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Here are some articles on design that I’ve written in my spare time, as well as links to level deconstructions on my ongoing YouTube channel, The Playing Field.
Articles
Creating Horror through Level Design
Creating Horror through Level Design: Tension, Jump Scares, and Chase Sequences (For the record, this article is going to use examples from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SOMA, Outlast, Puzzle Agent, Beyond Good and Evil, The Cursed Forest, and Silent Hill, so be wary of potential spoilers if you want to play these games) General Overview:…
On the Simulation of Monsters
(For the record, this article is going to use examples from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Alien: Isolation, Outlast, and Near Midnight, so be wary of potential spoilers if you want to play these games). Intro: After writing my last article on evoking horror in level design, I got a lot of positive feedback from people…
System Shock 2: MedSci | The Playing Field
Released 18 years ago, System Shock 2 was not a commercial success but managed to develop an extremely devoted following, carrying its legacy forward to this day. With a sequel and a reboot to the first game both in development, I figured it was time to finally dig into one of my favorite games of…
Thief II: The Bank | The Playing Field
The first two Thief games are seminal titles in the stealth genre, being two of Looking Glass’s most well-known projects. However, unlike most other immersive sims, Thief has no RPG elements to create its system-driven gameplay, but comes off as system-driven anyway. What gives? To answer this, we’re going to take a look at The…
Alien Isolation: San Cristobal | The Playing Field
Despite being heralded for its amazing AI, visual direction, and sound, the reaction to Alien: Isolation’s gameplay was much more conflicted. I felt much the same way, with 70% being the best game I had ever played, and the remaining 30% providing ample amounts of frustration. The xenomorph itself is obviously the core of the…
Read more Alien Isolation: San Cristobal | The Playing Field
Prey 2017: Neuromod Division | The Playing Field
On release, Prey didn’t seem to make that much of an impression among players, but by the end of 2017 it made a large number of Game of the Year lists, being held up as an exemplary immersive sim. For me, it took a long time for Prey to click, but once it did I…
Prey 2017: Shuttle Bay | The Playing Field
Even if Prey doesn’t fully succeed in teaching its complex nature to new players, the experience of engaging with all its systems is radically different than starting out. Once Prey hits its stride, an amazing web of interactions is laid bare for the audience to play with. So what is that experience like? And how…
Crafting Scares, Gameplay Loops, and Puzzle Agent
To remember the work of those who were at Telltale Games, and to take a break from my usual format, today we’re taking a look at one of the studio’s lesser-known games, and how it had an impact on my interest in designing for horror. This is actually a partial video adaptation of this article…
Jared Mitchell 