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Alexander Rinaldi

06 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

Welcome to Working Through the Backlog, a weekly blog where you can accompany me as I work through a 170 or so game backlog and write about my findings in video games as I go! Come here every Sunday at 12 pm PST to find an article diving into whatever aspect of gaming has seized my fancy that week, whether it's movement in open world games, the problem of the reverse difficulty curve, how game play mechanics can serve the narrative, and more!

How to-and how NOT to-Make a Roguelike Final Boss

It’s a lot more fun when the final boss plays by the same rules as the rest of the game.

Difficulty as Narrative

You are not meant to feel overwhelmingly powerful in these games. You’re supposed to feel like the underdog, fighting against all hope to maybe secure a better future.

Movement is Gameplay Too

I will forgive a lot in a game if it just remembers to make movement fun.

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How to-and how NOT to-Make a Roguelike Final Boss

Difficulty as Narrative

Movement is Gameplay Too