SUPERJUMP

#ControlResonant is now @remedygames.com's fastest-selling game. What better moment to take a closer look at the Oldest House itself? The Oldest House: Brutalism borrowed from the Long Lines tower and Boston City Hall, and the absence of natural light. Story by Rory Norris. #Control #GameDev

#PhantomBladeZero is out Thursday and everyone’s reaching for the same comparison (most colourfully expressed by @pcgamer.com as "Sekiro on a drunken night out"). In this piece, Kamil Mozel traces how FromSoft arrived at Sekiro's unique, parry-centric combat system. #Sekiro

Some series are just games. For some of us, Zelda is a lifetime. With #OcarinaofTime returning on Switch 2, @brandonrchinn.bsky.social reflects on decades spent growing up alongside The Legend of Zelda. #Zelda #Nintendo #NintendoSwitch2

Before the Switch 2 remake, there was Ocarina of Time 3D. This is the story of Grezzo, the small studio founded by a Mana veteran, and how it earned Nintendo’s trust by rebuilding classics instead of just porting them. #Zelda #OcarinaOfTime #Nintendo

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantasy about fear, populism, and who gets to hold power. That makes it feel more relevant every year. As it arrives on #Switch2, @brandonrchinn.bsky.social discusses why fantasy is one of our best ways to think about injustice. #MetaphorReFantazio #Atlus #JRPG

Why do blocky, PS1-era graphics scare us more than photorealism ever could? Here's @wrightwrites.bsky.social on the indie horror revival bringing low-poly dread to a new generation, just in time for Halloween. #HorrorGames #IndieGames #Halloween

Few games are as all-consuming as Outer Wilds. In this piece, Jacob Self reflects on quantum physics, Kubrick’s 2001, and why Outer Wilds might be the pinnacle of the medium. #OuterWilds #VideoGames #Gaming

Steam’s AI disclosure rules continue to be debated. Here's an example of a game that combines procedural storytelling and genuine human authorship. #Wildermyth builds a different story every run and credits the human who wrote each scene by name. Story by @jickle.net. #GameDev #AI #Steam

Half-Life rumours are stirring again (hello, #HLX!) and we're inspired to return to City 17. HL2 Art Director Viktor Antonov: “The two key words of Half-Life 2, oppression and invasion, come from the dictatorial regime of my native Bulgaria.” Story by @thegamelogicist.bsky.social. #HalfLife

The scariest games of the last 20 years are the ones nobody can play. Nathan Kelly traces the “I Found This Game” lineage from Blair Witch through Ben Drowned, Sonic.exe, and Petscop. #Horror #Halloween #Gaming

#PEAK just landed on PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2. But why does the climbing genre exist at all? Tomás Neumann Aspee asked the developers behind the phenomenon, and found climbers chasing "Type II fun" (fun only in retrospect, hateful while it’s happening). #IndieGames #Gaming

"From start to finish, this experience is about fun." Story by Jared McCarty.

#NintendoSwitchSportsResort is just a couple of days away! Here's the video version of our extensive hands on preview. #Nintendo #NintendoSwitch2

Interviewing Alice Ruppert about horse anatomy, narratives, and more! Interview by Jahanzeb Khan.

"You don't have to beat the final boss or clear all the achievements to prove how much a game means to you." Story by Jacob Linden.

Jump scares are the order of the day during #Halloween. Here’s the other kind of horror: the sort that builds slowly and spurs curiosity. “It’s like reading a ghost story on a rainy night.” Story by Zachary Amos. #CozyGames #Horror #Gaming

"Hostile architecture comes in all shapes and sizes, but the message is always the same: don’t make yourself at home." Story by Briana Gonzalez. #Cyberpunk2077 #NightCity #Urbanism #Gaming #CDProjektRed #HostileArchitecture #Society

Retro dungeon crawling with a few tricks up its sleeve. Preview by Jared McCarty.

International markets offer different challenges and opportunities for indie developers. Story by Andrew Johnston.

"No JRPG I've ever played has said as much in as few words as Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey." Story by Nathan Kelly.

We spent a whole morning playing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort recently. And boy, are we happy to return to Wuhu Island! Story by @kuribojim.bsky.social. #Nintendo #NintendoSwitch2 #NintendoSwitchSportsResort #SwitchSportsResort

"The second I got the prototype in my hands, all my concerns about the bulk, heft, and ergonomic awkwardness were immediately forgotten." Story by Jared McCarty.

On the meaning of video game interaction and its emerging collision with generative AI. Story by Shun Takata.

Finding financing for development and the use of AI tools are among the most vexing issues for indie developers. Story by Andrew Johnston.

Our team is back with more hidden gems. In this edition, we feature the Cursed series, Shadow and Ink, Wizorb, and Pooyan. Story by Josh Bycer, Priya Sridhar, Ben Rowan, and Terence A.

"The takeaway is that developers need to know and understand their audiences." Story by Andrew Johnston.

"The coolest part of Obakeidoro 2 is how much freedom it gives you to customize your games." Story by Jared McCarty.

SUPERJUMP's resident indie expert is back with his annual opus. Part 1 discusses who wins, who loses, and why. Story by Andrew Johnston.

Our team is on the ground at PAX West to sample as much indie gaming goodness as they can. Story by Jared McCarty.

"A game doesn't have to let us do everything for our choices to matter." Story by Amara Doshi.

SUPERJUMP interviews Leon Richardson about Rangers of A Broken World, gaining inspiration from Canada, and why hope is important. Interview by Benjamin Macready.

The original Mystery Dungeon is back with a Classic HD remaster. Story by Jahanzewb Khan.

"All I could think was how I wanted to chase my friends' laughter into the light." Story by Rachel Alm.

#SplatoonRaiders is so much more than a mere spin-off. It requires #Splatoon veterans to unlearn and adjust some long-standing habits. Story by @kuribojim.bsky.social.

"Denshattack! might be the biggest surprise of the year." Review by Brandon R. Chinn. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/denshattack-an-off-the-rails-review/

The game industry is reaching a critical inflection point, where two radically different philosophies are doing battle. Story by Shun Takata. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/why-nintendo-is-still-a-toy-maker/

Our team is back with more hidden gems. In this edition, we feature Phantom 2040, Soukyuu Gurentai, and Sky Destroyer. Story by Josh Bycer, Ben Rowan, and Terence A. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/hidden-gems-of-game-design-vol-51/

Here's what our team at SUPERJUMP is playing! Story by Bryan Finck, Hazare Renne-Glover, Jahanzeb Khan, Nathan Kelly, and Ben Rowan. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/now-playing-at-superjump-issue-43/

"The journey is filled with equal measures of tragic heartbreak and triumph over insurmountable odds." Story by Jahanzeb Khan. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/the-beauty-and-horror-of-a-plague-tale-innocence/

Chatting with the developer of a fascinating thrift-shop sim where you can uncover dark secrets. Interview by Cat Webling. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/an-interview-with-the-developer-of-shop-crush/

The Omori manga offers a different and refreshing perspective on the story than does the game. Story by Priya Sridhar. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/the-omori-manga-is-actually-great/

An exploration of cozy #horror by ReHack Features Editor, Zachary Amos. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/inside-the-rise-of-cozy-horror/

Blue Reflection Quartet revives a shut-down gacha game and turns an anime into a playable recap. @ivanir.bsky.social asks whether that counts as preservation. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/blue-reflection-quartet-and-the-effort-of-preserving-multimedia-projects/

#Rockstar used to be the rebels. The #GTA6 launch shows what they've become. Story by Jack Bray. ➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/rebels-no-more-rockstar-gta-6-and-the-art-of-selling-out/

Don't let a little untreated concussion stop you from having fun! @geeofdee.bsky.social boldly goes where no inkling has gone before (probably). Here's her harrowing diary from the Sphiralite Islands, where angry Salmonids and copious treasures await. #SplatoonRaiders #NintendoSwitch2

"While red isn’t necessarily the most visible colour in the spectrum, that it has the longest wavelength has a powerful ocular effect on the brain. It has the property of appearing nearer than it truly is and, as a result, will grab the eye before other colours around it." By Geoffrey Bunting.

The 50th edition of our Hidden Gems of Game Design series is now live! Big thanks to @gwbycer.bsky.social, @launchcannon.bsky.social, CJ Wilson, and Terence A for their contributions. This edition features: Addams Family Values, Wipeout 3, DoDonPachi, Carmageddon, and Chicken Little.

"It is a story about life and demonstrates our connection to the universe using its medium to showcase what we all instinctively do and feel." Story by Geordi Ferguson. #Cocoon #IndieGames #Art