“That’s way too many pawns.”

#368
“That’s way too many pawns.” Communicating Difficulty; Remixed Play Modes
2024.10.11
Screenshot from the "Snow Cult Scuffle" boss fight in Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC. In this boss fight, one of the enemies attacks the player by swinging a giant orange whale like a club.

This week, Ellen kicks things off with a chat about how games tell players, “This might be tough!” and how to make that fun and fair. Stephen and Mark jump in with their takes on what makes difficulty settings shine. Then, Mark thinks about the practice taking familiar game mechanics and twisting them into something fresh. Think pacifist runs or limited equipment modes. Why limit yourself to one way to play when you can remix the whole game? As always, there are some goofs in here, too.