3 Bit Design

3 Bit Design

By 3BitDesignLeisureVideo Games
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3 Bit Design episodes

  • Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons in 3 bits

    Tristan and Oliver pair up, side-by-side, for their first ever in-person recording to venture deep into the land of giants in Starbreeze Studios’ Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, as they break it down into these three bits:

    Two Perspectives - How the two characters react to the world differently and the implications it has on puzzle design

    Your Other Half - The mechanics of controlling two characters at once and the resulting, physical character building as the narrative unfolds

    Show Not Tell - The wordless worldbuilding leveraging land and soundscapes


    Let us know what you think:

    3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

    Oliver - @oliverwauters

    Tristan - @theatrewalker


    Some References:

    Designer Reviews BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS - Farlands Design Den

    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Masterful Game Design || A Retrospective Analysis - Baran Esen

    “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons”. Intertwining Story Theme and Game-Mechanics - Gerald, Video Game Narrative (blog)

    A Critique of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Matt, A Mind of Madness (blog)

    39 min
  • Stardew Valley in 3 bits

    Tristan and Oliver are joined by special guest game designer Ioana-Iulia Cazacu to ponder on the leisurely farm life of Eric ‘Concernedape’ Barone’s masterful Stardew Valley, as they harvest these three bits:

    A Fresh Start - Joja Mart’s corporate capitalism versus the leisurely pace of village community life

    Casual Pressure - The yearning for a peaceful life, the idealisation of a pastoral life and how the game uses time and character energy to comment on it

    Nudging to Explore - How the hands-off game cleverly leverages core loops and collection mechanics to drive natural exploration and discovery


    Find us on socials:

    3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

    Oliver - @oliverwauters

    Tristan - @theatrewalker


    Some references:

    Game Design Perspective: Stardew Valley - Game Design Perspectives (article)

    The Anatomy of Stardew Valley - JM8, Design Delve (video essay)

    How Stardew Valley Was Made by Only One Person - ThatGuyGlen (mini-doc)

    Game Design: Stardew Valley and the Farming Genre - Craig Perko (video essay)

    How Great Games Do Progression | A Stardew Valley Video Essay - James Likes Games (video essay)

    Why Players become obsessed with “farming games”? - Yongcheng Liu, Game Developer (article)

    An Objective Analysis of Stardew Valley’s Design - Tan Chong Han Alden, Game Analytics with Lenses and Tools (blog)

    Learning to love Stardew Valley’s terrible fishing game - Polygon (video essay)

    52 min
  • Final Fantasy 7 Remake in 3 bits

    Tristan and Oliver link up like two materia in a pod coming down with an Avalanche of thoughts as they break down Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake into these three bits:

    Redefining Remakes - How FFVII set a new bar of what a remake can be, from visual overhaul to larger gameplay and narrative changes.

    Best of Both Worlds - The evolution of Final Fantasy combat and how past learnings coalesced into the exhilarating ATB combat system (MK II).

    Class Dismissed - Exploring how the weapon and materia systems create flexible, versatile characters to experiment with.


    Find us on socials:

    3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

    Oliver - @oliverwauters

    Tristan - @theatrewalker


    Some references:

    The making of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE - SquareEnix (official website)

    Final Fantasy VII Remake review: Thundaga can’t strike twice - Josh Brown, Digital Trends (review)

    Anatomy of a Game | Final Fantasy VII Remake - Game Design with Chris (video essay)

    Perfecting Final Fantasy 7′s legacy, as told by its creators - Gene Park, Washington Post (article)

    Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII - Patrick Holleman (book)

    Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West - Aiden Moher (book)

    The Systems of FF7, Then and Now - Ajai Raj, Medium (article)

    Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a flawed, but fascinating, reimagining of a classic - Carolyn Petit, Polygon (review)

    56 min
  • Tekken 7 in 3 bits

    Tristan and Oliver slick back their hair and put on their hat made of loose Jenga pieces, as they lock in to beat the following three bits out of Bandai Namco’s seventh (main) instalment of the iconic fighting game Tekken:

    Judging By Looks - Discussing the diverse character roster compared to other fighting games and how the game builds character depth with mystery.

    A Fighting Chance - Rage arts, power crushing, and other ways Tekken 7 is designed to be beginner-friendly.

    Adopt & Adapt - Depth & discovery through play, and how the game encourages experimentation in playstyle.


    Find us on socials:

    3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

    Oliver - @oliverwauters

    Tristan - @theatrewalker


    Some references:

    Perfecting Tekken 7 - Designing the Definitive Version - IGN (video)

    Tekken 7 - PS4/XB1/PC - Character Development (Q&A Dev Interviews) - Bandai Namco

    How Tekken 7's Arcade Roots Are Shaping Its Console Form - Edmond Tran, Gamespot

    https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/between-a-rock-and-a-harada-place-the-massive-i-tekken-i-interview - Brandon Sheffield, Game Developer (article)

    The Making Of... Tekken - Edge staff, Edge (article)

    The Pure Game Design of Fighting Games - The Game Overanalyser (video)

    50 min
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine in 3 bits

    Tristan and Oliver strap into their jetpacks and hope they don’t run out of fuel, as they hack Relic Entertainment’s sci-fi epic Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine into these three bits:

    1. Hordes of Fun - Fun in numbers; the joy of ploughing through enemy hordes and how the game capitalises on this;
    2. Takedown Heal - The execution mechanic and the game’s health design;
    3. Fictional World - The strong focus on gameplay and its effect on the believability of the worldbuilding;

      4. Find us on socials:

      3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

      Oliver - @oliverwauters

      Tristan - @theatrewalker


      Some references:

      Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Be a Space Marine Gameplay Developer Diary (2011) - XboxViewTV (video)

      Wot I Think: Space Marine - Alec Meer, Rock Paper Shotgun (article)

      What Made Warhammer 40K Space Marine So Unique - Cameron Swan, GameRant

      How many ways can THQ’s Space Marine game rip off Gears of War? - Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat

      Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Combat System ViDoc (2011) - XboxViewTV (video)

      52 min
    4. Until Dawn in 3 bits

      Tristan and Oliver put on their warmest parkas and their creepiest clown mask as they head up to the snowy Washington Lodge, ready to slice Supermassive Games’ blockbuster, choice-driven, survival horror Until Dawn up into these three bits:

      1. The Lodge - Evaluating the level design of the game’s most iconic and recurring central space;
      2. Boom, Butterfly Effect - Discussing characters, narrative, replayability, and the thin line between life and death;
      3. Previously on Until Dawn - The ease of catching up and the pacing offered by recaps, totems, and The Analyst;

        4. Find us on socials:

        3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

        Oliver - @oliverwauters

        Tristan - @theatrewalker


        Some references:

        Creating the atmosphere of Until Dawn - Staff, MCV

        Until Dawn - Observations on Interactive Drama Design ➣ RagnarRox - RagnarRox, video essay

        Until Dawn: Anticipation as Horror - Shelby Carleton, Game Developer article

        ‘Until Dawn’: An Interactive Horror Story - Joelle Jacoski, Medium article

        Supermassive Games' top three rules for narrative-driven horror - Danielle Partis, Games Industry.biz (article)


        Experimental Games: Critique, Play, and Design in the Age of Gamification - Patrick Jagoda (book)

        53 min
      4. Alan Wake in 3 bits

        On tonight’s episode of Night Springs… Tristan and Oliver gather their thermoses and prepare to aim down hard on their beaming flashlights, as they unravel Remedy’s multilayered, narrative-action-adventure Alan Wake into these three bits:

        1. Follow The Light - Everything light and darkness; narratively, thematically, and mechanically;
        2. Multimedia Madness - Discussing the layering of storytelling mediums; including the episodic structure and the manuscript pages;
        3. Balancing Simplicity - The complexity of balancing approachability and minimalism with progression and pacing;


          4. Find us on socials:

          3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

          Oliver - @oliverwauters

          Tristan - @theatrewalker


          Some references:

          How Alan Wake Was Rebuilt 3 Years Into Development | War Stories - Ars Technica (video)

          The Cult Classic That Refused To Die (Alan Wake) - Nerdstalgic Gaming (video)

          The Making of Alan Wake - Remedy Entertainment (video)

          Alan Wake turns 10: Remedy's game took five years to emerge from the darkness of development, the studio explains how it finally saw the light - gamesradar+ (article)

          Dissecting Design -- The Action-Horror of Alan Wake - Game Wisdom (video)

          Alan Wake: Illuminated - Jorg Neumann & Tony Elias (book)

          1 hr 4 min
        4. Inside in 3 bits

          Tristan and Oliver huddle up to dive deep into Playdead’s masterful narrative platformer Inside, defining it through these three bits:

          1. Learning By Ear - The game’s unique audio driven design, often telling before showing.
          2. Impactful Minimalism - Less is more, one button controls and guiding the player through subtlety.
          3. Interpretive Narrative - The elements that made this compelling world of mystery, that sparks conversation long after finishing playing.

            4. Find us on Twitter:

            3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

            Oliver - @oliverwauters

            Tristan - @theatrewalker

            Some references:

            How Inside's levels were designed - Alex Wiltshite, Rock Paper Shotgun (article)

            Video games and the auteur theory  - Jeff Spoonhower, Game developer (article)

            How Games Tell a Story: Exploring the Different Methods of Interactive Storytelling - Randen Banuelos, Game developer (article)

            Developers provide their [spoiler-free] take on Inside - Joel Couture, Game developer (article)

            Low Complexity, High Fidelity: The Rendering of INSIDE - Mikkel Gjoel, GDC talk. 

            Huddle up! Making the [SPOILER] of INSIDE - Playdead, GDC talk.


            The Art of Minimalism | Limbo and Inside Retrospective - CloudConnection (video essay)

            51 min
          4. Pokemon (Classic) in 3 bits

            Tristan and Oliver meet up with Professor Oak and face the ultimate discussion, as they lay out the classic generations of Game Freak’s global sensation Pokémon into these three elements:

            1. Gotta Gacha 'Em All - Catching, collecting, and pioneering the gacha games we know today.

            2. Becoming a Pokemon Master - The micro decisions that offer a personalised journey despite minimal customisation and linear storytelling.

            3. Rock, Paper, Scissors - The iconic elemental combat system and turn based combat at its most accessible.


              4. Find us on Twitter:

              3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

              Oliver - @oliverwauters

              Tristan - @theatrewalker


              Some references:

              Design Doc - How To Make Great Game Rivals - Pokemon and Devil May Cry (video essay)

              Extra credits - Mechanics Shaping Story - Re-examining the Core Gameplay Loop (video essay)

              An Exclusive Look At Pokémon’s Early Design Documents - Game Informer (video essay)

              5 Game Design Decisions That Made the Original Pokémon Games Classics - Jack Fennimore, UWM Post (article)
              Analysis of the first-generation Pokémon game development process - Went, Daily Longform (article)

              57 min
            4. Half-Life 2 in 3 bits

              Tristan and Oliver have chosen, or been chosen, to embody free men as they break down Valve’s industry defining title Half-Life 2 into these three bits:

              Situational Variety - The sandbox-like combat created through the game’s physics, objects, and weapons.

              Full, Continuous Control - The narrative devices deployed to tell a compelling story while always maintaining full player control.

              Diegetic Wayfinding - Expertly guiding the player exclusively through visual and audio queues, minus objective markers.


              Find us on Twitter:

              3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign

              Oliver - @oliverwauters

              Tristan - @theatrewalker


              Some references:

              Half-Life 2's Ravenholm is peak Valve level design - Polygon, video essay

              Half Life 2's Game Design is Incredible - JacksonX, video essay

              How Valve Introduces a Game Mechanic - Htwo, video essay

              Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar - A Behind the Scenes Look: Prima's Official Insider's Guide - Prima Development, book

              Classic Postmortem: The making of Half-Life 2 - Game Developer, article

              Reverse design: Half-life - Patrick Holleman, book
              "The narrative had to be baked into the corridors": Marc Laidlaw on writing Half-Life - Rock Paper Shotgun, article

              50 min

            About 3 Bit Design

            From the publisher's feed

            A game dev podcast, where a couple of game designers break down some of the most influential games into the three bits that defined them the most.