Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
Latest coverage
Inside the Minds of Indie Devs – Interviewing WildArts, the studio behind Caput Mortum, Helltown and Born of Bread – GTOGG
WildArts Studio, a two-person indie developer based in Canada, discusses their games Caput Mortum, Helltown, and Born of Bread. Art director Gabriel highlights inspirations from retro 3D dungeon crawlers and survival horror, emphasizing creative freedom within limitations. The interview also touches on the unique control scheme of Caput Mortum and the studio's strategy of focusing on smaller, polished productions.
Dead Format Review – Filled with creativity and stunning visuals, but falls short of greatness – GTOGG
Dead Format offers an intriguing premise of diving into supernatural VHS tapes as a survival horror game, but ultimately falls short of greatness due to frustrating design decisions. While visually stunning and atmospheric, the game's heavy reliance on stealth, an unkillable stalker, lack of a map, and restrictive saving system detract from the experience.
Inside the Minds of Indie Devs – Interviewing Sandman Team, the developer behind precision platformer Through the Nightmares – GTOGG
This interview features Kate Kovnir, art director at Sandman Team, discussing their precision platformer Through the Nightmares. Kovnir shares insights into balancing game difficulty, the importance of creative freedom in development, and challenges faced by the small team, including cutting content due to scope. She also touches on player feedback and hypothetical unlimited resources.
Storslam för Arc Raiders på Swedish Game Awards
Arc Raiders was the big winner at the Swedish Game Awards, taking home Game of the Year and three other major awards including Best Audio, Best Game Design, and Best Technology. Europa Universalis V won the public vote for Players' Game of the Year, while Battlefield 6 and other popular titles left empty-handed.
Stray (PS5)
This review of Stray on PlayStation 5 details a frustrating experience after the initial hours of gameplay. The reviewer found the quest design to be illogical and tedious, particularly the main story's fetch quests for a hat and coat, which involved convoluted steps and mechanics not previously introduced. The article concludes that the game's structure became disjointed and not worth the player's time, despite a strong visual and audio presentation.
Nintendo Switch: Breath of the Wild
This review discusses the experience of playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch, comparing it to a previous experience with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Despite initial frustrations with certain game mechanics like stealth escort missions, inventory management, and final boss design, the reviewer ultimately found the game addictive and enjoyable, praising its open world, graphics, combat, and puzzles, ultimately giving it a 7/10.
Why Older Games Where more Difficult to Complete
Older video games, particularly from the NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 eras, were often more difficult due to limitations in cartridge storage space and the high cost of games. Developers extended gameplay by increasing difficulty and puzzle complexity, as well as omitting features like mini-maps. This design choice contrasted with modern games that prioritize accessibility and shorter completion times.
Why Do Games Say "Game Over" After Loosing/Dying?
The phrase "Game Over" originated in 1950s pinball machines and evolved from the arcade scene, where it signaled the end of a player's turn after losing all lives. This mechanic was designed to encourage spending more money by offering finite lives and high score challenges. While less common in modern console games due to save states and respawn points, the concept of ending a run or session persists, with some games using unique phrases or humorous messages.
Taking Notes and Drawing Maps While Gaming; How it Changes the Gaming Experience.
This article discusses the practice of taking notes and drawing maps while gaming, highlighting its historical necessity and continued benefits for modern players. It explores how this method enhances engagement, aids in progression for complex games like Metroidvanias and puzzle games, and suggests that integrated note-taking features in platforms like Steam would be highly beneficial.
Why You Should Play Bad Games
This opinion piece argues that playing poorly reviewed or designed games can enhance a gamer's appreciation for well-crafted titles. By experiencing flaws in level design, controls, and artwork, players can gain a deeper understanding of what makes good games enjoyable. The author suggests this approach can combat gaming monotony and offers examples like The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, and Super Meat Boy as games that, despite potential flaws, offer valuable lessons.
How to Win at Games Without Using Guides
This article discusses the prevalence of gaming guides and wikis, suggesting that players sometimes wish to complete games without external help. It offers strategies such as trial and error, documenting findings in a journal, and drawing maps to enhance the gaming experience and reduce reliance on guides.
Undermine Major Tips and Boss/NPC Part 1
This guide for the roguelike action game Undermine provides tips and advice for progression, covering movement, combat, upgrades, and secret discovery. It highlights the importance of HP upgrades and strategic use of keys and bombs. The article also touches on the impact of recent updates like The Collector.
Fall Guys Is Not A Fad
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, released by Devolver Digital, has achieved significant popularity with 7 million copies sold on Steam and becoming the most downloaded game on PlayStation Plus. Despite claims that it is a fad, the game maintains a strong player base and continues to be popular on streaming platforms like Twitch. The article argues that good games rise to the top and Fall Guys' continued success and fun gameplay indicate it is not a fad.
Compete Without Spending Money – Expert Game Reviews
This guide provides strategies for free-to-play users in Diablo Immortal, focusing on realistic expectations, resource optimization, and efficient progression systems. It details daily and weekly activities, resource allocation, legendary gem strategies, and psychological approaches to maintain enjoyment and competitiveness without spending money.
The Daily Grind: What’s the worst MMORPG you play anyway?
This opinion piece discusses the phenomenon of loving a game despite its flaws, using Dune Awakening as an example of a title that evokes mixed feelings. The author asks readers to share the "worst" MMORPG they still play, highlighting the subjective nature of enjoyment in the genre.
Equinox Homecoming caps off week of launch and business model announcements with a new dev blog
Blue Scarab announced that the horse mystery MMO Equinox Homecoming will launch on March 5th, following a free demo and the reveal of its business model. The studio plans to support the game with future content and has detailed its cave design approach in a new developer blog.
The Daily Grind: What’s the most recent MMORPG you’ve gone back to?
This article discusses the common player behavior of returning to established favorite MMORPGs rather than trying new ones. It acknowledges that while some players may dislike this trend, the author finds comfort and enjoyment in revisiting older titles. The piece poses a question to readers about the last MMORPG they returned to and their reasons for doing so.
Project DNA is an in-development action MMORPG where immortal characters fight in a ruined world
Supervoid has revealed Project DNA, an in-development MMORPG set in a post-apocalyptic world where players control immortal superpowered humans. The game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and will feature active combat, a living world with player-driven politics and economy, and a unique evolution system.
Bungie is considering a dedicated duos mode and time-to-kill changes after Marathon server slam feedback
Following its recent server slam, Bungie is considering player feedback for its upcoming game Marathon, including the potential for a dedicated duos mode and adjustments to the time-to-kill (TTK) in PvP. The developer is also reviewing PC performance issues and the in-game economy for healing items and ammunition. While Bungie is acknowledging player concerns, it has not committed to specific changes, emphasizing that these are considerations for post-launch iteration.
What Halo Infinite Should Have Been - The Game Fanatics
This opinion piece reflects on what Halo Infinite could have been, contrasting its current state with the franchise's past impact. The author suggests that despite initial delays and perceived incompleteness, the game now has potential, especially with the move to Unreal Engine 5, and offers ideas for future installments.
