Vitor M. Costa

Game Design

"2B or Not to [B]e?": The Shakespearean Question of 9S

Examining the collapse of existentialism and humanism in the role of 9S in NieR:Automata

Feature

Nobuo Uematsu and the Synthetic Neoclassicism of the Fantasian Soundtrack

Examining Nobuo Uematsu's ideas and techniques in what could be his last complete OST for a video game

Game Design

Why Random Encounters Shouldn’t Disappear in RPGs

How random encounter system can be designed in a modern and enjoyable way in current RPGs

Interview

Various Daylife: An Interview With Tomoya Asano and Masaaki Hayasaka

Exploring the design decisions behind Various Daylife

Feature

The Magical, Aristocratic Symbolism of The DioField Chronicle

Examining the ideas and techniques in Isamu Kamikokuryo's concept art

Feature

NieR: Automata and the Melancholy of the Human Voice in an Opera of Machines and Ruins

How Keiichi Okabe's music contributes to the identity of the NieR series and the humanism of NieR: Automata

Interview

NieR: Automata - An Interview with Yoko Taro, Yosuke Saito, and Keiichi Okabe

With the re-release of NieR: Automata on Nintendo Switch, the legendary minds behind the game discuss their craft in an exclusive interview

Feature

Live A Live and Its Wordless Prehistory

Examining the concept of "ludonarrative consonance" in Live A Live

Feature

Origins of the Strategy RPG (1982-1995)

An exploration of the early days of the strategy RPG genre

Feature

Intellectual Difficulty and Fairness in Tactical and Puzzle Games

Examining the difference between difficulty and fairness and how they apply to games

Feature

Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross and Temporal Ontology, Part 2

Understanding existence and identity in the different time structures of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross

Feature

Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross and Temporal Ontology, Part 1

Time Travel and Linear Time vs. Branching Time

Game Design

What is Difficulty and Fairness in Video Games?

Examining two divisive topics in the discussion about gaming

Feature

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor and Laplace's Demon Thought Experiment

Comparing Shin Megami Tensei's plot with the famous philosophical experiment

Game Design

The Difference Between Cohesion and Coherence in Video Games

Understanding the dichotomy between internal and external analysis

Game Design

The Difference Between Complexity and Depth in Video Games

Deep thinking on depth and complexity

Opinion

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne as a Political Philosophy Experiment

How the world of this classic can lead to deep reflections on humanity and its ideals in society

Feature

Game Masters: Yoko Taro

How to recognize a Yoko Taro RPG