Michał Chwistek

open.substack.comWhy I Love the Red Flowers in Silksong (When Most Players Hate Them)Trust me—I’m not amazing at it.

18 Sept 2025

▶️ Why I Love the Red Flowers in Silksong (When Most Players Hate Them) 🌸 In my blog post, I take a closer look at the red flower mechanic. Why do so many players find it frustrating, while for me it was one of the best moments in the game? #silksong #gamedesign open.substack.com/pub/kwiscgam...

open.substack.comClair Obscure is a phenomenal and strikingly relevant game about… AI.The main theme of Expedition 33 is, of course, grief and the attempt to come to terms with the loss of loved ones.

6 Jan

Clair Obscure is a phenomenal and strikingly relevant game about… AI. #clairobscur #expedition33 #gamedev #gamedesign open.substack.com/pub/kwiscgam...

10 Dec 2025

In Be My Horde, there’s no such thing as too many explosions! 😄 I definitely recommend sheep explosion build after last update 🐑 #indiedev #bemuhorde #indiegames #indies

open.substack.comWhy Silksong’s Singing Bugs Matter More Than You ThinkHow a quirky detail becomes a powerful design tool

20 Sept 2025

Silksong’s Singing Bugs Matter More Than You Think As we explore the underground realms of Silksong, we come across bugs singing in their strange insect language. This not only builds atmosphere, but it also serves a deeper purpose. #gamedev #silksong #gamedesign open.substack.com/pub/kwiscgam...

Michał Chwistek@kwisc.bsky.social

open.substack.comWhy I Love the Red Flowers in Silksong (When Most Players Hate Them)Trust me—I’m not amazing at it.

4 Sept 2025

@gamediscoverco.bsky.social would be great to see your analysis of Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound releases. It’s rare to see so similar game released so close to each other. Main differences: 1. Art style. 2. Marketing How big of a difference they made? Was Shinobi 2x bigger only on Steam?

3 Sept 2025

Na Steamie ukazała się bardzo ciekawa rzecz. "Intuitive Level Design" to taki kurs level designu w formie interaktywnej piaskownicy. Chodzimy po lokacji i czytamy sobie różne porady dotyczące projektowania poziomów. Byłoby fajnie, jakby więcej osób wrzucało tego typu treści. Znacie coś podobnego?

25 May 2025

First, the French made a jRPG better than the Japanese. Now it looks like the Poles have made a Bethesda-style RPG better than Bethesda’s latest one 😉 Tainted Grail has already hit almost 25k (!) peak players and 90% (!!) positive among the latest 2000! Bethesda fans don’t care about bugs 😉

27 Mar 2025

Had enough of remasters? How about a remaster of a game that came out in Early Access just a year ago? 😄 Be My Horde got a “small” facelift today. What do you think? Last screenshot ofc;) On top of that, we’ve added a few new perks, introduced the “No Perk Mode” and more. #indiegames #indiedev

7 Feb 2025

My indie game: Beginning VS Ending The intensity changes a little 😉 PS. I recommend watching with the sound on! :) #bemyhorde #indiedev #indiegames #gamedesign #gamedev #games

31 Jan 2025

Now I understand why Astro Bot won Game of the Year at TGA, but I don’t understand why it didn’t win for music as well :> #astrobot #games

🧵 What They Don’t Teach About Game Design #2 GOOD FEEDBACK: Critiquing the Right Way Providing GOOD feedback in the RIGHT way is a crucial skill for any designer. And it’s not just about design feedback. PS: At the end, I’m sharing some practical tips. #gamedev #gamedesign #indiedev

6️⃣ Pick your battles. Don’t argue endlessly over trivial things like an NPC’s hat color. Save your energy for important matters. When you let small things go, compromise becomes easier on bigger, more critical issues.

7️⃣ Don’t flip someone’s idea upside down. Suggest alternatives, but focus on improving their vision rather than tearing it apart. Supporting others’ ideas will lead to better teamwork and, ultimately, better results.

3️⃣ Avoid giving ready-made solutions. Let the other person have the satisfaction of finding them. Guide them, show the direction, but let them do their work. 4️⃣ Never try to outdo an expert in their field. Your quick fixes will rarely be better…

…If you must draw or write something, keep it basic—just enough to suggest a solution. A specialist will take your idea and make it 100x better. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake. 5️⃣ You’re not always right. Listen to arguments. Better solutions lead to better games, not personal wins.

…Use the power of solid arguments (as I discussed in part 1 of this series), but even that might not always be enough. Your tone and approach matter. This skill takes practice—and mistakes—but here are some methods I’ve developed over time:

1️⃣ If you’re not an expert in a field, say so. Frame your comments as suggestions, not gospel truths. No one knows everything. 2️⃣ Point out issues, but also highlight positives. Maybe it’s a great idea with poor execution—or great execution with a flawed concept.

3️⃣ Be aware of your limitations. I love giving feedback, but I know I’m clueless about music. Luckily, I rely on other designer and our tester for that (shoutout to Kuba and Ania!). Being honest about your expertise makes your feedback more collaborative…

GIVING FEEDBACK Giving feedback is even harder than spotting issues—especially in a discipline you’re not an expert in. No one likes a designer who “knows everything” but can’t draw a proper circle. How you deliver feedback is as important as what you say…

…Designers can notice things a artist might miss—not because they lack skill, but because they don’t understand gameplay on the same level. The best scenario? An artist who’s also a strong designer. (Shoutout to @dushka-techart.bsky.social from @polishedgames!) But that’s not always possible…

…This is why it helps if a designer has a general knowledge of different disciplines: 1️⃣ They don’t need to draw, but should know what style supports their design, find references, or explain what doesn’t work—and why. 2️⃣ The more they know about art, music, writing, UI, directing, etc., the better.

INTERDISCIPLINARITY Games are a blend of many art forms: music, graphics, narrative, etc. All these elements interact with gameplay and should enhance it. Since designers understand gameplay best, their feedback is incredibly valuable…

I haven’t played such a well-written and directed game as 1000xResist in a long time. I’ve only spent 2-3h on it so far, but it’s a pleasure to watch (great framing) and listen to (full VO). Brilliant ideas, directing , and storytelling. Great job @sunsetvisitor.studio and @fellowtraveller.games

The screenshots might be misleading—it’s partly sci-fi, but also partly a narrative about the lives of Chinese immigrants in Canada and growing up. Highly recommended, especially for parents with daughters.

🧵What They Don’t Teach About Game Design #1 : THE POWER OF ARGUMENTS There are many guides on how to make or design games, but they often skip key skills. One of the most vital is the ability to argue and accept arguments - lets see why it’s key in game design. 1/9 #gamedev #gamedesign #indiedev

8. STICK TO YOUR GUNS, BUT HAVE BETTER AMMO Sometimes the team disagrees with your idea, even if you’re certain it’s great. Instead of giving up, take a break, find better arguments, and try again. If you truly believe in it, keep pushing. Teams and leads aren’t always right! 8/9

9. THANK YOU! If you enjoyed this thread, consider following or sharing. It helps these posts reach more people. Thanks for reading, and keep designing amazing games! 😊 9/9 #gamedev #gamedesign #kwiscgamedesign

6. WHY GAME KNOWLEDGE IS YOUR SECRET WEAPON Understanding why games use specific solutions is vital. Teams rely on well-informed arguments. Your knowledge of game design, systems, and player experience is your greatest tool for persuading others. 6/9

7. SWALLOWING YOUR PRIDE (AND THE ARGUMENT) It’s even harder to accept good arguments against your ideas. Imagine: You’ve spent all day perfecting your idea, only to hear solid counterpoints from your team. Letting go of “your baby” is painful but essential for growth in game development. 7/9

4. BORROWING FROM THE GREATS? THINK AGAIN Saying “Hades, Elden Ring, or Witcher did this” isn’t a strong argument. 1️⃣ Great games still make mistakes. 2️⃣ What works in Game X won’t always work in Game Y, even within the same genre. Games are complex systems, and copying without context can fail. 4/9

5. CRAFTING ARGUMENTS THAT EVEN YOUR CAT CAN'T DISPUTE To convince someone, use arguments they can’t easily refute. Example: In Be My Horde, units lack detail because zoomed-out cameras make detail useless or ugly. This reasoning is simple and hard to challenge. Strong arguments help teams align5/9

2. BECAUSE I SAID SO! A designer’s job involves discussing, arguing, and justifying. Saying “because I said so” isn’t enough. As a junior, no one will listen. As a creative director, people might comply—but they won’t want to work with you. 2/9

3. PERSUASION MATTERS You want your team to embrace your ideas because they believe in them. This requires clear, solid arguments. “Because I said so” won’t cut it. Neither will weak examples like “because great game X did it.” 3/9

23 Jan 2025

Over a year ago, I almost gave up on looking for a job in game dev. Today, I’ve officially become the Lead Designer at @polishedgames 😊 Last 14 month were amazing and I m super lucky that I can work with such a great team on Be My Horde. Indie studio are the best:) #gamedev #gamedesign #indiedev

1️⃣ How Can Time Limits in Dawnwalker Transform Gaming Decisions? When a player has a limited number of days to complete a game, starting a quest—or choosing INACTION—becomes a decision in itself. This is something many games lack. #gamedesign #gamedev #games #RPG #Dawnwaker

7️⃣ Ofc not everyone will enjoy this. But not every game needs to appeal to everyone. Just like Souls games—while not for everyone, their difficulty delivers incredibly powerful emotional experiences. That’s why I’m rooting for Dawnwalker! It could open doors to entirely new AAA gaming experiences.

8️⃣ PS. I recommend Golden Dragon, where you not only face time limits but also rely solely on autosave. Every choice feels more emotionally significant than the hardest decisions in top RPGs.

5️⃣ To act morally in a game, players would need to sacrifice something valuable in-game—the chance to complete a quest. That’s a truly tough choice! But few will make it on their own. That’s why players need to be subtly forced into this. Limited resources like time work brilliantly here.

6️⃣ If a player only has time to complete one of three tasks, they are forced to choose inaction for the other two. There’s no other way. It’s still a tough decision, but it feels easier because it’s framed within clear rules and becomes mandatory.Inaction increases narrative depth and replayability.

3️⃣ In Dishonored, there was a mission where I could poison an entire district. My first thought? There’s a quest, so I must complete it. But after reading the details, I realized my character wouldn’t do it.

4️⃣ I didn’t have good or evil dialogue options to choose from. The decision was whether to act or abstain. And it was fantastic! A choice I’ll remember for a long time. But most players won’t behave this way, as they don’t want to miss out on content carefully crafted by the developers.

2️⃣ In traditional RPGs, this kind of choice barely exists. There’s a quest? I’ll do it, even if it doesn’t fit my character. Every quest offers a reward, so skipping it feels like a mistake. But inaction is also a choice.

It took some time, but we finally made it—90% positive reviews overall on Steam! 😊 The list of milestones to conquer is getting smaller. Next up: 1000 reviews and Overwhelmingly Positive overall! #BeMyHorde #indiedev #gamedev

27 Dec 2024

During Christmas, Be My Horde reached 20,000 copies sold and 700 reviews! Who said a game about necromancy can’t be a Christmas game 😉 #gamedev #indiegames #games

Polished Games@polishedgames.bsky.social

The best holiday gift we could ask for: 20,000 COPIES OF BE MY HORDE SOLD! 😳 Thank you all so much for your incredible support. This project wouldn’t have been possible without you. Take care and of course… PRAISE BE MORIANA!

26 Dec 2024

The stories are rather simple and not very clever, but the world and the artwork are pure mastery 😮 Strong Dark Souls or Berserk vibes, but this time from Argentina. Highly recommended as an album. The comic „Liquid Steel” (Acera Liquido). #comic #darksouls #art

22 Dec 2024

Really nice thread about gamedev organization and decision making. I especially recommend it to people outside of game development. But it will also be useful for beginners to better understand the root of certain problems they deal with. #gamedev

David Gaider@davidgaider.bsky.social

It occurs to me, after reading posts getting it spectacularly wrong, that there are a lot of misconceptions over how game studios organize and, in particular, who makes the actual decisions about what ends up in your game. Much of it is by folks who don't *try* to get it... but not all, surely. 1/🧵

21 Dec 2024

New achievement unlocked for the Be My Horde review bingo! ;) P.S. Almost 6 hours played, so our fun factor proved stronger than his anti-DEI stance 😊 #steam #indiedev #indiegames #games

youtu.beWhich Game Has the Best Dodge Animation?YouTube video by New Frame Plus

16 Dec 2024

Amazing wideo. Many great animations and everything well explained. I don’t like Witcher 3 combat but totally agree that Geralt animations are top notch. Unfortunately I won’t use this knowledge in Be My Horde. Moriana doesn’t stoop to dodging attacks—that’s what her servants are for;) #gamedesign

Dan Floyd@danfloydplus.bsky.social

Which video game has the best dodge animation? Yes it's a silly question, just roll with it. youtu.be/cdu5yLO9lkc