Game Design Deep Dive

3 The Basics of Action Design

DOI: 10.1201/9781003450078-3

3.1 Defining Reflex-Driven Design

This is the first time in the Deep Dive series that I’m able to focus on action, or reflex-driven, gameplay (Figure 3.1). As I said at the start, with soulslikes being a combination of both action and RPG design, it is important to understand the basics of both genres if you want to have any attempt at being able to make one. These next two chapters are going to be primers for both genres, but I do want to emphasize that there is far more to the design and balancing of both that are separate from making a soulslike that are in their respective genre books.

Figure 3.1 Reflex-driven design is all about the player’s ability to control and react determining ...