Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
Latest coverage
Control Resonant’s Underpass is Peak Remedy Design
The Underpass in Remedy Entertainment's Control: AWE is highlighted as a masterclass in level and narrative design, showcasing the developer's signature 'weirdness'. The environment effectively uses spatial design, shifting timelines, and environmental storytelling to create a disorienting yet compelling experience for players.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons’ Core Story Won’t Change Based on Player Choices
Invoke's general manager Dominique Guay stated that Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons will not feature significant changes to its main narrative based on player choices, unlike Baldur's Gate 3. The game will focus on a single protagonist, Kaatri, and her imp, Skev, with an emphasis on exploration over waypoint following. Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is set to release in 2027 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Grand Theft Auto 6 May Not Include Attractions Like Disney World and Universal Studios
Rockstar Games has indicated that Grand Theft Auto 6 may not feature direct replicas of Florida's major theme parks like Disney World or Universal Studios. While specific attractions are omitted for design reasons, the game aims to capture the overall Florida experience with a diverse open world, including a rebuilt Vice City and six distinct regions in Leonida. The game is set to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th.
World of Warcraft: Forever survey pitches new classes to players, including Bard, Witch, and more
Blizzard Entertainment is surveying World of Warcraft: Forever players about potential new classes, including Bard, Witch, Necromancer, and Tinker. While some classes like Demon Hunter and Monk appear similar to existing versions, others are entirely new concepts. The survey suggests these classes may be added post-launch, with concerns raised about potential monetization and balance issues.
Creative Assembly stays true to the first movie as Alien: Isolation 2 focus on atmosphere over scale
Creative Assembly developers Archie Whitehead and Ana Sopikova discuss the focus on atmosphere and authenticity for Alien: Isolation 2, drawing heavily from the original 1979 film. They emphasize a commitment to custom lighting technology and a blue-collar, retrofuture aesthetic over scale, aiming to recapture the dread of the first game.
Queen's Domain brings the spirit of King's Field to PC & consoles in October
Queen's Domain, an indie action-RPG inspired by FromSoftware's King's Field series, is set to launch on October 30 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Freshly Baked Games and published by Future Friends Games, the title aims to replicate the challenging combat and atmosphere of its 1990s predecessors.
Intervju: Ace Combat siktar på 50 år i luften
In an interview, Kazutoki Kono and Manabu Shimomoto of Bandai Namco discuss the development and future of the Ace Combat series, focusing on Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. They highlight the success of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the importance of narrative and sound design, and the expanded online multiplayer in the new title, expressing a desire for the series to reach its 50th anniversary.
Perfect Ten: 10 reasons why mobile MMORPGs never became a phenomenon
This analysis explores ten reasons why mobile MMORPGs have failed to achieve widespread popularity comparable to their PC and console counterparts. Factors include the novelty wearing off, negative industry stigma, lack of socialization, cluttered interfaces, streamlined design, perceived disposability, short play session focus, aggressive monetization, and general phone fatigue.
The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past plays out differently if you've finished the RPG's second expansion, but devs…
Fool's Theory, a partner studio to CD Projekt Red, has confirmed that the upcoming expansion 'Songs of the Past' for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will not require players to have completed the game's previous expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Creative vision director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz stated that the new content will adapt to the player's progress, allowing immediate access after finishing the main story, though dialogue and consequences will reflect whether the second expansion was completed.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons developers hope to set aside the Baldur's Gate 3 comparisons and build their own kind of open world
Invoke Studios aims to differentiate Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons from titles like Baldur's Gate 3 by focusing on a reactive open world driven by its magic system. Players will use synergistic spells for combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration, with a dense world designed for discovery rather than following strict waypoints. The game emphasizes player creativity and exploration over dialogue choices or party-based gameplay.
End of Abyss review: "Little Nightmares meets Resident Evil, but they meet at Frustration Station"
End of Abyss offers a tense, atmospheric survival horror experience at its best, but is marred by frustrating design decisions, particularly in its boss fights and item management. While drawing comparisons to Little Nightmares and Resident Evil, the game struggles with accessibility and can lead to tedious backtracking, despite rewarding exploration with lore and powerful weapons.
As handholding mechanics come under fire elsewhere, Control Resonant devs confirm they made a "conscious decision" not to use yellow paint
Control Resonant director Mikael Kasurinen confirmed the game consciously avoids using yellow paint for player guidance, prioritizing player autonomy. This contrasts with other games that use such markers, which have drawn criticism, including Marvel's Wolverine's 'fart trails'. While Resonant uses yellow organically, the developers believe player-driven decision-making is key to a good game.
Browser Games With Real Stakes: A Look at Simple Mechanics Done Well - Walkthrough, Tips, Review
This article analyzes successful browser games like 2048, Wordle, Suika Game, and QWOP, highlighting how simple, precisely tuned mechanics, rather than scope or marketing, drive player engagement. It explores how these games leverage instant feedback and clear rules to create addictive experiences, drawing parallels to effective design principles in other industries.
"I always see it kind of like a triangle": The surprising challenge of making the perfectly-sized cave in Satisfactory expansion Core Values
The upcoming Satisfactory expansion, Core Values, presents a unique design challenge for Coffee Stain Studios: creating perfectly-sized underground caves for factory construction. Developers Emmet Burke and Torsten Gunst discuss the delicate balance between providing enough space for player creativity and maintaining the immersive feeling of exploring tunnels, while producer Julio Mendez hints at new logistics tools to overcome environmental constraints.
"Getting sidetracked doesn’t feel too unnatural": Baldur's Gate 3 Act Two Expansion modder on how they seamlessly fit a "detour" to fight an army into the RPG's plot
Modder SquallyDaBeanz discusses their custom campaign for Baldur's Gate 3, which adds a new chapter between Act 2 and Act 3. They explain how the mod seamlessly integrates a side quest into the main narrative, allowing players to explore without losing narrative momentum. The modder also touches on the challenges of modding the game, crediting community efforts for overcoming toolkit bugs and documentation gaps.
Mia’s Journey Turns A Cat’s Search For Humanity Into A Charming Puzzle Adventure
Mia's Journey, a charming puzzle adventure developed by Ourbit Game Studio and published by Afil Games, is now available for £4.19 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. The game features 32 levels where players guide souls to purifying altars, requiring careful planning and observation. Between puzzles, cutscenes reveal Mia's story as she seeks to regain her humanity with the help of a mysterious Cat God.
Diablo 5 Will Offer a Balance of Planning and Moment-to-Moment Execution, Says Director
Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely stated that the game will balance moment-to-moment execution with planning and investment in character builds. This approach aims to satisfy fans of the Action RPG genre who prefer strategic character development, differentiating it from Diablo 3 and 4. The game is slated for a 2029 release.
Diablo 5 director responds to concerns the action RPG is more action than RPG: "Any challenge can be overcome with…
Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely addressed concerns that the upcoming action RPG might lean too heavily into action mechanics over RPG elements. He stated that while moment-to-moment execution will be present, the game will ultimately focus on planning and investment through builds, ensuring any challenge can be overcome with the right setup. This comes after Grinding Gear Games co-founder Chris Wilson expressed hope for a return to build-centric combat.
Sometimes the thing you need is a wonderfully ethereal physics platformer jam game where you are a little round guy with very stretchy arms called Big Stretch
Big Stretch is a free, physics-based platformer game jam title where players control a spherical creature with stretchy arms to climb a challenging tower. Developed in 72 hours, the game emphasizes 'Vibe' and mystery over complex assets, offering a unique experience available for download on itch.io.
Satisfactory DLC Core Values will introduce cavernous constraints through new underground biomes
Satisfactory's first DLC, Core Values, will introduce new underground biomes, buildings, and a storyline, featuring intentional constraints that challenge players' optimization skills. The expansion requires reaching Tier 3 of HUB research and allows seamless switching between the DLC and the base game. Additionally, a Satisfactory board game is planned for a 2026 launch.
