Expedition 33
The Superboss Problem
I just want to feel like when I do my best, the best is what will follow.
video games
Combat
The Art of Combat
How you fight tells me who you are as a person
Risk of Rain 2
Why Does No One Copy Risk of Rain 2?
It is only in trying to imitate what we see as perfection that we can discover the next level to our art.
video games
The Reverse Difficulty Curve: When a Game becomes Tedious
If you know you’re going to win anyway, what’s the point in playing to begin with?
video games
Seeing the Blueprint: Appreciating Older Games
There’s something beautiful about being able to see the bones of the systems you know and love today in these games from the past, even if you feel their datedness all the more potently because of it.
video games
Making your Enemies your Rivals
It is no longer a faceless enemy, but someone that has personally wronged you intentionally and with great maliciousness.
Clair Obscur
Expedition 33 Doesn't have a Good Ending. It Does have a Correct Ending.
We can’t go our entire lives trying to preserve every single thing as it was, and if we try to we will often ruin things we love.
Expedition 33
When Does a Fake World become Real Part 2
Art matters, the soul matters, and it will always be real, even as it portrays things that don’t necessarily exist.
Persona 5 Royal
When Does a Fake World Become Real Part 1
It is the love we extend ourselves, giving us the permission to grow and not simply wallow in the pain, that defines us.
Hades
When Gameplay Mechanics Serve the Narrative
When they truly sing is when people realize that the story should be told not just through the writing but through the game itself
Risk of Rain
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.
video games
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.