In this video, I look at "versatile verbs" - player actions that can have multiple uses, depending on how you perform them - in a number of excellent games.

In this three part episode of Game Maker's Toolkit, I will be looking at the shifting design of the three major Dead Space games. A new episode will be available each week.

In part two, we look at Dead Space's major sequel and how Redwood Shores (now named Visceral Games) started to shift the focus of the franchise away from horror - and towards action.

In the final part of this series, we look at the final game in the Dead Space saga, and look at the reasons why this series shifted so far towards being an action-heavy shooter.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is platforming level design at its best. By taking Nintendo’s level design philosophy to the next level, Retro Studios made a handful of incredible stages that all modern platformers should be judged against.

The rise of games inspired by Dark Souls has led some to suggest that Dark Souls invented a whole new genre of games. In this video, lets look at the ramifications of turning a game into a genre.

Check out all the games here - https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-jam/entries Links to the top 20: Roaring Streets https://cottontrek.itch.io/roaring-st... Vintage Flashlight https://dylsdestiny.itch.io/vintage-f... A Slime’s Quest for Freedom https://hrgames.itch.io/a-slimes-ques... AAAAA!!! https://bynine.itch.io/aaaaa Geflect https://gaziter.itch.io/geflectgame Magnetic https://prodigalson.itch.io/magnetic Orbital Punch https://indepth-gaming.itch.io/orbita... _Barrage_ https://kano-stuff.itch.io/-barrage- Delta https://culturebosh.itch.io/delta Plover Parent https://albatrosssoup.itch.io/plover-... Oeufwakening https://quentindelvallet.itch.io/oeuf... Stuck Recoil https://matheuscunegato.itch.io/stuck... ODA https://sicerat.itch.io/oda Void https://nicmagnier.itch.io/void HOPSHOT https://bearishmushroom.itch.io/hopshot A Tale of Wind and Sea https://tobiasbruch.itch.io/a-tale-of... powerCore https://sanjeev.itch.io/powercore Lockstep https://aioob.itch.io/lockstep Resize https://zorro-svardendahl.itch.io/resize SuperFunkyLightShow https://ostsenior.itch.io/superfunkyl...

Everyone who has played Ori and the Blind Forest will remember the Ginso Tree. In this video, I break the level down - beat by beat - to show you why it's so special.

Detective video games promise to turn us into Sherlock Holmes - but why do so many of them bungle the execution? In this video I mine ancient DOS games, forgotten mobile apps, quirky indie titles, and games that aren’t even about solving crimes, for good murder mystery mechanics.

Game Boy classic Metroid 2 has been completely remade by two different teams. So how did AM2R and Samus Return update the gameplay of this retro title, and how did they capture that original game’s tone?

A designer’s job often involves making sure players are experiencing the game in the most fun or interesting way. In this video, I look at examples of games that have tried to achieve this - sometimes with success, and sometimes with controversy.

In my last video, I talk about how XCOM 2 encouraged players to speed up, by using turn timers. Here's three games that take a different approach to the same topic.

Cuphead is a master class in boss attacks. Let's look at the game’s patterns, phases, telegraphing, predictability, and more. This video shows off bosses from the game’s first three areas.

Super Mario Odyssey’s success can be traced back to the design philosophies we’ve discussed on earlier episodes of Game Maker’s Toolkit. Let’s look at how these different ideas have been put into practice, in Mario’s latest game.

2017 saw an abundance of great levels, chapters, maps, areas, and sequences. Let's recap the year, by looking at the best stages from the past 12 months.

This year’s most inventive game was Snake Pass - a squirmy interactive toy that came together thanks to some smart design decisions, and a dash of good luck.