I’m jealous I didn’t think of this first
Game Design Companion: A Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4is a 600-page eBook that will analyze the entirety ofWario Land 4. I’ll just give you a moment to let that sentence sink in. Seriously, Daniel Johnson has put together600 pagesof critical analysis onWario Land 4to, as he says, take the structure of videogame design in this under-appreciated gem and cover topics such as mechanics, psychology, education, level design, and game feel.
Daniel wants to pursue evidence-based analysis of games rather than socio-culture critique. The same thing has already happened in virtually any other medium, with things like Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Ringsbeing so epic and complex that there are numerous college classes taught focusing on various aspects within that universe alone. Maybe someday there will be aWario Land 4class with this book used as the textbook? That would be pretty rad.
We’re huge fans of Wariohere at Destructoid, with a few of us specifically enjoying this game quite a bit. I know I’ll be checking this out as I’m inherently interested in game design and mechanics, while also just super curious how in detail Daniel gets in this thing. Also,the cover artis top notch.
Game Design Companionwill be available tomorrow, December 18, for a limited-time price of $4.99 throughStolen Projects.
