Wireframe Magazine

Wireframe looks at how games are made and who makes them, and even guides you through making your own.

Where will retro-inspired developers turn next?

WELCOME

OUT OF THIS WORLD • It’s a puzzle-platformer some five years in the making. We uncover the story behind next year’s stunning-looking Planet of Lana

Welcome to the family • Sumo Digital discusses its multiplayer spin on the Texas Chain Saw Massacre and why there’s more to it than just Leatherface

Sly as a sandfox • Cardboard Sword’s Olly Bennett tells us why The Siege and The Sandfox will be the sneakiest indie Metroidvania yet

Old mech Donald • Harvesting wheat in a giant robot? Swedish developer FRAME BREAK introduces its twist on the farming sim, Lightyear Frontier

That was the month that was

Point, click, it’s all in the mind • Take a journey to where the point-and-click adventure began 70 years ago…

Incoming

Exploring the towns of Monkey Island • Towns and settlements have long been key to the Monkey Island series’ storytelling. We talk to some of its key artists and designers to find out more

Solium Infernum

Magic in the mundane • With the job simulator genre booming, we speak to the studios that have perfected the art of letting players be their own boss

For the love of retro hardware

Toolbox • The art, theory, and production of video games

Father and son: How Ragnarök grows beyond God of War • Antony contrasts the storytelling chops of Kratos’ two recent outings to see what makes them tick

Designing first-person adventure games • Exploring the advantages and challenges of giving players a first-hand perspective in your game world

An introduction to Sprite Shape in Unity • Create beautiful, organic-looking levels quickly with limited art assets

Make a Monkey Island-style adventure • Find out how to make a scripting system with Mark’s re-creation of LucasArts’ point-and-click classic

The Secret of Python Island • Here’s Mark’s code for a Monkey Island-style adventure game scene. To get it running on your system, you’ll first need to install Pygame Zero. Full instructions can be found at wfmag.cc/pgzero.

How I became an… Animation Director • Polyarc’s Richard Lico on imbuing characters with emotion through animation, and how to increase your chances of getting hired

How to use GRAFFITI effectively in your virtual world • Graffiti is everywhere in real life, but how can designers and artists make the graffiti in our virtual worlds as effective and believable as the world they exist in?

Interactive / Exophobia • It has the pace of a retro FPS but the soul of a Metroidvania. José Castanheira tells us about his first commercial project

Interactive / Clive ‘N’ Wrench • On the eve of Clive ‘N’ Wrench’s launch, we catch up with solo dev Rob Wass to reflect on his decade-long passion project

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ScummVM: more than just an adventure • It’s a popular frontend used to play point-and-click adventures and other games. But where did ScummVM come from, and who works on it? We find out…

Snap, drag, ‘n’ drop

Backend Contents • Reviews, retro games, and lots more besides

God of War Ragnarök • A sequel worthy of the gods

A Little to the Left • Everything in its right place

Saturnalia • It takes a village

Lucy Dreaming • Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

How to Say Goodbye • A heartfelt ghost story imbued with 20th-century style

Gotham Knights • Working hard, but Harley working

Itch.io roundup • Picking out some of the platform’s standout titles

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS • Talking about the...