Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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WRUP: The cooking rice with liquid mercury song
This week's 'What Are You Playing' roundup features community and staff discussing their weekend gaming plans. Titles mentioned include Palia, Guild Wars 2, Wayfinder, Red Dead Online, Final Fantasy XIV, City of Heroes: Homecoming, Warframe, Death Howl, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. A bonus question asks about default restaurant orders for testing new establishments.
I've already raced through Pragmata 3 times, and it's cemented Capcom's mastery of the modern action game…
This article explores how speedrunning transforms the experience of playing Capcom's modern action game, Pragmata. By engaging deeply with its mechanics, players can discover new challenges and master its systems, making repeat playthroughs more engaging. The author highlights how Pragmata's design, including its UI and combat, supports this playstyle, allowing for significant time reductions on subsequent runs.
Review: Dosa Divas Disappoints
Dosa Divas, Outerloop's latest RPG, explores familial relationships, culture, and cooking but suffers from narrative pacing issues and a less unique battle system compared to their previous titles. While the characters Amani and Samara are compelling, the story's structure and the demanding quick-time events for cooking and combat detract from the overall experience. The reviewer suggests the game might have been better suited as a graphic novel due to its narrative shortcomings.
Why Gamers Secretly Crave Horror in Their Cozy Games
This article explores the appeal of horror elements being introduced into non-horror games, citing examples like Minecraft cave sounds and Subnautica's deep-sea encounters. Developers leverage psychological contrast and trust to create memorable, surprising moments that resonate with players, blurring genre lines and potentially leading to a 'cozy horror' subgenre.
15 Years Later, Games Still Can't Nail What Portal 2 Perfected
Fifteen years after its release, Portal 2 is still considered a benchmark for successful comedy in video games. The article analyzes how Valve's approach to humor, characterized by brevity, character-driven jokes, and thoughtful design, contrasts with many modern games that struggle to integrate comedy effectively. Portal 2's shorter playtime and its characters' genuine motivations contribute to its lasting comedic impact.
Dead by Daylight Devs Actually Want to Talk to Their Players for Once
Behaviour Interactive is hosting a live Q&A on Discord for Dead by Daylight players to discuss the upcoming Grimoire chapter and its 'A Chorus of Sin' mechanics. This direct communication effort, featuring Senior Creative Director Dave Richards and Lead Game Designer Mike, aims to address community concerns and improve transparency after past communication breakdowns. The developers are soliciting questions in advance to ensure meaningful discussion about gameplay design and player feedback.
'I don't want Sloppy Spire 2': Slay the Spire 2 dev teases exciting updates, rejects the concept of…
Developer Mega Crit has teased upcoming updates for Slay the Spire 2, including alternate act versions, Steam Workshop support, new characters, and more. The studio emphasizes a healthy development pace over strict deadlines, aiming to avoid a "sloppy" final product and maintain a sense of whimsy.
3D Monster Maze is a 45 year old survival horror and it’s still scary today - Reader's Feature
A reader revisits the 1980s Sinclair ZX81 survival horror classic, 3D Monster Maze, and finds its simple black and white presentation and text-based T-Rex encounters still create a frighteningly immersive experience. Despite its primitive graphics and lack of sound, the game's core mechanics of evasion and survival against a relentless dinosaur are argued to be the foundation of the survival horror genre.
Silent Hill f Manga Adaptation Set to Begin April 22, 2026
The manga adaptation of Silent Hill f is set to launch on April 22, 2026, in Young Ace UP magazine. The adaptation will feature a new ending written by the game's original scenario writer, Ryukishi07, with artwork by Gokin Ame. Silent Hill f is a psychological horror game set in 1960s rural Japan, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Best Game at the BAFTAs, but this time some other games got to win awards, too
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won the Best Game award at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, though it secured only three wins out of ten nominations. Other notable winners included Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for Artistic Achievement and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for Best Narrative. This year's awards saw a more distributed set of wins compared to Clair Obscur's previous dominant performances at other ceremonies.
Airborne Empire Soars to 1.0 After Epic 15-Month Early Access Journey
Airborne Empire has officially launched version 1.0 after a 15-month Early Access period, concluding its narrative with a confrontation against the Pirate Queen. The flying city builder has been significantly shaped by community feedback, introducing new biomes, game modes like Survival and Pacifist, and expanded language support including Brazilian Portuguese and Russian. This release marks a successful collaboration between developers and players, offering a polished experience for both new and returning players on PC and Mac.
No prizes for guessing what won Best Game at Bafta 2026 Games Awards
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the dominant winner at the Bafta 2026 Games Awards, securing Best Game, Debut Game for Sandfall Interactive, and Performer in a Leading Role for Jennifer English. The Telltale Games style adventure Dispatch also received three awards for Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role for Jeffrey Wright. Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen was controversially awarded the BAFTA Fellowship.
BAFTA Games Awards 2026 winners
The BAFTA Games Awards 2026 celebrated top titles, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning Best Game. Blue Prince received the Game Design award, No Man's Sky won Best Evolving Game, and South of Midnight took home the New IP award. Other notable winners included Dispatch for Animation and Audio Achievement, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for Artistic Achievement.
Arc Raiders players blast new Expedition system that requires you to play on specific days and ignores the money…
Players of Arc Raiders are expressing frustration with a new revision to the game's Expedition system, particularly the requirement to play within a specific five-day window. This change, implemented by developer Embark Studios, invalidates previously saved in-game resources and has led to concerns about FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) among the player base.
Fallout 2 and New Vegas designer still hates the series' Amazon TV show: "I had to shut it off within a…
Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas designer Chris Avellone expressed strong dissatisfaction with Amazon's Fallout TV show, finding both seasons difficult to watch due to perceived flaws in storytelling and cinematography. Despite his criticisms, Avellone acknowledged the show's success and its positive impact on the Fallout franchise.
BAFTA Games Awards 2026 Winners: Full Results and Biggest Moments | Invision Game Community
The BAFTA Games Awards 2026 celebrated a diverse range of titles, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning Best Game and Debut Game. Dispatch also received multiple awards for Animation and Audio Achievement. The ceremony recognized excellence across various categories, including music, technical and artistic achievements, and performance, with Ilkka Paananen receiving the Fellowship Award.
Embark admits 'grinding for monetary value' isn't fun, so future Arc Raiders Expeditions will reward you…
Embark Studios is changing the "Expeditions" system in Arc Raiders, moving away from a grind for monetary value to a damage-based challenge. Players will now earn Skill Points by dealing damage over a five-day window, rather than hoarding scrap. This aims to make the progression system more fun and engaging.
Arc Raiders makes huge Expedition changes, bonus skill points now free but earned by dealing damage: "We want expeditions to be fun and not an endless grind"
Embark Studios has significantly altered Arc Raiders' Expeditions, removing the money grind and replacing it with a five-day challenge focused on dealing damage. The developer aims to make expeditions more fun and less of a grind, encouraging active gameplay over hoarding resources.
Pragmata review - third-person multitasking masterclass
Pragmata is a unique third-person shooter that excels in its innovative hacking-focused combat, despite a weak story and forgettable protagonist. The game's core gameplay loop, which involves simultaneously controlling the shooter Hugh and his android companion Diana to solve real-time hacking puzzles, is described as simple yet ingenious and intensely engaging. While the narrative and character development fall short, the satisfying combat mechanics and progression systems make Pragmata a compelling experience.
"One of the longest running secrets in the history of The Elder Scrolls": Redguard fans discover the 28-year-old game has a special way of protecting women from creeps
Elder Scrolls fans have discovered a 28-year-old secret in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard where attempting to look up a female character's skirt results in a smiley face appearing instead of anatomy. This anti-creep feature, implemented by Bethesda Softworks, has remained largely unknown until now, with the discovery being shared by the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages.
