Narrative Design | when games let you race to the end
by Antony de Fault | Jan 18, 2023 | Feature, Gaming
Antony examines the rare few games which dare to let players decide when they end
Posts by: Antony de Fault
God of War Ragnarök | How its narrative grows beyond the 2018 original
by Antony de Fault | Dec 12, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Contrasting the storytelling chops of Kratos’ two recent outings to see what makes them tick
Narrative Design | Tropes vs fiction in video games
by Antony de Fault | Oct 25, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Tropes are bad, right? Wrong! Antony illuminates how tropes can be used intelligently in good storytelling
Narrative Design | Exploring Stray's immersively feline storytelling
by Antony de Fault | Sep 16, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
As a character, and especially as a protagonist, Stray’s cat is a weird and thought-provoking case, well worth a deeper look
Telling Röki’s modern fairy tale
by Antony de Fault | Aug 08, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Röki writer/narrative designer Danny Salfield Wadeson reveals a ‘big picture’ approach we ought to emulate in our own storytelling
The narrative design of The Beatles
by Antony de Fault | Jul 14, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
In order to better think about narrative-led games, let's first take a look at some very well-known songs
How to create dramatic video game characters
by Antony de Fault | Jun 06, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Ever felt your game’s character was flat? Get inspired by Antony’s method for generating depth
Telling stories and communicating vision within a creative team
by Antony de Fault | May 10, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Video game storyteller Anthony de Fault dives into inspiring teams and promoting cohesion - through story time
How game writers manage your mind
by Antony de Fault | Mar 08, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
A writer's guide to managing plot points and anticipating where players' heads are at to avoid confusion.
Examining Ghost of Tsushima's DLC masterclass
by Antony de Fault | Feb 10, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Antony discovers that Sucker Punch’s biggest hit saves the best for last with its Iki Island expansion
Groundhog Play: analysing the stories in time-loop games
by Antony de Fault | Feb 01, 2022 | Feature, Gaming
Why have time-loop games like Deathloop captured devs’ imaginations, and what challenges and opportunities do they present? Antony takes a closer look
Breaking the Lore
by Antony de Fault | Dec 07, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Award-winning writer Casey Lucas-Quaid explains how concentrated hits of lore can elevate an entire game
The three pillars of investigative gameplay
by Antony de Fault | Nov 11, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Ever wanted a player to more deeply engage with the details of your story? Here’s how
Writing truth in No Longer Home
by Antony de Fault | Sep 21, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
No Longer Home creators Cel Davison and Hana Lee discuss how they pushed the boundaries of non-fiction game making
The storytelling fundamentals of Rachet & Clank
by Antony de Fault | Aug 19, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
How Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart tells a story like a blockbuster movie
Exploring Return of the Obra Dinn's rule of three
by Antony de Fault | Jun 15, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Return of the Obra Dinn is a puzzling and storytelling masterpiece. Antony investigates what makes its narrative design tick
Narrative showdown: Assassin’s Creed Origins vs Odyssey
by Antony de Fault | May 21, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
The Assassin's Creed games can provide a real sense of place. But which of these two did it better, and how?
How to love video game writing as a job
by Antony de Fault | Apr 19, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Telling stories begins as a passion, but the reality of doing it as a job can be daunting. Here’s how to keep the spark…
Paradise Killer, and designing a gripping courtroom drama
by Antony de Fault | Mar 09, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Paradise Killer has some of the best-feeling detective work yet seen in a video game, and teaches vital narrative design lessons
What The Red Strings Club can tell us about writing good exposition
by Antony de Fault | Feb 23, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
Games are often bad at exposition, but a little indie title contains the key to doing it well – by mixing cocktails
Unstitching the Banner Saga
by Antony de Fault | Jan 26, 2021 | Feature, Gaming
The Banner Saga is one of the richest examples of interactive fiction. Here’s what we can learn from it
Narrative Showdown: Hades vs Pyre
by Antony de Fault | Nov 17, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
We pit Supergiant Games’ mythological dungeon crawl Hades against its older fantasy sport story, Pyre
Choosing choices: a handy glossary of common terms
by Antony de Fault | Oct 30, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
This month, Antony provides a handy guide to different kinds of player choices
Intensity and pacing in The Last Of Us: Left Behind
by Antony de Fault | Aug 24, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
How does The Last of Us’ standalone prequel Left Behind use rising action in its storytelling? Antony explains all
Talking to computers, for game writers
by Antony de Fault | Jul 22, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
Most potential video game writers lack the building blocks of interactive storytelling. Let’s change that
Firewatch’s Henry and tutorialising narrative
by Antony de Fault | Jun 02, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
How Firewatch’s immaculate intro teaches the player to think and behave like a very particular character
Why don’t we read video game scripts?
by Antony de Fault | Apr 02, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
Tony Jeffree explores the fascinating realm of game design documents
Of mice and Witchers: structuring quests
by Antony de Fault | Mar 06, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
What can we learn by breaking down the interactivity of The Witcher 3’s best side quest? Quite a lot, as it turns out
Networking: necessary, but not always evil
by Antony de Fault | Jan 02, 2020 | Feature, Gaming
It’s considered by some to be the dark art of the bloodsucking corporate climber. Here’s why networking’s the opposite
