Grumpy Gamer

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

** SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED THE GAME YET Game design isn’t a destination, it’s a journey and this was one of the stops along the way. There are some fun puzzles in here but they all were cut for a reason, mostly pacing but sometimes because it wasn’t as interesting as we thought.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Game Designer Game Design Games 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Escape Rooms will make you a better board game designer. This is partly because Escape Rooms are everything that board games aspire to be – complex problem-solving games that appeal to a wide audience and provide a remarkable physical experience. Board games often run the risk of having themes that feel pasted-on.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Puzzle Prop 130

Brand Game Development

JULY 13, 2020

Certainly, board game designers can learn a lot from well-designed escape rooms. Exit Games by Kosmos are the closest we can get to the authentic in-person experience right now. I’ve wanted to write about Exit Games for a while, but it’s tricky! The game is full of mysteries, riddles, and puzzles.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Puzzle Games 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 28, 2019

It is fundamentally a pretty simple game, but it has a lot of really endearing qualities. The dice are bright and pretty, as are the puzzle boards on which you build stained glass arrangements of dice. Yet adding an element of chance haphazardly can make the game feel like it’s playing you instead of the other way around.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Point and Click Games 130

Deconstructor of Fun

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Written by Ahmetcan Demirel , the maestro of product management and a podcast host ( Game Dev Diary ) from Germany! With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games. The world of mobile gaming has grown incredibly diverse, with subgenres branching out and becoming increasingly specialized.

Puzzle 98

Puzzle Mechanics Feature Mobile 98

Unity Blog

MARCH 3, 2023

Mairi Nolan, lead game designer at Eleven Puzzles, shares the importance of verbal interaction and how the team built communication into the studio’s latest release Unsolved Case.

Communications 82

Communications Puzzle Build Game Designer 82

Brand Game Development

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

The mere threat is usually enough to keep the game going. On the other hand, playing Tasty Humans has short turns, which helps the game stay snappy even though it’s a brain-burny puzzle game. Predictability is the bane of games. You don’t want your game to feel predictable.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Tile Games 130

Brand Game Development

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Azul has taken the board game world by storm. Like Sagrada , it’s a gorgeous and approachable puzzle game with emergent complexity that becomes ever more apparent with more plays. It’s also, somehow, always trending on social media and Board Game Geek.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Tile Art 130

Logic Simplified

AUGUST 8, 2023

Since most of us are unaware of the process of creating a game, we usually confuse game design and game art as being the same. In this blog, we will discuss the difference between game art vs game design and how each plays a unique role in game development. Who is a Game Designer?

Game Designer 88

Game Designer Game Design Art Prop 88

GamesIndustry.biz

APRIL 9, 2024

Part of 2024's cohort is Rafif Kalantan, an emerging narrative and game designer from Saudi Arabia who spoke to GamesIndustry.biz about her journey from studying computer science to winning the 2023 Yugo BAFTA Student Award for her puzzle game Eros Xavier's Love Solutions. Read more

Puzzle 138

Puzzle Dev Game Designer Game Design 138

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 30, 2023

AI affects game design The project’s trajectory shifted with the integration of AI tools. “To produce a point and click game, and to document the creation of a partly AI-generated game.” Next, I start generating assets for the game with AI, like locations, character designs etc.”

AI 190

AI Game Development Game Developer Point and Click 190

Grumpy Gamer

JULY 15, 2014

Gary and I were trying to make sense of the mansion and how the puzzles flowed together. It wouldn't be until Monkey Island that the "puzzle dependency chart" would solve most of our adventure game design issues. More design flow and ideas. A really early brainstorm of puzzle ideas. We had 320K.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Entertainment Concepts Game Designer 130

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.

Puzzle 110

Puzzle Game Designer Game Design Engine 110

Grumpy Gamer

JULY 14, 2014

Gary and I were trying to make sense of the mansion and how the puzzles flowed together. It wouldn’t be until Monkey Island that the “puzzle dependency chart” would solve most of our adventure game design issues. More design flow and ideas. A really early brainstorm of puzzle ideas.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Entertainment Concepts Game Designer 130

Grumpy Gamer

MAY 12, 2004

Some people will tell you that Adventure Games aren't really dead, they have just morphed into other forms, or that other genres have absorbed Adventure Games. A great number of people in this business secretly (and not so secretly) wish they were making movies, not writing video games. It's an advanced puzzle, I was told.

Puzzle 162

Puzzle Games Entertainment Graphics 162

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 The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery.

Puzzle 104

Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 104

Deconstructor of Fun

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

This analysis is written by Taras Koshelev (Lead Game Designer at My.Games Venture Capital) who focused on game mechanics and loops and Michail Katkoff (Founder of Savage Game Studios) who covered the market and marketability. Playrix released Puzzle Breakers into soft-launch in late 2019. Puzzle RPGs on Mobile.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Tile Mechanics Build 52

Grumpy Gamer

MAY 11, 2004

Some people will tell you that Adventure Games aren’t really dead, they have just morphed into other forms, or that other genres have absorbed Adventure Games. ” A great number of people in this business secretly (and not so secretly) wish they were making movies, not writing video games. Knock it off! I disagree.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Games Entertainment Graphics 130

Raph Koster

SEPTEMBER 2, 2023

I thought it would be interesting to contrast this to Word Dad , a puzzle game made by my friend, master game designer John Cutter. A brief aside on puzzles All three of these are more correctly called puzzles, of course. Sudoku is a machine; a given Sudoku layout is an individual puzzle.

Puzzle 112

Puzzle Build Games Data 112

Grumpy Gamer

MAY 31, 2009

About a year and a little more ago, as I began designing the uber-awesome DeathSpank , I played all the way through The Secret of Monkey Island to refresh myself on the puzzles and dialog. No point in having to solve the same puzzle over and over. Never be afraid to edit you game down if it needs it.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Point and Click Fighting Animation 130

Grumpy Gamer

MAY 30, 2009

About a year and a little more ago, as I began designing the uber-awesome DeathSpank , I played all the way through The Secret of Monkey Island to refresh myself on the puzzles and dialog. No point in having to solve the same puzzle over and over. Never be afraid to edit you game down if it needs it.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Point and Click Fighting Animation 130

Grumpy Gamer

JANUARY 18, 2018

I had worked at Lucasfilm for 8 years and learned a lot, not just about game design and programming, but also marketing, PR, and production and I felt like I needed to try it all for myself. I also had the idea of making adventure games for kids. I floated it by Lucasfilm Games and they weren't interested.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Point and Click Playtesting Art 130

Brand Game Development

JUNE 25, 2019

These titles earned – and keep – respect in the hobby gaming community. Like with all things in board game design, there is no linear path. You meander through the game design process, iterating and tweaking your work until you’re happy with it. There are many, many more as well.

Tile 130

Tile Build Puzzle Fantasy 130

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Ideas for the game’s content were inspired mainly from movies and TV shows, while the game designs came from the games the team loves to play, like Everquest for the open world concept and The Vanishing Hitchhiker for the atmosphere. Some started from a puzzle standpoint. Others started with a theme.

Studios 129

Studios Puzzle Game Designer Game Design 129

Grumpy Gamer

JANUARY 17, 2018

I had worked at Lucasfilm for 8 years and learned a lot, not just about game design and programming, but also marketing, PR, and production and I felt like I needed to try it all for myself. I also had the idea of making adventure games for kids. I floated it by Lucasfilm Games and they weren’t interested.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Point and Click Playtesting Art 130

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Compelling puzzles And so the team built the game around the story. The gameplay mechanics and puzzles all came from the question ‘what fun things could we mess with inside a phone’. We ended up kind of struggling to really create a sense of progression and compelling puzzles.” Absolutely! Lucie then added them.”

Puzzle 104

Puzzle Games Technology Code 104

Logic Simplified

JULY 31, 2023

There is one area every game designer must focus on to ensure that their games are captivating enough to entertain and provide an impactful experience to the user: game mechanics. When creating a new game, video game mechanics are often considered the most important factor. What are game mechanics?

Mechanics 95

Mechanics Puzzle Games Game Designer 95

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 20, 2020

At first glance, it was clear what type of game they were emulating. A bold move for Supercell, going against giants that continue to rule the casual puzzle space. Supercell’s previous entry, Spooky Pop, had a lot of design mistakes that prevented it from competing with the Saga model. The Core Game Loop. Puzzle Pass.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Mechanics Content Data 52

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 24, 2023

And that’s what game development is to him at the moment, a hobby. While he enjoys the freedom of developing games by himself at his own pace, Splenbit wouldn’t mind working in a team. “I’m not good with story telling or puzzle design, so combining some expertise would be nice.”

Development 118

Development Puzzle Prop Build 118

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 21, 2023

Now, with the new game A Void Hope coming up on almost 3 years of development, Forslind finds himself juggling his roles as both CEO and Game Designer of his company called Elden Pixels. A Void Hope is an atmospheric puzzle platforming adventure set in a world teetering on the edge of collapse.

Pixel 104

Pixel Game Designer Game Design Shaders 104

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 24, 2024

It allows players to instantly swap places with any physics based object which allows for some clever puzzling through the relentless levels. “We ” It also inspired him to come up with a setting for the game. “We He’s also planning the overall game design. We are very excited about it”, says Myllys. “It’s

Pixel 145

Pixel Art Mechanics Demo 145

iHobo

MARCH 29, 2023

Time-constraints do make games more exciting, but they also exclude certain players who do not want to feel that stressed when they are playing games. For the most part, however, the thrill-seeking motive is something that everyone enjoys, provided the game doesn't take it too far. Yet players still have fun doing it.

Puzzle 65

Puzzle Game Designer Game Design Horror 65

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. At first, I was planning to make a walking simulator-horror game. It’s used to both fight enemies and solve puzzles. Playtest early.

Dev 104

Dev Puzzle Concepts Esports 104

Sirlin

APRIL 4, 2015

Flash Duel is a simple and fast card game that in high level play ended up being bogged down by lengthy calculations. We talk about the design changes that address this as well as at least one tricky balance puzzle we faced. At the time of this post, Flash Duel is on kickstarter right now. Please support it if you can.

Game Designer 40

Game Designer Game Design Puzzle Balance 40

The Bottom Feeder

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

I think it could be patched into being acceptably fun, but maybe one bad game just makes the collection more diverse. games are hugely varied. Even an idle game. I'm not going to list what games I liked or didn't like. I found an article that reviewed all the games, and I think it's an excellent overview.

Games 90

Games Puzzle Indy Development 90

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 19, 2024

And so, we quickly realised the potential to form a bit of a ‘Super Group’ by bringing Game Design and AI Tech together. And so, the duo started exploring different ways to turn talking into a puzzle. For this to be a First Person Talker -and not just a conversational sim- the conversation itself had to be gamified in some way.

AI 129

AI First person Puzzle Scripting 129

iHobo

MARCH 8, 2023

The problem-focussed player who gets beaten is going to look at it as a puzzle to solve. The ubiquity of puzzle-solving play in videogames isn't an accident. Programmers and game designers are brilliant nerds, and as such they are drawn to problem-solving. Not interested.

Puzzle 65

Puzzle Game Designer Game Design Fighting 65