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Josh Bycer
Author

Josh Bycer

A game design critic with more than a decade analyzing video games. I'm the author of the "Game Design Deep Dive series" and have interviewed hundreds of developers in the industry.

147 stories published
Is Dungeon Encounters the Best or Worst Dungeon Crawler?

Is Dungeon Encounters the Best or Worst Dungeon Crawler?

99 Floors of Dungeon Crawling

Hell Pie Review

Hell Pie Review

A swinging, swearing, good time

Hidden Gems of Game Design: Volume 2

Hidden Gems of Game Design: Volume 2

Back with the second edition of a list of games that deserved more recognition than they received

How Hoarding Encourages Bad Game Design

How Hoarding Encourages Bad Game Design

Pushing forward from hoarding in games

What's So "Free" About Free to Play?

What's So "Free" About Free to Play?

Putting a price on virtual goods

How Retro Games Have Taken on a New Life

How Retro Games Have Taken on a New Life

The joys of kaizo and beyond

Hidden Gems of Game Design

Hidden Gems of Game Design

Appreciation for games that deserved better than they received

Top Picks From Steam's Next Fest Demo Week

Top Picks From Steam's Next Fest Demo Week

Keep your eyes on these recommendations from SUPERJUMP's writers

Late-Game Lessons of Live Service Design

Late-Game Lessons of Live Service Design

Going the extra mile(s) of game development

Salt and Sacrifice is a Sidegrade Sequel

Salt and Sacrifice is a Sidegrade Sequel

Double the Salt

Rogue Legacy 2 is a Roguelite Return

Rogue Legacy 2 is a Roguelite Return

The Original Rogue-lite

The Impossible Chase of “Fun” Game Design

The Impossible Chase of “Fun” Game Design

Why you can’t please everyone

Learn the Right Lessons When Studying Video Games

Learn the Right Lessons When Studying Video Games

The line between “Inspired By” and “Copying”

Revita Takes a Gamble on Story and Difficulty

Revita Takes a Gamble on Story and Difficulty

A reborn rogue like

Making the “Base” of Your Gameplay

Making the “Base” of Your Gameplay

Why approachability is about the middle

Elden Ring Shatters Soulslike Combat Design

Elden Ring Shatters Soulslike Combat Design

Where does Elden Ring’s combat slip up?

Shadow Warrior 3 Slices and Dices Its Predecessor

Shadow Warrior 3 Slices and Dices Its Predecessor

Simplifying the gameplay while adopting the "push forward" model of FPS design results in a markedly different experience

Tunic is the Alpha Zelda Experience

Tunic is the Alpha Zelda Experience

Prepare to get lost, in more ways than one

Elden Ring Elevates Souls-likes Further Than Before

Elden Ring Elevates Souls-likes Further Than Before

The Souls-like genre goes open-world

Defining Free to Play Ethics

Defining Free to Play Ethics

Coining the term “Player Friendly Design”

A Look Back at Super Mario RPG

A Look Back at Super Mario RPG

Relish the nostalgia with the games of the ‘90s