3 Bit Design

Tristan and Oliver hop on their brooms and ready their wands together with self-proclaimed Slytherin narrative designer Sophie Walker as they cast Revelio on Avalanche Software’s Hogwarts Legacy , revealing these three bits: Big Robes to Fill - Threading the fine line between originality and nostalgia to build a compelling narrative and characters in an adaptation Expelliarmus! - Wand-based combat...

In between seasons, Oliver takes the chance to reflect on some of the games we have discussed previously (Slay the Spire, Inscryption, and Balatro) to break down the genre of Roguelike Deckbuilders into three recurring bits: Building on Familiarity - Pick up and play simplicity, minimal onboarding, and complexity layering Meaningful Choices - Risk VS reward and the power of full information transp...

Tristan and Oliver pledge allegiance to mother nature and reclaim the polluted earth in Free Lives’ reverse city builder Terra Nil , cultivating it into these three bits: Tree Act Structure - Unpacking the three stages of the core loop and having clear objectives to a simulation game Leave No Trace - Subverting player expectations by relinquishing your creation to nature and recycling your structu...

Tristan and Oliver are joined by guest Marta Durand as they take on the role of the new director and unravel the surreal mysteries of the Oldest House in Remedy's mind-bending Control , locking it down into these three bits: Oldest House - Metroidvania storytelling housed in brutalist architecture The Force - The ultimate telekinetic power fantasy and progression in the combat system Business as U...

Tristan and Oliver abandon this timeline and rethink tactics for the next, in Subset Games' mech vs kaiju showdown Into the Breach , breaking it down into these three bits: Strategic Simplicity - Making a turn based strategy game feel approachable Collateral Damage - Subverting player expectations by making them disposable and not the top priority Actions and Reactions - Designing the perfect...

Tristan and Oliver are joined by Kieran Reid as they inherit too much responsibility for their own good, and try to manage chaos in Colossal Order's hit sim Cities Skylines , planning it out in these three zones: Traffic as Emerging Puzzles - Breaking down the brilliant traffic systems and how they develop engaging challenges to the player throughout City Identity Through Roleplay - Looking at...

Tristan and Oliver take an emotional journey through the watercolour wonders of Nomada Studio's spellbinding Gris , painting it in these three bits: Colour Theory - Emotive storytelling through colour Embodiment of Grief - Stages of grief interwoven into tangible mechanics and abilities Guiding Through Motion - Driving interactivity and tone through movement Let us know what you think: Leave u...

Tristan and Oliver are joined by Jon Keevy as they emulate their minds into their new digital bodies to board the Eye in Jump Over the Age's modern classic Citizen Sleeper , tapping into these three threads: Cycles - The passing of time and how it makes the dynamic narrative tick Risk Assessment - Deep dive into the dice mechanics and other resource management Moral Ambiguity - How the game ma...

Tristan and Oliver don laser wipe enemy gunk off their helmets and form up as they strategically infiltrate LucasArts's Star Wars: Republic Commando to rendezvous with these three bits: One Gun, Many Guns - Discussing the unique loadout and attachment system Squad Up! - All about the celebrated squad command systems, and the design choices that make it tick You Are a Commando - How the game im...

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 tick Evolving Customisation - Discussing the roguelike ruthlessness and the strong encouragement of failure The Surgeon - Analysing the first boss and...

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/h Not yo mamma's Mario Kart - Drilling into the tight focus of the mechanics, pure racing without the usual frills Multisensory Experience - How the game requires your full f...

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 familiarity Cheating Encouraged - Designing systems that make players feel like they've broken th...

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 variety Crossing the streams - Evolving the Poltergust’s vacuum-based combat mechanics The Nintendo Charm - Analysing which design elements bring out the b...

Tristan and Oliver are joined by glamorous guest designer Jade Ostle as they embody their inner humanoid felines and immerse themselves into the cozy island life of lamedeveloper’s Webfishing , reeling in these three bits: Chatroom Game - How Webfishing revitalises the social charm of a dwindling genre; Less is More - Exploring the game’s core gameplay mechanics and how their simplicity elevates t...

In between seasons, Oliver takes the chance to reflect on some of the games we have discussed previously (Little Nightmares, Planet of Lana, Inside, and Trek to Yomi) to break down the genre of Cinematic Platformers as a whole into three recurring bits: Player As Spectator - Camera, sound, and other key influences from the silver screen Impactful Minimalism - Simple one-button controls with a heap...

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 Intentions Let us know what you think: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitde...

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 th...

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 ne...

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 Juxtap...

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 r...

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...

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...

Tristan and Oliver are sure to stay sharp and pointed, as they slice through Terri Vellmann, Kitty Calis, DOSEONE and Jan Willem Nijman’s clever dodge-em-up Disc Room into these three bits: Simple Hand-Crafted Levels - Discussing learning from prototyping and why the developers opted for curated level spawning over procedural randomness Forgivingly Hardcore - Balancing frustration and exhilaration...

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 &amp...

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 l...