Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Comedy games are alive and well in Horse Magnifier, a game where you do just that
Horse Magnifier is a charming puzzle game where players manipulate lenses to match distorted horse images. Despite its simple premise of magnifying horses, the game also includes shrinking, flipping, and twisting mechanics. The article praises the game's comedic value, a rarity in the medium, and notes its potential for a Steam release with a level editor.
Final Fantasy 14's latest variant dungeon is so good, it deserves better—the MMO needs to figure out its rewards so all this great work isn't wasted
The latest variant dungeon in Final Fantasy 14, The Merchant's Tale, is praised for its stunning visuals and engaging boss fights, but criticized for its lackluster reward structure. The article argues that Square Enix needs to improve how rewards are distributed to keep older content relevant and to better honor the work of its designers. While the new 'advanced' difficulty is a success, the rewards like tradeable accessories and consumables do not justify the effort for many players, especially when compared to the gear progression typically locked behind Savage raids.
We Sat Down With Riot Senior Designer Jon Moormann at PAX East and Talked All Things Riftbound
Riot Games Senior Designer Jon Moormann discussed various aspects of Riftbound during an interview at PAX East. Topics included the game's ban philosophy, design timelines, and insights into the current competitive meta.
Crimson Desert Review | TheXboxHub
Crimson Desert offers a vast and engaging open world with diverse activities and a chaotic but enjoyable combat system. Despite some narrative disjointedness and minor bugs, the game's exploration and emergent gameplay make it a worthwhile, albeit massive, time investment. The visuals and sound design are impressive, contributing to an ambitious and immersive experience.
Something for the Easter Weekend – 04/04/26
This week's gaming news includes updates on Elder Scrolls Online Season 0, the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 featuring Gears of War: E-Day, and early access releases for games like Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. Reviews covered Darwin’s Paradox, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, and The Division: Resurgence, with comparisons made to its mobile counterpart.
Review: Bubblegum Galaxy Features a Fantastic Aesthetic
Bubblegum Galaxy is a puzzle game that excels in its whimsical aesthetic and charming characters, drawing comparisons to Keita Takahashi's works. While the core tile-matching gameplay is pleasant and relaxed, the game's true strength lies in its captivating world-building and delightful office ambiance. It is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
IT HAS MY FACE 1.0 Launches Tomorrow with 8-Player Multiplayer Mayhem
BHVR's horror game IT HAS MY FACE is launching its full 1.0 version tomorrow, expanding from a 1v1 experience to support up to 8 players. The update introduces new multiplayer modes like Free For All and Team Deathmatch, along with 18 mutators to alter gameplay. The developer has focused on building robust multiplayer infrastructure, including straightforward matchmaking and a spectator mode, to handle the increased player count.
Zoo Orbs Review | TheXboxHub
Zoo Orbs offers a refreshing level-based approach to the merge-puzzle genre, requiring players to complete specific objectives rather than simply merging animals indefinitely. While the core merging mechanics are solid, the game's mission structure sometimes undermines the satisfaction of creating large animals and lacks highscore chasing elements. Despite these drawbacks, its unique take on the formula makes it an appealing option for genre fans seeking novelty.
"I was chomping at the bit to crack the code": How procedural maps became XCOM 2's biggest ambition, after Firaxis couldn't manage it in Enemy Unknown
Firaxis Games initially struggled with procedural map generation for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, opting for handcrafted levels to ensure quality. For XCOM 2, the team prioritized cracking procedural generation, developing a 'plot and parcel' system to create varied and believable maps across different environments. Key figures like Garth DeAngelis, Jake Solomon, Greg Foertsch, and Brian Hess were instrumental in overcoming the technical and design challenges.
Shrapnel Introduces First Battle Pass With New Operators and Weapon Skins
Shrapnel has launched its first Battle Pass, introducing new operators and cosmetic items to its onchain shooter available in Steam Early Access. Developed by Neon Machine using Unreal Engine 5, the game emphasizes player ownership and a tradable in-game economy centered around the $SHRAP token, with plans for future blockchain integration on GalaChain.
Super Meat Boy 3D Review – Tight Gameplay, Less Distinct Style
Super Meat Boy 3D successfully translates the series' signature tight platforming and challenging gameplay into a three-dimensional space. While the visual style is less distinct than its 2D predecessor, the well-designed levels, quick restarts, and unlockable characters offer substantial content for platformer fans.
Slay the Spire 2 adds end-of-run badges 'to let you know what was unique about each adventure' in latest beta…
Slay the Spire 2 is introducing end-of-run badges in its latest beta patch, designed to highlight unique accomplishments during gameplay. Developer Mega Crit also detailed numerous balance changes, bug fixes, and UI adjustments, including reworked cards and enemy behaviors. The update aims to enhance run distinctiveness and scoring, with some changes sparking player feedback similar to previous beta releases.
FromSoftware experts find evidence Hidetaka Miyazaki's breakout RPG Demon's Souls deleted the biggest middle finger in the series: giant birds that hurl you off cliffs
New findings reveal that FromSoftware's Demon's Souls originally planned to feature giant birds that would throw players off cliffs, a design element that was ultimately cut. This discovery sheds light on the developer's long-standing penchant for harsh, punishing mechanics, evident in later titles like Elden Ring. The article speculates on the impact of such an enemy on the game's difficulty and its place in the series' history.
Fight or Kite: Spellcasters Chronicles is the most fun I’ve ever had in a MOBA
Spellcasters Chronicles is a fast-paced MOBA that offers a refreshing take on the genre with customizable skills and epic titan battles. Despite significant technical hurdles during installation and launch on multiple machines, the early access title provides an engaging experience for MOBA fans. The game features unique heroes, a deck-building system for abilities, and a unique mechanic where players must manually summon minions and colossal titans.
Warframe of Mind: Evaluating Follie and her Hunt changes
This analysis evaluates the recent changes to Follie's Hunt in Warframe, concluding that despite some improvements, the mode still suffers from fundamental design flaws that make it feel unfair rather than challenging. The article also delves into the abilities of the new Warframe, Follie, highlighting her unique passive and powerful '2' ability which offers significant environmental control.
Need a bit of Pokopia inspo? Check out these 10 amazing design ideas
This article provides inspiration for Pokopia players looking to enhance their in-game builds by showcasing 10 unique designs created by the community. Examples include recreating Kanto landmarks, a colorful seaside market, a Game Boy-themed house, an underground cyberpunk city, a Jurassic Park-inspired dinosaur enclosure, a Spirited Away bath house, a Mario Kart-style racetrack, a maximum security prison for Mr. Mime, a concert stage for DJ Rotom, and an efficient storage room setup.
The First Descendant Gets Overhaul Roadmap Following Nexon’s “No Staying Power” Assessment
Nexon has acknowledged that The First Descendant failed to maintain player retention, citing deeper design issues rather than superficial problems. The development team has outlined a three-phase "Completing the Game" roadmap to address core gameplay systems, improve the main story and early progression, and add new content. This overhaul follows mixed player reception since the game's launch in June 2024 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
'We've Really Gone to Town': Control Resonant Dev Diary Focuses on Its Action RPG Gameplay
Remedy Entertainment has released a new developer diary for Control Resonant, focusing on its action RPG gameplay. The sequel aims to define what an RPG made by Remedy looks like, featuring expanded skill trees, versatile combat, and deeper gameplay systems. The studio has its largest gameplay team ever working on Resonant, promising more weapon forms, abilities, and engaging enemy encounters.
Marathon isn't deathmatch gone wide, it's multiplayer Alien: Isolation and every other player is a xenomorph
Marathon is described as a multiplayer evolution of single-player stealth experiences like Alien: Isolation, where other players act as intelligent, listening threats. The game emphasizes sound design and player-driven pacing, allowing for avoidant strategies similar to classic titles like Thief and Far Cry. Bungie's approach creates persistent ambiguity and a tense atmosphere, making it a compelling experience for stealth fans.
"What if the gameplay was fun? This blew our f***ing minds": Dispatch devs had a revelation after years of…
Developers at AdHoc Studio, including former Telltale Games veterans, had a realization that their adventure games could be more fun. This led to a new design philosophy for their upcoming title, Dispatch, aiming to move beyond the traditional Telltale formula.
