Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Banquet For Fools is a CRPG like no other and the most interesting thing I've played this year, and between it and Esoteric Ebb, roleplaying fans are eating great right now
Banquet For Fools is a unique CRPG that draws comparisons to Morrowind for its unconventional art style and world-building. The game features party-based combat with real-time elements and a physics-heavy system, offering a challenging and chaotic experience. Developed by Hannah and Joseph Games, it aims to explore themes distinct from traditional fantasy.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection review
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection offers deep monster battling and breeding systems, but its narrative about war is underdeveloped. The game features a visually appealing cel-shaded style and complex turn-based combat that blends Monster Hunter's action with RPG mechanics. While the buildcrafting and gene-swapping systems are robust, the main story fails to engage, and companion characters lack development.
Review | Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PC)
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection offers a narrative-driven JRPG experience set in the Monster Hunter universe, focusing on monster raising and turn-based combat. The game features a distinct cel-shaded visual style reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda and runs well on PC. While it shares some shortcomings with its predecessor, such as a slow start and grindy progression, it provides a charming and visually appealing adventure.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Review - IGN
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a deep and rewarding monster-collecting RPG that builds upon its predecessors with smart changes that enhance gameplay systems without watering them down. The game offers a logical evolution of the series, featuring a more mature tone, engaging combat, and a satisfying gameplay loop of hunting, hatching, and upgrading that kept the reviewer engrossed for over 75 hours.
Vengeance Never Looked This Good – Expert Game Reviews
The remaster of Tales of Berseria offers a compelling experience for both new and returning players, preserving its mature narrative about revenge and loss. While visual upgrades are modest, significant quality-of-life improvements like faster movement and an immediately accessible Grade Shop enhance gameplay. The combat system remains fluid, though enemy variety can lead to repetition during longer play sessions.
A Nioh 3 boss made me so pissed off that I smashed a hole into my desk
The author recounts an incident where extreme frustration with a Nioh 3 boss led to smashing an Xbox controller and damaging a desk. This event is discussed in the context of personal anger expression, work-related stress from covering the game for a publication, and a familial tendency towards outbursts at technological frustrations.
WarioWare Legend Goro Abe Quits Nintendo After Over 25 Years
Goro Abe, a key figure behind Nintendo's WarioWare series for over 25 years, has departed the company. He will now serve as a professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University, focusing on a new course titled "Game and Social Design." Abe's career at Nintendo began with Wario Land 4 and included significant contributions to the WarioWare franchise and the Super Smash Bros. series.
WiZmans World Re; Try Review | NoobFeed
WiZmans World Re;Try offers extensive customization and an engaging story, featuring unique Anima Fusion and chain mechanics. However, repetitive dungeon flow and uneven difficulty detract from the overall enjoyment, suggesting the execution falls short of the game's promising ideas.
American McGee's Alice Sequel Is Happening, With A Loophole
American McGee has announced plans for a "spiritual successor" to the American McGee's Alice series, linking it to his Plushie Dreadfuls game. While Electronic Arts retains the IP rights, McGee's new game will connect to the end of Alice: Madness Returns without infringing on his contract. This project aims to provide closure for fans of the cult-hit series.
EVE Frontier Unveils Cycle 5 Of Founder Access: Shroud of Fear
CCP Games announced that EVE Frontier will launch its fifth Founder Access cycle, titled Shroud of Fear, on March 11, 2026. This update introduces new features such as the Shell industry for clone body production, Orbital Zones replacing dungeons, and redefined traversal and combat systems. The game will also migrate from Ethereum to the Sui blockchain, and a $80,000 prize pool hackathon will coincide with the launch.
Hidden Gems of Game Design Vol 45
This article highlights several underappreciated games, including the puzzle game Spooky Express, the genre-bending Jail Dice: Roll to Break, the challenging roguelike shmup Rick Henderson, and the flawed but ambitious MMO Champions of Regnum. Each game is presented with its unique mechanics and appeal, encouraging readers to discover these hidden gems.
SKROLLCAT STUDIOS AND PM STUDIOS UNVEIL HOA 2, A PEACEFUL HAND-PAINTED JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND TRANSFORMATION
Skrollcat Studios and PM Studios have officially unveiled Hoa 2, the sequel to the narrative adventure puzzle-platformer Hoa, set to launch in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The game will feature a transition to 3D while retaining its hand-painted art style, offering new puzzles and platforming challenges in a world reshaped by time.
Marathon tackles microtransaction complaints, preps patch to smooth out pain points
Bungie is addressing player complaints regarding Marathon's microtransaction pricing and other pain points with an upcoming patch. The developer will increase the amount of premium currency players receive for their money and credit existing customers with extra currency. The patch will also improve in-game navigation and starting supplies.
Extraction Game Launches Today with Complete Save Wipe and Pioneer Rewards
An extraction game has launched its full release today, implementing a complete save wipe of all demo progress to maintain a level playing field and high stakes. To compensate early supporters, special 'Pioneer Rewards' themed around Chinese historical artifacts have been prepared, offering a balanced start without granting an unfair advantage.
Inside Unsealed: The Mare – How One Developer Turned Nightmares Into Psychological Horror
Simon, the solo developer at Gamhalla, discusses the inspirations and design of his upcoming psychological horror game, Unsealed: The Mare. Drawing from personal experiences with sleep paralysis and nightmares, the game focuses on atmosphere, player awareness, and audio cues for survival. Unsealed: The Mare is set to launch on March 10th for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
More clues appear for Marathon’s Cryo Archive map after players finish a puzzle on Perimeter
Players have discovered clues related to Marathon's upcoming Cryo Archive map through puzzles on the Perimeter map, leading to a dedicated website. Interacting with terminals reveals camera feeds, and solving audio log puzzles has unlocked more images. Bungie has indicated Cryo Archive is scheduled for a mid-to-late March release during Season 1, with speculation that it could be a PvPvE map featuring bosses and significant loot areas.
Toy Shop Boys
Toy Shop Boys is a vertical shooter with a toy-themed aesthetic and an interesting premise, but ultimately suffers from slow pacing and uninspired gameplay. While it features unique mechanics like controlling three boys simultaneously with distinct weapons, the homing boomerangs are overpowered, making other options redundant. Despite a late-game difficulty spike, the game is considered average at best and lacks the excitement found in better titles on the platform.
Just like Concord, Highguard is checking out; will Marathon go the same way?
The article discusses the challenges faced by games like Concord and Highguard, suggesting they may suffer a similar fate to Marathon due to premature grand launches without sufficient traction. It criticizes the generic visual identity of such games and advocates for a more humble, gradual development approach.
Interview – How Rainbow Six Mobile brings that tactical Siege mentality to your phone
Ubisoft Montreal's Olivier Albarracin discusses the development of Rainbow Six Mobile, adapting the tactical shooter experience for iOS and Android devices. He highlights design choices made to maintain Siege's core identity while optimizing for mobile, including adjusted map pacing, faster prep phases, and unique operator weapons. The interview also touches on character readability, control schemes, and the game's accessibility for new players.
"It always feels like it's never enough" Dragon Age creator David Gaider explains the problem with world states and reactivity
Dragon Age creator David Gaider discusses the challenges of implementing player choice and reactivity across multiple games, citing Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition as examples. He explains that while callbacks are appreciated, delivering entirely new plotlines based on past decisions is often unrealistic within game development constraints, unlike in novels or series like Mass Effect.
