#tiny design

Mixed in with more typical gameplay conceits like simple combat and turn-based battles, the advancement of games as a medium itself is the principal focus of Evoland. As players continue through the story, they encounter innovations of technical achievement, such as the ability to move more freely, view the world with more colors, and even eventually change the entire genre the game is conventionally built upon. This makes for a unique experience where the player gains an appreciation for how these changes provide new opportunities for game design, facilitated through their own unlocking of those changes in turn.

just let it burn

We've been hard at work all day! I can't wait to fill you in more later but here's a peak at the creative process!

The level of detail and minute arrangement the player can perform during Unpacking allows for an incredible degree of player expression, all while still maintaining limits on what they can and can't do. While some objects will fit more easily into certain places, the freedom provided to the player in terms of how they want to arrange their living space, down to the specific rotation of many of the trinkets and objects therein, makes this feel like a legitimate homemaking endeavor.

In addition to the gorgeous sweeping symphonic tracks that flesh out the world of Transistor, five additional songs are included with lyrics sung by Ashley Barrett, the in-universe voice of the player character Red herself. This amplifies the connection the player has to not only the game, but the character of Red, a professional singer whose voice has been sealed inside the sword-like Transistor as well, making her personality hugely informed by these songs.

Color gradation and intersecting gradients are a significant part of Antichamber's aesthetic, and oftentimes this is the only thing that indicates the hard distinction between one room and the next. In an environment defined by unique rules for movement and puzzling geometric spaces, this additional distinction is necessary to ensure players are consciously entering or exiting a specific space.

While the narrative junctures of Psycholonials are often dangled just out of reach from the player character Zhen during various Interludes between main Chapters, in reality the choices presented are a facade. Instead, choice as a concept becomes a critical component of Zhen's journey, with her actions re-contextualized throughout the narrative as moments where she made, or in some cases, failed to make, critical decisions, and instead allowed the momentum of the situation around her to guide her hand.

Rather than assuming a static player character throughout the entirety of the experience, Our Life: Beginnings & Always instead allows the player to update their character throughout the experience, changing their appearance, pronouns, and even minute preferences as they grow as a person. Perhaps most significantly is the fact the player can personally choose to indicate what kind of feelings they have for the main love interest, including how close they feel towards them in terms of romance and comfort level.