3 Bit Design

Tristan and Oliver are joined by systems maestro Scott as they germinate their army of Daughters to end Suffering in Lightbulb Crew’s Othercide, breaking it down into these three bits:Dynamic Timeline - Deep dive on the core which makes the action tickEvolving Customisation - Discussing the roguelike ruthlessness and the strong encouragement of failureThe Surgeon - Analysing the first boss and how it acts as the perfect setup for the rest of the gameLet us know what you think:3-Bit Design: @3bitdesignOliver - @oliverwautersTristan - @theatrewalkerOr email - 3bitdesign@gmail.comSome References:Crafting Nightmares - Othercide's Art Direction - Alexandre Chaudret, Game Developer (article)A Coffee Break with: Alexandre Chaudret, Othercide - gofig_news, Turn Based Lovers (interview)Going Rogue: Othercide - Gwen C. Katz, Medium (article)

Tristan and Oliver buckle up tight and blitz across the galaxy, pumping EDM as they break down 34BigThings’s antigravity racer Redout 2 into these three laps:Eyes on the Road - Maintaining awareness and control at 1000km/hNot yo mamma's Mario Kart - Drilling into the tight focus of the mechanics, pure racing without the usual frillsMultisensory Experience - How the game requires your full focus and leverages music and visuals to induce players into a flow stateLet us know what you think:3-Bit Design: @3bitdesignOliver - @oliverwautersTristan - @theatrewalkerOr email - 3bitdesign@gmail.comLeave us a review!Some References:E6 - Redout 2 On Gameplay, Design & F-Zero Influence - Shacknews (video interview)How the Redout 2 team created the follow up to the universe's fastest game - Miri Teixeira, RedBull (article)The real engine driving Redout 2’s liquid-fast graphics - Brian Crecente, Unreal Engine Blog (article)Redout 2 - Developer Feature - Team VVV (video interview)

Tristan and Oliver are once again joined by the insightful Amy Goodenough as they put on their best joker-face to break down LocalThunk’s viral phenomenon Balatro into these three blinds:Deck Rebuilder - The low barrier of entry presented by designing on top of classic playing cards offering high familiarityCheating Encouraged - Designing systems that make players feel like they've broken the game and they’re the masters of itIt’s All In The Movement - All about the extremely satisfying physicality and tactility of the game’s user interfaceLet us know what you think:3-Bit Design: @3bitdesignOliver - @oliverwautersTristan - @theatrewalkerOr email - 3bitdesign@gmail.comLeave us a review!Some References:Getting to the Heart (of the cards) of Balatro - Josh Bycer, Game Wisdom (blog)Balatro's 'Cursed' Design Problem - Mark Brown, Game Maker’s Toolkit (video essay)The Making of Balatro - Video Game Story Time (video)“There is a lot more design to explore within Balatro” an interview with Localthunk - Jess Norris, XboxEra (article)Balatro creator unveils a few slick signposting strategies - Justin Carter, Game Developer (article)

Tristan and Oliver ain't afraid of no ghosts, as they strap on their Poltergust G-00 and plunge into Next Level’s Luigi’s Mansion 3, breaking it down into these three bits:Vertical Progression - The elevator, level structure, and thematic varietyCrossing the streams - Evolving the Poltergust’s vacuum-based combat mechanicsThe Nintendo Charm - Analysing which design elements bring out the brilliant humour and tone of the gameLet us know what you think:3-Bit Design: @3bitdesignOliver - @oliverwautersTristan - @theatrewalkerOr email - 3bitdesign@gmail.comLeave us a review!Some References:Improving control usability in Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Sara Tung, Medium (article)Luigi’s Mansion 3: Behind the Screams! - Electric Playground Network (video interview)The Iterations of Luigi’s Mansion - innegativeion, Parry Everything (blog article)The Genius of Luigi's Mansion 3 - Mariomikester (video)

In between seasons, Tristan takes a quick solo flight, to reflect on some of our most-listened to episodes. And these are three bits he plucked out: Bioshock (Ep3, Bit3): The Player’s Choice Pokemon (Ep18, Bit3): Rock, Paper, Scissors Slay the Spire (Ep9, Bit3): Enemy IntentionsLet us know what you think:3-Bit Design: @3bitdesignOliver - @oliverwautersTristan - @theatrewalkerOr email - 3bitdesign@gmail.comLeave us a review!

Tristan and Oliver are joined by very special guest designer Kike as they take to the lovecraftian waters to dredge up their deepest darkest memories of Black Salt Games' Dredge, fishing out these three bits: - I Love My Job - The cozy game charm and getting lost in the routine, how clever onboarding and progression gets players into the groove - Never Put All Your Fish In One Bucket - How the game brilliantly re-purposes its systems yet delivers substantial variety - Dreadful Undertones - The style, nuance, and the little details that make up the game’s masterful worldbuilding Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Some references: Trawling in the deep: How Black Salt Games made spooky fishing RPG, Dredge - Chris Kerr, Game Developer (article) Creating the creepy, salty world of Dredge - GD Podcast ep.32 - Danielle Riendeau, Game Developer (podcast) The Design of Dredge - Noclip - Video Game Documentaries (video) DREDGE's Game DESIGN is... FISHY - Pixel Soup - The Indie Game Detective (video) How Dredge Was Made and Why it Blew Away Expectations - GameStudioLore (video) DREDGE Deep Dive #1: Inventory Design - Black Salt Games (video)

Tristan and Oliver are cursed to deathlessly roam the barren plains of Mordor cultivating nemeses as they take a stab at Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor with these three bits: 1. Into The Deep End - Discussing the game’s wide range of objectives and the visual challenges of open world design 2. I Will Take It, Personally! - Forming personal connections with NPCs through the nemesis system 3. Assassin’s Arkham - Inspiration and improvements from the Assassin’s Creed and Arkham games Let us know what you think: Leave us a review!3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Shadow of Mordor Dev Made "Some Pretty Big And Painful Cuts" - Eddie Makuch, Gamespot (article) Postmortem: Monolith Productions' Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Game Developer Staff (article) How the Nemesis System Creates Stories - Game Maker’s Toolkit (video essay) Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Designers Reveal How They Made the Nemesis System (Mini-Documentary) - Game Brain (video essay)

Tristan and Oliver escape to the tall grass and enjoy the breeze on the painterly trees as they break down Wishfully’s stunning Planet of Lana into these three bits: Cinematic Influence - Nods to Ghibli and masterful cinematography from a team with a film industry background Care for your Companion - Exploring the relationship between Lana and Mui and how it augments the gameplay The Art of Juxtaposition - How stark contrasts in the art, music, and design work together to augment the storytelling calibre Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: ‘Planet of Lana’ — Running Towards a Dream - Hafsa Hashmey, Medium (article) Exploring the art and animation behind hand-painted odyssey Planet of Lana - Chris Kerr, Game Developer (article) Planet of Lana | Developer Commentary Demo - Thunderful Games (video) SGC21 - The Making of Planet of Lana - Sweden Game Arena (video interview) Planet of Lana: Exploring the Ghibli-inspired world with game director Adam Stjärnljus - Alicia Haddick, Epic Games Store (article)

Tristan and Oliver find themselves locked in a dimly lit cabin putting their trust into talking cards, as they sacrifice Daniel Mullins’ Inscryption into these three bits: Talking Cards! - Exploring the game’s meta narrative design and novel narrative devices Sacrifice - How the game holds true to this one core thematic pillar throughout Cabin Fever - Blending roguelike deck building with escape room puzzling and beyond Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some References: Good Game Design - Inscryption: Dismantling a Genre - Snoman Gaming, video essay Inscryption Game Designer Daniel Mullins chats with BAFTA Young Game Designers winners - Young BAFTA, video How Inscryption Compels You With Meta Game Design ft. Daniel Mullins - The Escapist, video essay Inscryption — How and Why - Mike Shepard, Medium (article) How a game jam on "sacrifices" became Inscryption - Joel Couture, Game Developer (article) How Inscryption breaks all the game design rules and prospers - GLHF, USA Today (article)

Tristan and Oliver catch each other’s drift on Summoners Rift as they break down Riot Games’s multiplayer sensation League of Legends into these three lanes: Battling Toxicity - The famed stigma behind the game’s community and ways in which Riot has been using the power of design to fight it Summoners Rift - The balance, the build, the blisters Comeback Mechanics - Maintaining the thrill over long session times through strategies and tactics Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some References: Unsolved League of Legends Mysteries With Lead Designer Greg Street - Ars Technica, video interview How Learning League of Legends Helps Me Understand Game Design - Bryant Francis, Game Developer (article) Riot Games | Game Design Masterclass - BAFTA Guru (video) Game Design: Every Game is an Epic Quest - Riot Games (video) Creating League of Legends Champions: Our Production Framework Revealed - GDC talk (video) An MDA Analysis of “League of Legends” - David Tran, Medium (article) Design Club - League of Legends: Summoner's Rift - Level Design Analysis - Extra History (video essay) Balancing League of Legends for Every Player, from Bronze to Bengi - Greg Street, GDC talk

Tristan and Oliver are once again joined by very special guest Ioana-Iulia Cazacu, as they open the wonderful box of wonders that is Witch Beam’s Unpacking to unpack it into these three bits: Impactful Representation - The importance and effectiveness of a story with queer representation, being told in a game that leaves much to the player’s own interpretation Personal Touch - Freedom of choice in a puzzle game, and the emergent narratives it creates in a story driven context Hyper-nostalgia - Creating longing for a past as we remember it rather than how it was, through the use of level aesthetics and design Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Let’s Unpack That - Disegno Journal, article The Design of "Unpacking" Broken Down by its Developers - NoClipCrew, video documentary Unpacking | Dev Diary - Humble Games, video 'Unpacking' the design pillars of a chill puzzle game - Danielle Riendeau, Game Developer (article)

The only guests Tristan and Oliver are joined by this time are the unwanted ones in their head, as they focus Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in on these three elusive bits: The Furies - The iconic voices in your head and how audio replaces the traditional HUD in Hellblade; Outmersive Game Design - Framing the player as an onlooker, and three Cs of the coinhabited avatar; Lies & Deception - Unreliable narrators, the rot, and other fabrications of the mind; Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Rotten and Possessed - Control and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice as Models of Outmersive Game Design (academic paper) Framing Mental Health Within Digital Games: An Exploratory Case Study of Hellblade - Joseph Fordham and Christopher Ball (academic article) “Understanding” Narrative; Applying Poetics to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice - Eoghain Meakin, Brian Vaughan, Charlie Cullen, Game Studies: International Journal of Computer Game Research (academic article) Exploring the Mindset Behind Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice - De Daniel Kayser, Unreal Engine Blog (article) Hellblade Development Diaries - Ninja Theory (video playlist)

Tristan and Oliver delve into the crow’s underbelly together with special guest, gameplay guru, Adam Pearce, as they harvest Acid Nerve’s Death’s Door into these three soulful bits: A Puzzling World (aka Worldy Vibes) - Exploring the game’s unique small ghibli-esque worldbuilding, and how it blends a variety of genres Dash & Slash - Talking all things combat; iconic bosses and how refining a limited moveset over elaborate combat depth plays to the game’s strengths The Little Things - Highlighting some of the little unsung details and tidbits that make the game such a joy to play Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Acid Nerve developers David Fenn and Mark Foster on making ‘Death’s Door’ - NME (article)  Oddly Enough, Death’s Door Started With The Concept Of A Door - Well Played (article) Death’s Door is simple yet difficult and incredibly fun all at once [Review] - GStyle Magazine (article) Death's Door Developers Explain its Design & Philosophy | Noclip - Noclip (documentary) Crafting Death’s Door’s intricate environments - Unity blog Death’s Door — Inspiration Overtaken - Mike Shepard, The Medium (article) Death’s Back Door: The Pros and Cons of Acid Nerve’s Crow-centric Reaper Simulator Death’s Door - The Gemsbok

Tristan and Oliver strap on their Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device and bask in the rays of Nintendo’s Super Mario Sunshine, refracting it into these three bits: Swimming in Secrets - How the game drives innate player curiosity through its Shine, level, and Coin placement; FLUDD - Breaking down the splashy mechanics provided by Mario’s unique AI sidekick; Stages of Insanity - Diving into the platforming stages and how their punishing nature contrasts with the rest of the game. Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Concept to Console: ‘Super Mario Sunshine’ - Reece Goodall (blog) Super Mario Sunshine: The Mario That Should Have Been More - themancalledscott, WizardDojo (blog) The Complex Beauty of Super Mario Sunshine - Skyehoppers (video essay) Breaking Down Bianco Hills | A Super Mario Sunshine Deep Dive - 2CPhoenix (video essay) Game Design | Super Mario Sunshine VS Super Mario Galaxy | How Controls Define a Game - Aggressively Medium (video essay)

Tristan and Oliver put on their comically oversized toques and tuck their legs in as they scramble for tips in Ghost Town Games’s Overcooked, finely chopping it into these three bits: The Art of Readability - Exploring the game’s purposefully chunky art style and bold colours Well-orchestrated Nonsense - Breaking down how the game naturally encourages cooperation through the evolving level design and mechanics Three Star Mastery - Why Overcooked is one of the best references to date when it comes to star ratings Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some References: How Overcooked’s Kitchens Force You to Communicate - Game Maker’s Toolkit (video essay) Overcooked: How Design Creates Teamwork - Abhishek Iyer, Medium (article) Overcooked — The Other as Gameplay - Yvens Serpa, Medium (article) Development by expo: How Ghost Town built Overcooked -  Christopher Dring, GamesIndustry.biz (article) A Simple, Yet Effective Game Design Method - Overcooked - Pixel Soup - The Indie Game Detective (video essay) The UX of Overcooked: From umami to unexpected design principles - HeyMilou, Medium (essay) How overcooked thrives on simplicity? The BENEFITS of shallow gameplay - Game Design with Michael (video essay)

Tristan and Oliver pair up, side-by-side, for their first ever in-person recording to venture deep into the land of giants in Starbreeze Studios’ Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, as they break it down into these three bits: Two Perspectives - How the two characters react to the world differently and the implications it has on puzzle design Your Other Half - The mechanics of controlling two characters at once and the resulting, physical character building as the narrative unfolds Show Not Tell - The wordless worldbuilding leveraging land and soundscapes Let us know what you think: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some References: Designer Reviews BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS - Farlands Design Den Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Masterful Game Design || A Retrospective Analysis - Baran Esen “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons”. Intertwining Story Theme and Game-Mechanics - Gerald, Video Game Narrative (blog) A Critique of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Matt, A Mind of Madness (blog)

Tristan and Oliver are joined by special guest game designer Ioana-Iulia Cazacu to ponder on the leisurely farm life of Eric ‘Concernedape’ Barone’s masterful Stardew Valley, as they harvest these three bits: A Fresh Start - Joja Mart’s corporate capitalism versus the leisurely pace of village community life Casual Pressure - The yearning for a peaceful life, the idealisation of a pastoral life and how the game uses time and character energy to comment on it Nudging to Explore - How the hands-off game cleverly leverages core loops and collection mechanics to drive natural exploration and discovery Find us on socials: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Game Design Perspective: Stardew Valley - Game Design Perspectives (article) The Anatomy of Stardew Valley - JM8, Design Delve (video essay) How Stardew Valley Was Made by Only One Person - ThatGuyGlen (mini-doc) Game Design: Stardew Valley and the Farming Genre - Craig Perko (video essay) How Great Games Do Progression | A Stardew Valley Video Essay - James Likes Games (video essay) Why Players become obsessed with “farming games”? - Yongcheng Liu, Game Developer (article) An Objective Analysis of Stardew Valley’s Design - Tan Chong Han Alden, Game Analytics with Lenses and Tools (blog) Learning to love Stardew Valley’s terrible fishing game - Polygon (video essay)

Tristan and Oliver put on their warmest parkas and their creepiest clown mask as they head up to the snowy Washington Lodge, ready to slice Supermassive Games’ blockbuster, choice-driven, survival horror Until Dawn up into these three bits: The Lodge - Evaluating the level design of the game’s most iconic and recurring central space; Boom, Butterfly Effect - Discussing characters, narrative, replayability, and the thin line between life and death; Previously on Until Dawn - The ease of catching up and the pacing offered by recaps, totems, and The Analyst; Find us on socials: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Some references: Creating the atmosphere of Until Dawn - Staff, MCV Until Dawn - Observations on Interactive Drama Design ➣ RagnarRox - RagnarRox, video essay Until Dawn: Anticipation as Horror - Shelby Carleton, Game Developer article ‘Until Dawn’: An Interactive Horror Story - Joelle Jacoski, Medium article Supermassive Games' top three rules for narrative-driven horror - Danielle Partis, Games Industry.biz (article) Experimental Games: Critique, Play, and Design in the Age of Gamification - Patrick Jagoda (book)

Tristan and Oliver huddle up to dive deep into Playdead’s masterful narrative platformer Inside, defining it through these three bits: Learning By Ear - The game’s unique audio driven design, often telling before showing. Impactful Minimalism - Less is more, one button controls and guiding the player through subtlety. Interpretive Narrative - The elements that made this compelling world of mystery, that sparks conversation long after finishing playing. Find us on Twitter: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Some references: How Inside's levels were designed - Alex Wiltshite, Rock Paper Shotgun (article) Video games and the auteur theory  - Jeff Spoonhower, Game developer (article) How Games Tell a Story: Exploring the Different Methods of Interactive Storytelling - Randen Banuelos, Game developer (article) Developers provide their [spoiler-free] take on Inside - Joel Couture, Game developer (article) Low Complexity, High Fidelity: The Rendering of INSIDE - Mikkel Gjoel, GDC talk.  Huddle up! Making the [SPOILER] of INSIDE - Playdead, GDC talk. The Art of Minimalism | Limbo and Inside Retrospective - CloudConnection (video essay)

Tristan and Oliver get caught in a web of intrigue as they string together Insomniac Games’ PS5 launch title Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales into these three bits: Feeling Like Spiderman - all things web swinging and open world parkour traversal Brawling With Agility  - Looking at Spidey’s combat design and how the character creates a unique opportunity for brawling in large, open levels. Living Breathing NYC - How the wizards at Insomniac made the big apple feel alive, and what such a bustling city scape means for wayfinding. Find us on Twitter: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Some references: Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales: The Creative Journey - Brian Horton, GDC talk Inside the inspiration that shaped Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Brian Crecente (Epic games store) Marvel Spiderman’s Level Design - Ketul Majmudar, Medium article Marvel's Spider-Man Design Analysis - Stanislav Costiuc, Game Developer article Creating The World Of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - video interview with Brian Horton, Game Informer How Insomniac Refined Combat In Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - video interview with Cameron Christian, Game InformerTRANSLATING SPIDER-MAN FANTASY INTO COMBAT MECHANICS - Jason de Heras, blog