demo is also available.
Marathon Launch Day: Bungie’s Sci-Fi Return Feels Like Destiny Meets Escape From Tarkov
Bungie has launched its new extraction shooter, Marathon, marking its first major new intellectual property since Destiny. The game features full crossplay and cross-save functionality across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with pre-loading available and server slam rewards for early players. Marathon aims to bring Bungie's signature gameplay design to the high-stakes extraction shooter genre, potentially redefining it.
Games Inbox: Is Pokémon Pokopia really worth getting?
Readers share their thoughts on recent games, with one player enjoying the open-ended exploration of Pokémon Pokopia and another finding catharsis in Resident Evil Requiem. Discussions also touch upon Sony's management of Naughty Dog, the state of the games industry, and the potential success of Bungie's Marathon.
Nioh 3 Studio Head Acknowledges It’s a “Great Game, But it’s Not Perfect”
Team Ninja studio head Fumihiko Yasuda and producer Kohei Shibata discussed areas for improvement in Nioh 3, acknowledging it's a great game but not perfect. Yasuda highlighted potential enhancements in narrative and environmental storytelling, particularly regarding yokai lore, while Shibata addressed criticisms about enemy variety. Both expressed a desire to incorporate these learnings into future titles.
15 Things I’m Most Excited to Do in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert is poised to be a groundbreaking open-world game, blending mechanics where traversal feeds combat and exploration shapes progression. Players can liberate territories, experience multiple playable perspectives, undertake quests at their own pace, and utilize a vast array of traversal and combat skills. The game promises deep customization for combat identity and weapon crafting, with over 200 hours of content and dynamic weather and water mechanics.
Marathon day one check-in: Thief impressions, broken Deluxe Edition bonuses, and so many Assassins
Bungie's extraction shooter Marathon is now live, with initial impressions highlighting its high-stakes shootouts and loot juggling. Players are experimenting with various 'runner shells' like Assassin and Vandal, while the new Thief shell offers intel and trickery. The article also notes ongoing issues with Deluxe Edition bonuses not appearing for some players.
Resident Evil Requiem Walkthrough – Complete Guide Hub (RE9) – Expert Game Reviews
This guide hub provides a comprehensive walkthrough for Resident Evil Requiem, detailing strategies for both protagonists, Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. It covers all areas, including the Wrenwood Hotel, Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, Raccoon City, and the ARK, offering solutions for puzzles, item locations, collectible spots, and boss encounters. The guide also offers essential survival tips, details on the game's structure, difficulty settings, and collectible types.
VALORANT Crossplay Leak Splits Community Down the Middle
A leak suggests Riot Games is considering crossplay for VALORANT, dividing the community. Supporters believe it will expand the player base and allow friends to play together, while opponents worry about competitive integrity due to potential advantages for mouse and keyboard players over controller users. The implementation would require careful consideration of matchmaking and balance.
ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard - The Making of an Indie Sequel 🎨
Pixel Maniacs CEO Ben Lochmann discusses the development of ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard, highlighting player feedback that led to improvements like a revert mechanic and expanded puzzle design. Lochmann also touches on environmental inspirations, the influence of games like Portal, and the diverse puzzle mechanics created by the small development team.
Experience the Horror of Unsealed: The Mare 😨
Lead developer Simon Andersson from Gamhalla discusses the inspirations behind the first-person horror game Unsealed: The Mare, drawing from personal nightmares and a desire to tell a layered story about family tragedy. Andersson explains how the game's visuals, gameplay mechanics like Focus Memory, and audio design escalate the nightmarish qualities and player tension as the narrative unfolds.
Casting demons like they were spells with Diablo 4's warlock rules, but now I'm dying to see how Lord of Hatred will transform the other classes
The upcoming Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion introduces the Warlock class, which summons demons and transforms into them, offering a distinct playstyle from the Necromancer. Lead class designer Stephen Trinh highlighted the Warlock's aggressive nature. The expansion also overhauls the skill tree system across all classes, aiming to increase build variety and make character customization more intuitive, moving away from gear dependency as the sole driver of power.
Is this a 2.0 moment for Diablo 4? Unpacking the new warlock class, the skill tree changes, and the new Lord of Hatred expansion
Blizzard Entertainment is preparing to launch the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion on April 28th, introducing a new region, storyline, and two new classes: the Paladin and Warlock. The expansion also features a significant overhaul of the game's skill trees, aiming to provide greater build variety and depth for all players. New endgame systems like War Plans and the reintroduction of item sets and the Horadric Cube are also detailed, alongside the addition of a fishing mechanic.
Mouse P.I. for Hire nails its cartoon-noir vibes, but the real surprise is how it plays
Mouse P.I. for Hire effectively captures its cartoon-noir aesthetic with a distinctive rubber hose animation style and a jazzy soundtrack. The game features a fast-paced first-person shooter combat system with satisfying momentum mechanics, including a double jump and quick dodges, alongside puzzle elements like a lock-picking mini-game.
Crimson Desert's 'cutscene fast-forward' feature shouldn't be as controversial as it is
Crimson Desert's inclusion of a feature to fast-forward through dialogue and cutscenes is a positive step for managing the game's extensive runtime. This feature allows players to more efficiently progress through the game's narrative content.