Hello! In this month's newsletter I would like to share some game design knowledge when it comes to puzzles since this genre is one of the core pillars in our game. Not only will I share some game design knowledge here, but I will also show you at the end a little sneak peek on a new area we are working on! ːsteamhappyː
But if you are only here because you want to hear the important news....
Important News 📢📢
We have juicy info to share, which is happening soon!
IN FACT you can look forward for it at the end of this month! 👀
So keep your eyes peeled in our social media accounts if you want to know asap!
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thrustergames.bsky.social
Twitter: https://x.com/ThrusterGames
What are puzzles, really? 🧩
Puzzles are a genre that is conditioned by logic and linear thinking, and modern ones are commonly based on the classic puzzle. Besides that, we also need to make sure that the ones we make are seen as a form of play, which games are inherently best at compared to board games, for example (due to their interactive nature).
Any puzzle that we make in Crimson Tale needs to follow 3 rules: have clear rules, a defined objective, and balance between an easy / frustrating experience. We don't want the player to second guess what they overall have or make them go in circles without a clear goal in mind.
Like, take a cubics cube for instance.
The rules are clear and intuitive just because of the color itself.
The objective is also defined because they give you the cube made at the beginning.
Well, I lied in one thing. Videogames have it differently; there's not just those 3 rules: we have to apply the eureka effect (basically promoting the "ooooh right of course!") and promote different solutions to one problem (although this last one is not a hard rule).
This second additional rule is exactly one thing that we do in some puzzles, but since ours are focused on environmental ones, these solutions rely more on intuition and consciousness in your surroundings (a.k.a. understanding of your 3D environment and mechanics).
Here's an example in the game that some of you might have missed.
In this part, players will find that the combination lock is completely fried. They might instinctively try to use blood powers to bring it back in time (when it worked previously) and look for clues for the password.
But... Remember that you have the telekinesis power?
And the gaps in the cell are big...
What if...?
Yup, you can circumvent the complete puzzle by just using telekinesis on the torch pile instead of opening the door and walking over there. As you can see, there's more than one solution, and it's just made by taking advantage of "vampiric" common sense.
There are more instances of this, but I might bore you if I kept explaining topics related to puzzle design.
If you are interested in knowing more, though, you are more than welcome to reply to us here!
A New area never shared before! 🫣
If you read this far, thank you! As a treat I would love to share with you a little sneak peek on new content for the game, but not much because I wouldn't want to spoil you!
I really like how it's turning out, the tree area specially looks so gorgeous!
(This new area goes to a puzzle that will require the player to check the pipe's flow and follow it through a labyrinth of pipes and reroute it in order to progress.)
Thank you for reading today's newsletter and see you on the next one!