3 Bit Design

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 manages to deliver genuinely impactful choices by withholding information and avoiding judgement

Let us know what you think:

Leave us a review!3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Some references:

• Citizen Sleeper 2's narrative tools and "no-code" approach - Creator Spotlight - Unity (interview)
• Citizen Sleeper: How precarity and minimum viable design created this dystopian RPG | BAFTA - BAFTA (presentation)
• How Citizen Sleeper was inspired by tabletop RPGs and gig work - Joel Couture, Game Developer (article)
• "Game development is more accessible than ever": how Citizen Sleeper 2 was created without coding - Lewis Packwood, Creative Bloq (article)

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 immerses you into the job, from the diegetic UI to the narrative perspective

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Some references:

Making of - Star Wars: Republic Commando - NeoGamer - The Video Game Archive (video)

After 20 Years, Star Wars: Republic Commando is Still a MASTERPIECE | 2025 Review - TheNameBrand (video)

Storytelling Techniques Native to First Person Camera Games - Jiajun “Jeremy” Liu, Medium (article)

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 how it acts as the perfect setup for the rest of the game

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Some References:

Crafting Nightmares - Othercide's Art Direction - Alexandre Chaudret, Game Developer (article)

A Coffee Break with: Alexandre Chaudret, Othercide - gofig_news, Turn Based Lovers (interview)

Going Rogue: Othercide - Gwen C. Katz, Medium (article)

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 focus and leverages music and visuals to induce players into a flow state

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

Some References:

E6 - Redout 2 On Gameplay, Design & F-Zero Influence - Shacknews (video interview)

How the Redout 2 team created the follow up to the universe's fastest game - Miri Teixeira, RedBull (article)

The real engine driving Redout 2’s liquid-fast graphics - Brian Crecente, Unreal Engine Blog (article)

Redout 2 - Developer Feature - Team VVV (video interview)

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 the game and they’re the masters of it
• It’s All In The Movement - All about the extremely satisfying physicality and tactility of the game’s user interface

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

Some References:

Getting to the Heart (of the cards) of Balatro - Josh Bycer, Game Wisdom (blog)

Balatro's 'Cursed' Design Problem - Mark Brown, Game Maker’s Toolkit (video essay)

The Making of Balatro - Video Game Story Time (video)

“There is a lot more design to explore within Balatro” an interview with Localthunk - Jess Norris, XboxEra (article)

Balatro creator unveils a few slick signposting strategies - Justin Carter, Game Developer (article)

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 brilliant humour and tone of the game

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

Some References:

Improving control usability in Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Sara Tung, Medium (article)

Luigi’s Mansion 3: Behind the Screams! - Electric Playground Network (video interview)

The Iterations of Luigi’s Mansion - innegativeion, Parry Everything (blog article)

The Genius of Luigi's Mansion 3 - Mariomikester (video)

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 the overall experience;

• Situational Design - Passive progression and how everything in the game’s meta design feeds back to the core pillar of it being a social experience

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

Some references:

Taxonomy of Fishing Mini-games - Davide Aversa, Game Developer (article)

How WEBFISHING Is Reviving A Dead Genre - Lucid (video essay)

WEBFISHING and Third Places - Maybe: Salem (video essay)

Webfishing is the ultimate yapping game - Ana Diaz, Polygon (review)

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 of personality

• Environmental Storytelling - Using the full visual canvas to communicate strong themes and lingering interpretive narratives with minimal dialogue

Let us know what you think:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Or email - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

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 - [email protected]

Leave us a review!

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 the game brilliantly re-purposes its systems yet delivers substantial variety

- Dreadful Undertones - The style, nuance, and the little details that make up the game’s masterful worldbuilding

Let us know what you think:

Leave us a review!

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

Oliver - @oliverwauters

Tristan - @theatrewalker

Some references:

Trawling in the deep: How Black Salt Games made spooky fishing RPG, Dredge - Chris Kerr, Game Developer (article)

Creating the creepy, salty world of Dredge - GD Podcast ep.32 - Danielle Riendeau, Game Developer (podcast)

The Design of Dredge - Noclip - Video Game Documentaries (video)

DREDGE's Game DESIGN is... FISHY - Pixel Soup - The Indie Game Detective (video)

How Dredge Was Made and Why it Blew Away Expectations - GameStudioLore (video)

DREDGE Deep Dive #1: Inventory Design - Black Salt Games (video)