This Year, the Mysteries of Game Design Became Less Obscur(e).

 

We in the thick of it now.

Another year has passed and now it's time to look back on all that happened - both in the Game World at large, as well as right here in our own little corner of the internet. The snow is melting in Iowa (for now) and the Christmas break rapidly approaches. We hope that you're all staying warm and getting ready for the coming onslaught of food, family, and a yearly viewing of Die Hard. Let's get into the news, shall we?

And the Game Award goes to...

First off, I want to give a shoutout to Sandfall Interactive and their massive, record-breaking success at the Game Awards last week. As I'm sure you've seen in headlines everywhere, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home NINE Awards, setting a record for the most won in a single year. It's a super incredible feat for many reasons: A small team of around 30 people made a AAA-quality game that has brought a lot of attention to a genre typically reserved for the "hardcore" gaming crowd. They did it on a relatively small budget compared to other games of similar scope, and they showed the world that "indie" can mean more than just "two dudes making Vampire Survivors knock-offs in their basement". Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. But it's nice to see the shift in definition of who can make amazing games.

Just look at it. Would ya just look at it?

Now, with all this glazing, you're going to ask: "Matt, did you actually play it yet"? Sadly, the answer is no. It is most assuredly on my Christmas list, and now that I've finally put Anthem to bed before the game's servers are shut down, I think this will be one of the first things I get to next year. Having not played it, I'm still excited by this game's success for selfish reasons: they have now shown people like Byers and I what can be done in Unreal Engine 5 on a scale that can be accessible to all. Having switched MAKRANA from Unity to UE5 back in February, I have already seen massive improvements in what it can do for us, and I am so unbelievably excited to keep learning what's possible.

For the more game-design-minded of you, the team at Sandfall Interactive have given plenty of great interviews, such as this one on how they were able to achieve all that they have. For our team, in particular, there's one thing that really stands out for us: the game was made almost entirely in Blueprint - Unreal's Visual Scripting system. 

 

Blueprint started out as "Kismet" in the older versions of Unreal Engine. It allows non-programmers to be able to script and change the logic through the use of "nodes", and is how we've created the entirety of MAKRANA. The nice thing about it is that if you do know traditional C++, you can still make any functions that you want, and then make them available for use in Blueprint. It is super scalable, and a great way to keep everyone involved. 

An example of one of our Blueprints. Don't worry - it's from the developer panel and won't be in the regular game. Sorry!

Clair Obscur's massive success in leaning completely on this system has brought us hope. All of the experts in the comment sections will tell you that "you can't make a game in all Blueprints", and "you must learn C++ to make an actual game". Well, Sandfall Interactive just came along to deliver a firm "Stand Down" to all of those folks. This is so encouraging to our team, and I hope that it also helps those of you reading this to realize: YOU CAN MAKE YOUR DREAM GAME, and it doesn't have to look like it was made in Flash circa 2006. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

You will be tested.

Let's ride all of that positive game design momentum and talk about the state of MAKRANA. 

Currently, we are almost done with our initial run of "End-to-End" testing. This may not be the correct term, but we do what we want. Having Byers on the team to assist with this has taken a massive load off, and I couldn't be happier with where we are. According to our JIRA, we have created 719 test cases, and successfully passed 453 of them. Due to some other technical problems, I'm lagging behind on one big set of tests assigned to me, but the holiday break will allow me to get caught next week.

That's a lot of blue in a faster period that I would have anticipated. Huzzah!

We still have a ways to go, but this testing isn't for naught. Ensuring functionality is helping us prepare for platform certification in the next few month, and that one's going to be a doozy. Nobody passes cert the first time, they say. Bring it on!

Winter is for backlog management.

As for what I'm playing, it's been a bit all over the place. I recently completed my third playthrough of Jedi: Fallen Order. This time, I gave in and played on PC through the Epic Games Store. While it ran and looked even better than the PS5 upgrade, I still have one major complaint: WHY IS THERE NO FAST TRAVEL SYSTEM? Even the Dark Souls games - the clear inspiration for this title - allow you travel between bonfires that you've unlocked. According to the neckbeards, they're supposed to be the hardest games around. Something like this would really make going back for collectibles a much better experience, and clearly Respawn Entertainment agreed when they added it to the sequel. All complaining aside, I clearly love this game and the feelings it invokes. I imagine I'll dust off the Xbox to play it again in a few years anyways.

As mentioned above, I finally finished the platinum trophy in BioWare's Anthem. The servers are going offline for good in January, and I'm glad I was able to get it before then (Stop Killing Games really needs to get the laws changed for us). While I have done my fair share of making fun of each new "Destiny Killer" that falls flat on its face, I actually liked Anthem quite a bit. I can understand why 60fps was never patched in for PS5, but that would have made it an even better experience. Overall, it was a good time!

Finally, there are two new stops on my dark descent into Japanese Weebdom. After the great time that I had in Persona 5, I really wanted to see what its parent series was about in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. I gotta say, this is a really weird game. It definitely has that same type of push-button turn-based combat that the Persona series has. But it also lacks one of the major components that makes them great: the relationship system. There are some other characters you encounter through the story, but you never actually "hang out" with them, or any of the other mechanics I've come to expect. The music is also very strange, but it had a way of getting into my head every time I put the game down for a couple of days. So, yes, I'd definitely say it is "weird", but is also the kind of weird that I'm in to lately, it seems.

Before continuing through the additional SIX PLAYTHROUGHS needed for the SMT platinum, I've taken a break to get back into Final Fantasy XVI. This is the first FF game that I've bought on launch day, and I had played it for about thirty hours before something else pulled me away. Surprisingly, it was easy to get back into, and I've really been digging it. The boss battles, in particular, are pretty wild and cinematic. If you're more of an action-oriented person over turn-based, I'd absolutely advise you try this one. It certainly made a believer out of me.

One final shoutout in the game department: major props to the PS Portal. It might not be perfect for super fast or precise first-person shooters, but it works wonderfully for the vast majority of games. With two children, it becomes harder and harder to justify time spent sequestered away in my lair. The Portal has allowed me to chip away at games where it matters most: before bed, in the bathroom, and on the couch, surrounded by my loving family. You'd best believe Sony has sold me on the handheld dream. If the heavily-rumored PS6 Handheld is indeed as real as we've been lead to believe, it'll be a day one purchase for me.

With all that out of the way, why don't we let the music man himself say a few words too, eh?

From the Composer's Desk:

Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and warm wishes to whatever you celebrate this season.

I’m currently wrapping up my winter break after a pretty intense semester of Music Theory III, alongside a full slate of compositions. Right now, I’m finishing a trio written for a touring orchestral ensemble under Bright Music. I’ll be submitting that at the beginning of the new year, with the hope that it will be programmed for their upcoming season.

I’m also preparing an entry for a national wind ensemble competition, with a submission deadline in February. 

Looking ahead, next semester will be the final one of my associate’s degree in music, which feels both exciting and a little surreal.

One of the most rewarding parts of this year has been working directly with individual musicians and bringing them into the studio and meeting up across different schools. Their feedback has been invaluable in making sure the music is practical, and playable. A lot of this phase has been about refinement and the gritty part of improving as a musician and composer.

Looking back, this year has been packed. It’s been demanding. However, the reward in new friendships and improvements far outweighs the stress. I’ve worked across multiple films and projects, gained a wide range of hands on experience, and picked up two new instruments along the way (cello and flute). After this semester, I’ll be taking a longer break before moving on to a conservatory for a bachelor's degree. This will give an opportunity for me to really help get these next two games developed. Also, I’ll be using that time to prepare a portfolio and continue developing my craft.

At the next stage of my studies, I’ll have the opportunity to work closely with professional composers who have already collaborated with major studios and companies. That experience will be an important step forward, and one that I know will directly benefit the quality of the music we create for future projects at the studio.

Well that’s a wrap. The year is done and it’s been a doozy. Not too far from the finish line of my studies. And not too far from our first release. See ya!

 

Holiday 2025 and Beyond

Once all of the merriment of the season has subsided we face three very important tasks: 

• Trying to remember to write "2026" instead of "2025"
• Get MAKRANA out the door
• Figure out the future path for this company

I know, you can't help us with the first one. You all have to learn how to do that on your own as well. But as for the other two, we know that with your constant support, we can accomplish them. MAKRANA will come out this year. Once we have done that, we can start working on what's next. And in between, we're excited to get the Chronarian Scoreworks business off the ground and start writing music for people. All in due time. 

We here at Chronarian Games wish you a Happy Holidays - whichever you choose to celebrate. I hope that these final weeks of 2025 are filled with laughter and great memories, as that becomes ever more important in this crazy world we all share. Take care of your loved ones, yes. But above all, make sure you're taking care of yourself and recharging. We know that you've all done a lot this year.

See you in 2026!

- Matt and Byers