Game Design eBooks

SPECIAL SALE! All eBooks are only 99 cents and the bundle is now $1.99

Reverse Design Bundle

Get the whole reverse design series up to this point for only $1.99--three books for the price of two! This includes Reverse Design: Final Fantasy 6, Reverse Design: Chrono Trigger and Reverse Design: Super Mario World and now Reverse Design: Half-Life. This includes all the bonus features in the other books.

Reverse Design: Half-Life

The latest entry in the Reverse Design series, this book examines the way that Half-Life revolutionized the design of the first person shooter--and videogame design in general. With more than 52,000 words and almost 500 pictures, maps and diagrams, this book explains the revolution in the development of shooter cover as well as the development of the set piece style of design. This book also has unique bonus content not available in the web version, including a discussion of Half-Life's impact on multiplayer design.

Reverse Design: Super Mario World

A book examining all the game design decisions that went into the making of Super Mario World. We spent 65,000 words and more than 300 pictures, charts and diagrams looking at how Nintendo created and organized their material in many of their classic early works.

Reverse Design: Final Fantasy 6

The original reverse design which examined how the designers of Final Fantasy 6 created a game built around a large cast of characters, including textual and statistical analysis explaining the big design trends in the game. The eBook version has bonus features including revised and expanded text, as well as a new introductory essay on the history of JRPG design.

Reverse Design: Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is an undisputed classic. This reverse design examines how the title breaks down into two different games and consistently deceives and manipulates player expectations with novel game design techniques. The book breaks down how the designers were able to make Chrono Trigger into both a tragedy and a comedy, all in a way idiosyncratic to videogames.