Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Crimson Desert’s Latest Update Is Better Than Expected
Crimson Desert has received its latest update, patch 1.08, which introduces several significant changes and improvements. Key additions include a dedicated tool slot, the ability to construct ponds for fish, and the introduction of new small animals like a baby Wyvern. The update also enhances gameplay with new firearm options for Kliff, improved UI features like reassignable input keys, and graphical enhancements such as ray-traced sun/moon light shadows.
007 First Light – 15 More Things to Know Before Launch
007 First Light will launch on May 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC, featuring a 20-hour campaign with a predetermined ending and no New Game Plus. The game focuses on gadget progression rather than character skill upgrades, and will offer three difficulty settings. PC requirements range from minimum to Ultra 4K settings, with support for DLSS and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, though path tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction are slated for a summer update. The game can be played offline after an initial online patch, but cross-save functionality will not be available.
007 First Light Could Deliver The Uncharted Fix Fans Want
IO Interactive's upcoming James Bond origin story, 007 First Light, is being compared to the Uncharted series, particularly Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, for its cinematic, character-driven action-adventure style. While Uncharted focused on treasure hunting and Naughty Dog's signature linear spectacle, 007 First Light aims to blend cinematic set-pieces with more player agency and systemic design elements, drawing inspiration from both Uncharted and the Hitman series.
Dying Light: The Beast Taught Techland That “Quality Beats Quantity,” Says Former Franchise Director
Former Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektala stated that Techland learned a hard lesson from Dying Light 2 Stay Human, realizing that quality is more important than quantity. The team is now focusing on core gameplay elements for "Dying Light: The Beast," which has received praise for its parkour, combat, and open-world design. This shift in focus emphasizes quality over trying to satisfy every player expectation.
Talos Principle 3 will definitely be the last one in the series, because 'so many videogames just don't end, and then you have an endless kind of cliffhanger'
Croteam has confirmed that The Talos Principle 3 will be the final installment in the series, aiming to provide a conclusive narrative arc rather than an endless franchise. Writer Jonas Kyratzes and game director Davor Hunski emphasized the importance of a satisfying ending for the thoughtful puzzle game, contrasting it with other media that often leave stories unresolved. While a small spinoff is possible, the main story of The Talos Principle concludes with the third entry.
'All You Need to Do Is Storm the Castle': Dawnwalker Director Stresses Player Choice in PS5 RPG
The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming RPG from Rebel Wolves, emphasizes player choice with a single primary objective: rescuing the protagonist's family. Director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and lead quest designer Rafał Jankowski explain that while players can attempt to storm the antagonist's castle immediately, most will engage with optional quests to gather allies and advance abilities. The game features a time system similar to Persona, suggesting multiple playthroughs are necessary to experience all content.
Journey's creator feels that by proving "videogames can make people cry," they influenced the industry embracing games about "serious, emotional subjects" like The Last of Us and God of War
Jenova Chen, president of thatgamecompany, believes their games like Journey influenced the industry to embrace titles with serious, emotional subjects, citing examples like The Last of Us and God of War. Chen feels this shift, driven by player demand, has been a positive growth for the industry, and thatgamecompany continues to explore emotional experiences and social dynamics with their current game, Sky: Children of the Light.
It Seems Most PS5 Fans Prefer Returnal Over Saros, But It's Not That Straightforward
A poll of PlayStation 5 owners indicates a preference for Returnal over Saros, with 43% favoring Returnal overall. However, Saros received higher marks for gameplay, while Returnal was preferred for its story and main character, Selene. Both games are developed by Housemarque.
Paralives has done the one exact thing I was begging life sims for
Paralives has launched into early access, offering a life simulation experience that incorporates strategic gameplay elements that the author has been requesting. The game features customizable 'storytellers' to adjust difficulty and mechanics, and its core gameplay loop includes strategic conversation choices and personality-driven events that influence player decisions.
Memorial Day Postmortems/Retrospectives
This article reflects on past game development decisions, specifically Arkane's unfulfilled potential for Thief 4 before Dishonored. It also touches on the personal experience of struggling to complete The Witcher 3, suggesting readers avoid similar pitfalls.
Aonuma was stunned by Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 when developing Zelda Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma revealed in a resurfaced 2005 interview that he was stunned by Capcom's Resident Evil 4 while developing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Aonuma expressed admiration for Resident Evil 4's direction and gameplay, stating he learned a lot from it.
Silent Hill 2 devs tease mystery Switch horror game you can't 'replicate' on PS5
Bloober Team is developing a new horror game exclusively for Nintendo platforms, with CEO Piotr Babieno teasing its potential to leverage unique Switch hardware features for immersive experiences. The studio aims to create a distinct horror title for Nintendo, drawing inspiration from classic horror games released on Nintendo consoles. This project, codenamed Project M, is described as having a smaller budget than their other titles and is distinct from the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Final Fantasy Tactics beat Pokemon when the Mewgenics creators were trying to figure out how combat should work: "One has depth, and the other has the illusion of depth"
Mewgenics creators Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel discussed the game's development, revealing a shift from a Pokemon-like combat system to a Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired tactical RPG. They preferred the latter's depth, particularly regarding positioning mechanics, over what they perceived as Pokemon's more superficial combat.
Wisdom of Nym: How different will ranged and magical jobs be in Final Fantasy XIV’s Evolved mode?
This article discusses how ranged and magical jobs in Final Fantasy XIV's Evolved mode might change, categorizing jobs into those with stable rotations and those that have undergone significant evolution. It analyzes specific jobs like Bard, Dancer, Machinist, Pictomancer, Red Mage, Black Mage, Summoner, Scholar, Sage, White Mage, and Astrologian, predicting potential adjustments to their mechanics and abilities.
Zelda boss Eiji Aonuma was so impressed with Resident Evil 4 that he thought "I should have done it myself"
The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that he was highly impressed by Resident Evil 4 during the development of Twilight Princess, even feeling he should have created it himself. Aonuma discussed his transition to producer and how he learned from Resident Evil 4's direction, while also noting that the Resident Evil team might have been inspired by Zelda.
Peak's success helped Aggro Crab commit to co-op, says studio head: 'We thought we were a character action…
Aggro Crab studio head Nick Kaman stated that the success of their game Peak, developed in collaboration with Landfall Games, has shifted the studio's focus towards co-op experiences. Previously considering themselves a character action studio, the positive reception and energy gained from Peak and Content Warning have led them to explore social game mechanics further in their upcoming title, Crashout Crew.
9 cool things about Paralives you won't find in The Sims
Paralives, now in early access, offers several unique features not found in The Sims 4, enhancing the life simulation experience. These include resizable objects, snap-free decorating, a color wheel for customization, height sliders for characters, and more streamlined quality-of-life mechanics like needs-dependent skill progression and simplified vegetarian toggles.
Which Storyteller should you pick in Paralives?
This guide for Paralives discusses the different Storyteller options available to players. It aims to help players choose the best Storyteller to shape their unique in-game narrative.
"We're not competing with Dawn of War 1, we're competing with people's memory" says DoW 4 lead creative
KING Art Games' Creative Director Jan Theysen discusses Dawn of War 4, stating the team is competing with players' memories of the original game rather than the game itself. Theysen emphasizes recreating the feelings of the first Dawn of War with modern design standards, focusing on base-building, map control, and large-scale battles within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. He also notes the resurgence of the Real-Time Strategy genre and the importance of strong campaigns and universes to attract both long-time fans and new players.
Bloober Team’s Project M to be “uniquely Nintendo” and use Switch 2 in way others “simply wouldn’t be able to replicate”
Bloober Team's CEO Piotr Babieno discussed their upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, Project M, aiming for a "uniquely Nintendo" horror experience. He highlighted the potential of the platform's features beyond raw power to influence game design and atmosphere in ways other consoles cannot replicate.
