Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
Latest coverage
Shigeru Miyamoto reveals the Mario games that have impressed him the most
Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 are the Mario titles that have impressed him the most. He described Super Mario World as mastering the 2D world, while Super Mario 64 brought him back to his childhood fascination with puppet theater. Miyamoto also briefly touched on the future of the Mario series on the Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2.
Deaths of Peck – Beta Sign Up | Alpha Beta Gamer
Deaths of Peck is a fast-paced 2D platformer where players control an immortal goblin named Peck who must rescue captured friends from an orc tower. Dying strategically unlocks new abilities and paths, with a hand-drawn art style balancing charm and gore. A playtest is currently available for players to experience the prototype and provide feedback.
Diablo 4 players are accidentally trashing their best items due to an "objectively misleading" recipe, and it's the best argument I've seen for yellow paint in games
Diablo 4 players are reportedly losing valuable items due to a confusing "Upgrade to Mythic" crafting recipe in the Horadric Cube. While the tooltip is described as unambiguous, the similarity to the "Upgrade to Legendary" recipe leads players to believe they are upgrading their existing Unique item, when in reality, it transmutes into a random Mythic item of the same type. This has sparked community discussion and highlighted potential issues with in-game text clarity and player comprehension.
Mystery Booster Commander Combines Two Of Magic: The Gathering’s Best Things, And I Can’t Wait
Wizards of the Coast announced Mystery Booster Commander, a new Magic: The Gathering set focused on the Commander format, featuring reprints and 59 new cards. The set aims to provide draftable packs for on-the-fly Commander games, with potential reprints of valuable cards like Fetch Lands and Moxen.
Riftbound Vendetta Is All About Dueling Rivals, Both In The Game And In Real Life
Riot Games lead designer Dave Guskin discusses the upcoming set Vendetta for Riftbound, highlighting new mechanics like Empower and Flow, and potential competitive meta shifts. The article also touches on the game's approaching first anniversary and plans for new commissioned artwork and rule updates.
Vendetta Preview: Why Riftbound’s Design Team Chose Kennen, Akali, and Jayce for the First Opposing Domain Legends
Riftbound senior designer Jon Moormann discussed the rationale behind selecting Kennen, Akali, and Jayce as the initial champions for the game's new color combinations in Vendetta. These champions will serve as ambassadors for the Purple/Yellow, Red/Green, and Blue/Orange opposing domains, showcasing their unique mechanics and champion units.
Not So Massively: The death of Stadium is another shortsighted waste of Overwatch’s potential
Blizzard Entertainment has ceased development of new characters and maps for the Overwatch Stadium game mode, effectively ending its support. The author criticizes this decision as a shortsighted waste of potential, citing issues with balance, item complexity, and a lack of clear direction for the mode. This move is seen as another instance of Blizzard abandoning projects that don't immediately become massive hits, despite the mode serving as a crucial accessibility tool for some players.
I Love Your Longing
This opinion piece explores the philosophical depth of the game The Longing, where players guide a Shade to wait for 400 real-time days. The author, Gentle Zacharias, reflects on themes of loneliness, consciousness, and self-determination, contrasting the Shade's journey with the nature of a non-conscious 'King'. The article argues that true growth comes from interaction and choice, not from isolated obedience, and encourages players to find their own meaning within the game's framework.
Overwatch's attempt at bringing back 6v6 feels like a bad compromise—it just doesn't work
This article analyzes Overwatch's recent attempt to bridge the gap between its 5v5 and 6v6 formats through a new 1-3-2 flex mode in the Quickplay Hacked Event. The author argues that this compromise fails, as teams with two tanks consistently outperform those with one, making the mode redundant and suggesting that a true compromise between the two distinct formats is not feasible.
Echoes of Aincrad Review – An SAO opportunity not taken
Echoes of Aincrad attempts to capture the essence of Sword Art Online by focusing on player choice within the virtual world of Aincrad, but ultimately fails to deliver a meaningful experience. Despite opportunities for avatar and build customization, the game suffers from sluggish pacing, repetitive objectives, and mechanical friction, making its core premise an opportunity not taken. The review notes that while the atmosphere and lighting are pleasant, these positives are overshadowed by significant design flaws.
Colorless skill gem sockets are coming in Path of Exile’s Curse of the Allflame
Grinding Gear Games announced upcoming changes to Path of Exile, including a significant rework of skill gem sockets that will remove color restrictions. This change aims to increase player flexibility and reduce barriers to entry for new and returning players. Designers Christopher Laferriere and Mark Roberts highlighted the goal of community growth as a key driver for this and other updates.
Quiz: Mörker, elände och familjeliv i A Void Hope
This article presents a quiz testing players' knowledge of the game A Void Hope, focusing on its themes of darkness, mystery, and family life within a collapsing city. It also briefly mentions an interview with A Void Hope creator Mikael Forslind.
Doom: The Dark Ages' DLC is a true FPS triumph, and its developers deserve better
The DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages, titled Revelations, introduces new mechanics like the chain spear and restores the dash ability from Doom Eternal, offering a fresh and exhilarating combat experience. Despite the positive reception of the DLC, the article highlights the tragic impact of recent Xbox layoffs on id Software, potentially jeopardizing the future of the id Tech engine and the studio's talent.
An emergency Diablo 4 update makes the Mythic changes we all wanted last week
Blizzard Entertainment has released an emergency update for Diablo 4 addressing player feedback on Mythic items and drop rates. The update removes equip limits for crafted Mythics and increases their drop rates, making them more valuable. Further rewards, including Superior Lair Keys and Mythic Tributes, are planned for next week.
EA vice president of advertising says game ads are a 'huge opportunity', but it 'has to make sense for…
Alexander Dao, EA's vice president of advertising and sponsorship, discussed the company's new advertising platform, highlighting the significant opportunity for in-game ads. He emphasized the importance of integrating advertising thoughtfully from the initial game design phase to ensure it feels native and offers flexibility for brands. Dao also noted the need for standardization in viewability and reporting, while stressing that any advertising must make sense for the specific game, citing a successful collaboration with Coach in The Sims as an example of democratizing access to branded products.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Turns Tough Bosses Into Powerful Friends
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, developed by Evil Empire and published by Konami, is a new entry in the storied franchise that blends classic Castlevania elements with modern metroidvania mechanics. Players control Rose Belmont, who uses a tarot card system to unlock and upgrade spells by defeating bosses, turning them into allies. The preview highlights the game's flexible combat, traversal options, and narrative integration of defeated enemies.
Castlevania Belmont's Curse could just be a gaming classic whipped back into shape
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new action platformer developed by Konami and Evil Empire that returns to the series' gothic roots with modern gameplay innovations. The preview highlights Rose Belmont's unique combat abilities, a rich visual style, and a deep combat system featuring customizable weapons, magic, and movement mechanics. While the core experience appears solid, minor concerns were raised regarding the perceived impact of the XP system and the overall difficulty curve in the preview build.
WARDOGS Showcase Gives Insight Into Its Real-World Inspirations, Performance, and Challenges
The developers at Bullhead provided an in-depth look at WARDOGS, a 100-player battle royale game. The showcase detailed the real-world inspirations for its 2x2 km map, the 'Control Zone,' and the technical challenges overcome to ensure 60 FPS performance on low-end PCs through its 'Potato Mode.' An 'Overkill Mode' is also available for high-end systems.
Halo: Campaign Evolved – What You Need to Know Before Launch
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a ground-up remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, developed by Halo Studios using Unreal Engine 5. The remake aims to modernize the original's gameplay, AI, and narrative delivery while preserving its legacy. It will launch on July 28th for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, featuring enhanced visuals, spatial audio, and updated UI elements.
God of War Laufey Actor “Totally Unbothered” by Negative Reactions: “I Just Know It’s Great”
Deborah Ann Woll, the actor for Laufey in the upcoming God of War title, expressed confidence in the game despite some negative fan reactions to a female-led narrative. Woll stated she is "totally unbothered" because she "just knows it's great," and acknowledged that it's okay if the game isn't for everyone. The article also mentions the game will receive a physical release and speculates on potential story threads.
