Game design atlas

Art styles

Cinematic realistic 3D

Credible materials, anatomy, environmental scale and cinematographic lighting support realism. Cinematic framing still needs clear information for continuous play.

See the traits

• Establish scale and material references
• Light actors and routes clearly
• Match detail density to camera distance

Reference gamesRed Dead Redemption 2 · Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

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Art styles

Volumetric brushwork 3D

Brush-like marks and loose color masses help form spatial volumes with open, painterly edges. This describes a visual result, not one shared rendering technique.

See the traits

• Relate mark scale to object volume
• Keep moving contours readable
• Separate solids, atmosphere and effects

Reference games11-11 Memories Retold · Dreams

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Art styles

Wireframe digital worlds

Lines, grids and a few luminous surfaces define digital space. Designed structure and interaction hierarchy matter beyond a debug wireframe view.

See the traits

• Control line weight and density
• Encode functions with color
• Preserve depth through transparency and occlusion

Reference gamesRez Infinite · Darwinia

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Art styles

Point-cloud exploration

Sample points gradually reveal space, making observation part of exploration. This differs from continuous wire surfaces and random particle effects.

See the traits

• Use point density to explain surfaces
• Give sampled colors clear meaning
• Keep discovered routes traceable

Reference gamesScanner Sombre

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Art styles

High-contrast noir 3D

Strong values, selective detail and staged lights organize 3D space. Unlike flat silhouettes, cameras, cast shadows and volumetric occlusion keep changing.

See the traits

• Hierarchy comes from dark/light areas
• Separate essential edges from dark backgrounds
• Do not identify interactions by light hue alone

Reference gamesWhite Night · MADWORLD

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Art styles

Live-action video

Filmed performances become interactive through editing, search or branching. Video clips are the main assets; a cover is only a directional illustration.

See the traits

• Define clip/interaction structure first
• Maintain actor, wardrobe and prop continuity
• Keep subtitles and controls independently clear

Reference gamesHer Story · IMMORTALITY

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Genre guides

Roguelike runs

A run begins with a set of starting resources while rooms, rewards or combinations change. Failure resets the run; each design decides which forms of progress persist outside it.

Show the loop

• Enter a new area with few resources
• Make one tradeoff in a fight or an event
• Use the new ability to change the next encounter
• Restart immediately, keeping only memory of the route

Reference gamesHades · Spelunky · The Binding of Isaac

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Genre guides

Tower defense

Enemies travel a route, and the player spends limited defenses in space so each tower answers a different stretch of the problem.

Show the loop

• Read what the next wave contains
• Place or upgrade a defense beside the route
• See which stretch let an enemy through
• Spend that wave's income on the weakest spot

Reference gamesKingdom Rush · Bloons TD 6 · Plants vs. Zombies

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Genre guides

Survivor-like

The character attacks automatically, and the player mostly moves. Pressure comes from enemies closing in together, and growth comes from one choice at each level.

Show the loop

• Move through gaps in the crowd
• Let the automatic attack open a temporary path
• Choose one ability from a few options
• Use the new range to choose a new place to stand

Reference gamesVampire Survivors · Brotato · Halls of Torment

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Genre guides

Idle progress

Progress continues while the player is away, and the return needs a decision that visibly changes the pace. The pleasure is knowing what to change at that moment.

Show the loop

• See what offline or automatic work produced
• Spend resources on a new producer
• Let production run by itself for a while
• On return, retire an outdated setup and replace it

Reference gamesCookie Clicker · Melvor Idle · AdVenture Capitalist

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Genre guides

Platform jumping

The distance, height, and recovery of a jump are the rules. A level is a set of sentences about where the player can land.

Show the loop

• Read the distance between the landing and the danger
• Jump and make a small correction in the air
• Land and accept the position the jump left you in
• Use that position to attempt the next stretch

Reference gamesCeleste · Super Meat Boy · Shovel Knight

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Genre guides

Deck building

The deck is the list of things the player can do. Each fight asks whether the card just added crowded out an answer that was needed more often.

Show the loop

• Draw a limited hand from the deck
• Play a few cards with a limited number of actions
• Choose the next step from the remaining cards and the enemy's intent
• After the fight, add one card or remove one

Reference gamesSlay the Spire · Balatro · Inscryption

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Genre guides

Bullet patterns

Danger on screen is a pattern that can be read. The player has a very small hit area and finds a path through the gaps that lasts a few seconds.

Show the loop

• Read the direction and the gaps
• Move a little and hold a safe point
• Attack or collect during a pause in the pattern
• Find a new gap when the pattern changes

Reference gamesIkaruga · DoDonPachi Resurrection · Jamestown

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Genre guides

Management sim

The player arranges space, people, and prices so a chain of needs is met. The usual problem is not too few buttons; it is a bottleneck that stays hidden.

Show the loop

• See which step is holding guests or production
• Add a facility, add a person, or change a price
• Watch whether the flow moves forward
• Treat the new bottleneck instead of repairing the old one again

Reference gamesRollerCoaster Tycoon · Two Point Hospital · Game Dev Tycoon

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Genre guides

Rhythm

The music gives the time first, and the player acts on a chosen beat. The judgment should match the accent that was heard, and a miss should still leave the next beat playable.

Show the loop

• Hear or see the beat that is coming
• Press, release, or move inside the window
• Receive early, on-time, or late feedback
• Adjust with the next phrase

Reference gamesRhythm Heaven · Thumper · A Dance of Fire and Ice

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Genre guides

Stealth

Being seen puts the player at a disadvantage, so patrols, light, and sound must be rules that can be read rather than a sudden failure.

Show the loop

• Watch the gap in a patrol and the shape of vision
• Choose a route that is exposed for a moment
• Slip through, or make a sound that shifts attention
• Reach cover and look again

Reference gamesMark of the Ninja · Invisible, Inc. · Metal Gear Solid

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Genre guides

Auto battler

Preparation handles buying, merging, and position. Battle only shows the result of that arrangement. The decisions happen before the fight starts.

Show the loop

• Spend limited money on a random offer
• Merge matches into a stronger unit and set positions
• Watch the automatic fight and see which side breaks
• Use the result to change next round's positions and spending

Reference gamesTeamfight Tactics · Super Auto Pets · Hearthstone Battlegrounds

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Genre guides

Physics launch

The player sets direction and power, then gives the result to collisions. Skill is predicting the path, the impacts, and the shots that remain.

Show the loop

• Read the target and the obstacles
• Pull a direction and an amount of power
• Launch and see how collisions rewrite the board
• Spend the remaining shots on the new positions

Reference gamesAngry Birds · Peggle · Golf Peaks

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Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.