Grumpy Gamer

AUGUST 9, 2014

In part 1 of 1 in my series of articles on games design, let’s delve into one of the (if not THE) most useful tool for designing adventure games: The Puzzle Dependency Chart. Gary and I didn’t have Puzzle Dependency Charts for Maniac Mansion, and in a lot of ways it really shows. It’s Sunday. Let’s build one!

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Culling Game Design Game Designer 130

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games. The puzzle genre is a powerhouse in mobile gaming, generating over $7 billion annually in in-app purchases (IAP). Titles like Match Factory , Triple Match 3D , and Tile Busters have successfully carved out space by introducing fresh mechanics to the puzzle category.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Mechanics Tile Games 52

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Cocoon, the intricate puzzle adventure by Jeppe Carlsen , known as the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside, launched to raving reviews after 6.5 years of development. Cocoon’s development journey spanned a challenging 6.5 The art, sounds, and animation need to communicate the puzzle logic effectively.”

Puzzle 257

Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 257

Game Developer

APRIL 25, 2023

The studio was quietly formed in 2022 by a group of former King, Seriously, and Next Games developers.

Puzzle 246

Puzzle AI Mobile Mobile 246

Game Refinery

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

If executed correctly, introducing new mechanics in this way can be an easy win, enabling developers to test out player preferences, broaden motivational appeal, boost user acquisition, and enhance player engagement – all without drastically altering the core gameplay. What’s particularly interesting about this archetype is its rarity.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 130

Game Refinery

MAY 4, 2023

In the past, hybridization was mainly seen in 4X strategy games that merged with puzzle and idle RPG mechanics , but in recent months this phenomenon has spread to titles of all shapes and sizes across the market – not just the hybrid-casual genre. In many respects, this change isn’t particularly surprising.

Mobile Gaming 252

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Mechanics 252

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 30, 2023

With the discussions over the use of AI in game development raging on, Jussi-Petteri Kemppainen , Lead VFX Artist at Mainframe Industries and founder of Dinosaurs Are Better , spends his spare time to see what all the fuss really is about. With his free, experimental 2.5D His preliminary conclusion?

AI 190

AI Game Development Game Developer Point and Click 190

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Here at PreMortem.Games we have a great admiration for developers that go through a complete development cycle alone. And it takes a special kind of developer that wants to fly solo. This year we featured over 20 brave game creators in our solo developers-series and we like to share some highlights.

Development 257

Development Dev Indy Game Development 257

Radiator Blog

APRIL 11, 2024

Botany Manor is a 3 hour first person puzzle game about growing plants while exploring a big beautiful fancy house that smells like British Bake-Off. Gone Home anchors its story focus with voice acting, narration, simpler puzzles, and wry realism. The Witness fully commits to hundreds of puzzles at the scope of an open world game.

Puzzle 173

Puzzle Games Mechanics Baking 173

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 6, 2023

It’s the brainchild of six developers from Copenhagen, operating under the name of Indoor Sunglasses. “I thought that trying to piece together what happened in the past felt like a puzzle – a puzzle you could turn into a super emotionally powerful video game”, he says.

Puzzle 245

Puzzle Games Asset Education 245

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

For mobile game developers, collaboration events are an opportunity to engage lapsed players, increase retention rates, add new content and boost monetization. Developed by Netease, Vikingard is a casual simulation RPG set in the Viking era. The best in-game collaboration events are often mutually beneficial.

Mobile Gaming 233

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Game Development 233

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 30, 2024

In the upcoming Sci-Fi Action-Puzzle FPS IHAS , from Ukrainian solo developer Vladyslav Pidiashenko , players wake up aboard a giant, desolate spaceship swarming with hostile robots. ” Why did you become a solo developer? How do you stay motivated through (years of) development?

Dev 104

Dev Puzzle Concepts Esports 104

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Even the most tightly controlled rail shooter, the most finicky puzzle game allows for the player to make choices moment to moment, and no two players are going to make the exact same choices in the exact same sequence with the exact same timing. Every players experience is in fact different.

Games 197

Games Animation Animation Dev 197

Game Refinery

JUNE 15, 2023

The rise of hybridization in mobile games has resulted in game developers experimenting with new gameplay mechanics and features from other genres to drive engagement, something that’s often done via limited-time events.

Racing 196

Racing Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 196

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

Silly things He admits that game- and level design was a real puzzle to solve in the semi-open world that allows players to carve their own paths by smashing through just about everything. “It Far Out Games’ journey began as a seven-week student project in a local game development program in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Open World 104

Open World Games Studios Development 104

The Bottom Feeder

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

UFO50 was developed by six indie devs over seven years. Two games that everyone was impressed by (including me) are Party House (a delightful deck-builder) and Mortol (a puzzle platformer where you advance by killing your guys). The developers had this idea and wrote a game around it. Block Koala is a neat puzzle game.

Games 90

Games Puzzle Indy Development 90

Deconstructor of Fun

AUGUST 15, 2023

This is a much-dreaded question game developers ask themselves at every stage of game development. And if the game you’re working on is a match-3 puzzle, there is a widely accepted assumption that your target audience primarily consists of women aged between 25 and 45. Who is your target audience?

Puzzle 98

Puzzle Games Animation Animation 98

Deconstructor of Fun

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games. Whether it's a unique gameplay mechanic from an indie title or a groundbreaking event in one of the biggest franchises, developers consistently look to each other to spark creativity and fuel progress.

Feature 98

Feature Art Mechanics Balance 98

Deconstructor of Fun

MARCH 10, 2025

Today, Trkiye is more than just a hotbed for gaming startupsits a fully developed ecosystem with multiple layers of talent, investment, and repeat founders. This led to an investment boom in 2021-2022, with Dream Games emerging as the fastest Turkish unicorn , proving that Turkish studios could go beyond hyper-casual into puzzle dominance.

Mobile Gaming 66

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Puzzle 66

GamesIndustry.biz

JANUARY 4, 2024

The cozy puzzle game about organising household items was created by Max Inferno, a development team consisting of Anne Macmillan (art and animation) and Lukas Steinman (design and programming). Back then it was more a vertical slice, with ten puzzles that were playable in the browser. Read more

Puzzle 143

Puzzle Indy Concepts Animation 143

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Narrative design has always been an important part of video game development, but its significance in modern-day games continues to grow as narrative elements play an important role in player engagement and retention. The story has multiple main and side characters, and besides the mystery theme, there are also some romance and LGBTQ themes.

Mobile Gaming 247

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 247

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 24, 2023

Splenbit is a part-time solo game developer, known for his game Blocks Tracks Trains. He obtained a doctorate in Informatics and Robotics and has been working as a software developer on various projects since 2009. And that’s what game development is to him at the moment, a hobby. Why did you become a solo developer? “I

Development 118

Development Puzzle Prop Build 118

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Developed by Alexander Khoroshavin (Alex Goodwin) and a small team, the game centers around an elderly healer named Kazimir, who journeys through a whale-worshiping fantasy land to heal his ‘soul wound’. ” Epic MegaGrant Developing a game in Kazakhstan poses its own set of challenges, as Khoroshavin explains.

Prototyping 104

Prototyping Indy Games Concepts 104

PreMortem.Games

JUNE 17, 2024

Japanese indie game developer Yamada has used ChatGPT as a key design element for his latest project, Doki Doki AI Interrogation. He had to set up strict boundaries and even make the AI powered character ‘drunk and forgetful’ to pull it off, but, according to the developer, the experience has moved players to tears.

AI 118

AI Development Games Indy 118

GamesIndustry.biz

JUNE 3, 2024

While this often translates to how well said characters do in combat or when confronted by puzzles, developers are exploring more ways in which players can shape stories as well. One such studio is As Dusk Falls developer Interior Night.

Console 135

Console Film Cinematics Puzzle 135

Game Development for Beginners

FEBRUARY 3, 2024

Vinod Ravisankar built the Number Puzzle app as an Ad Supported app. Read more The post Privacy Policy for Number Puzzle appeared first on VionixStudio. This Service is provided by Vinod Ravisankar at no cost and is intended for use as is.

Puzzle 59

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Development 59

Game Wisdom

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Arranger and Creatures of Ava Review Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" This is a double review of Arranger and Creatures of Ava both played with press keys provided by the developers.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Development Games 52

GamesIndustry.biz

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Hearst Newspapers has acquired puzzle games hub Puzzmo. Developed by game designer Zach Gage and engineer Orta Therox, Puzzmo is a platform for original daily newspaper games and puzzles, such as SpellTower, Typeshift, Flipart, and Cross|Word. It was financed during development by the Astra Fund, as reported by Game Developer.

Puzzle 110

Puzzle Game Design Game Designer Engine 110

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Cocoon, the intricate puzzle adventure by Jeppe Carlsen , known as the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside, launched to raving reviews after 6.5 years of development. Cocoon’s development journey spanned a challenging 6.5 The art, sounds, and animation need to communicate the puzzle logic effectively.”

Puzzle 104

Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 104

Cocos

JANUARY 8, 2024

Hello hallo, we are the development team of the indie game InOutPath, and as the development of the game is getting better and better, we have now made the Steam page of InOutPath available. We are an adventure puzzle game with 7 big chapters and 300+ small chapters. and more than 20 different puzzle mechanisms.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Electronics 52

GamesIndustry.biz

APRIL 17, 2024

Looking at Schell Games' recent output, it's pretty easy to spot a common thread.

Technology 134

Technology Horror Puzzle Games 134

GamesIndustry.biz

MAY 31, 2024

The owner of Wordle has filed a lawsuit against Worldle, a puzzle game that focuses on guessing geographical places rather than words. Worldle is a browser-based game run by Seattle-based developer Kory McDonald, with an estimated average of 100,000 monthly players. It also accused the game of "creating confusion" among users.

Puzzle 119

Puzzle Development Games 119

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

They enable developers to establish a connection with their target audience early on, while turning interested players into buyers. Alone in the Dark Prologue demo Deciding which type of demo to release depends on the stage of development you find yourself in. Joining the program comes at no upfront costs for developers.

Demo 239

Demo Mechanics Games Bug 239

Cocos

JANUARY 22, 2024

Hello hallo, we are the development team of the indie game InOutPath, and as the development of the game is getting better and better, we have now made the Steam page of InOutPath available. The address is as follows: Switch on Steam InOutPath (steampowered.com) A lot of emotions as a member of an indie game team.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Development 52

Cocos

JANUARY 16, 2024

Hello hallo, we are the development team of the indie game InOutPath, and as the development of the game is getting better and better, we have now made the Steam page of InOutPath available. The address is as follows: Switch on Steam InOutPath (steampowered.com) A lot of emotions as a member of an indie game team.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Development 52

Cocos

JANUARY 9, 2024

Hello hallo, we are the development team of the indie game InOutPath, and as the development of the game is getting better and better, we have now made the Steam page of InOutPath available. The address is as follows: Switch on Steam InOutPath (steampowered.com) A lot of emotions as a member of an indie game team.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Development 52

Cocos

JANUARY 8, 2024

Hello hallo, we are the development team of the indie game InOutPath, and as the development of the game is getting better and better, we have now made the Steam page of InOutPath available. The address is as follows: Switch on Steam InOutPath (steampowered.com) A lot of emotions as a member of an indie game team.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Game Development Game Developer Development 52