Pixel Primers

Pixel Primers

@pixelprimers.bsky.social

I write about games and teach game design. First book coming soon - details to be revealed shortly!

77 followers303 following43 posts

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

September's Mechanic of the Month is Silksong's Swift Step. Unlocking Swift Step transforms the game into an acrobatic dance of dodges and air dashes. Honestly some of the best movement mechanics I can remember playing in a 2D game #Silksong

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Was similarly concerned when the excellent Nemesis System was patented in 2021. In another world we would have seen a whole wave of indie and AAA devs pushing the nemesis system in exciting new directions. Instead, it's appeared in 1 other game since 2014, and then WB closed the studio

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Now it's been confirmed we're getting Hades 2 and Silksong in the same month, I'm more relieved than ever Slay the Spire 2 pushed their release back today. Love all 3 games, but there's only so many sequels we can squeeze into the back half of 2025! #indiegame www.eurogamer.net/slay-the-spi...

eurogamer.netSlay the Spire 2 has been delayed but it wasn't Silksong's fault, promiseSlay the Spire 2, the sequel to the roguelike deck-building game that spawned a genre, has been delayed. Developer Mega…
Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Nintendo kicking off their Direct with theme parks, museums and movie tie-ins feels significant. Nintendo have always been sitting on some very valuable IP, but haven't always capitalized on it like many other companies would. This definitely feels like it's started to shift now

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Every mechanic in the game – from puzzles to character abilities – revolves around clever uses of words and letters. I particularly like how you expand your character’s health bar by adding letters to your name

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

As a British person of a particular age, it’s also reminding me a lot of 90’s television. There’s a bit of Knightmare in there (as well as the board game Atmosfear). The sassiness of the Cryptmaster himself also keeps making me think of Richard O’Brien from The Crystal Maze

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

As excited as I am for Silksong, their surprise September release date must have been scary news for the other devs releasing this month. It might be harder for other indie devs to get press attention this month, so it's a great time to shout out any other new releases you're enjoying #indiegames

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

There’s nothing flashy about Öoo’s bomb mechanic. You place a bomb (or a segment of your caterpillar body - I’m not really sure!) and then blow it up to create motion. When it comes to extracting all of the potential depth out of a simple concept though, Öoo is an absolute masterclass

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

I know I'm a sucker for a sandbox strategy game with a ton of DLC, so for my own safety I've been trying to stay far away from Age of Wonders 4. I finally caved in this week. It's time for bird pirates.

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Good in-depth game genre analysis like this is surprisingly rare, and Doc's stuff is always worth a read. Hopefully going to be followed by a part 2!

doctober@docseuss.bsky.social

Hey! New article! This one's about the history of first person shooters, what makes 'em work, and why I like the shooters I like. It's also me lamenting how they've died, and talking a bit about why I want to go ahead and make one. docseuss.medium.com/first-person...

docseuss.medium.comfirst person shooters are extremely fun, but the industry rarely makes the ones i like anymoreThere’s something about that anticipation as your dropship passes over open ocean and the fighting on the beach comes into view…
Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Good to see that UFO 50 is starting to come to consoles! One of the most ambitious collections of game design ideas you'll ever play. I'll forever be impressed they decided to create 50(!) games when I think people would have been just as impressed with a collection half that number #UFO50

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Actually quite excited about my 3 hour train journey today as it means I have an excuse to take my Switch 2 somewhere. In other news, I am finally trying to complete Tears of the Kingdom. This game is BIG

Pixel Primers
@pixelprimers.bsky.social

Watching ever more Silksong memes appear as we get closer to the Nintendo Direct (I assume we won't see anything today). As OTT as some of the Silksong discourse has become, there is something nice about the most anticipated game in the world being a project made by a team of around 10(?) people

IGN@ign.com

When we played Silksong for the first time in 2019, we never expected it would be the start of a six-year wait for Team Cherry's excellent follow-up to Hollow Knight. Here's how Silksong became a meme and made us all clowns.

bit.lySilksong: The Story Behind the Insanely Long Wait For a Game We Demoed in 2019

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