How "Good Design" Ruins Games

Check out Katie and Catburger!: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatieandCatburger

Arctic Eggs is a badly designed game. It's unfair, it's confusing and it's controls, well, they barely work. Under every possible metric it is designed wrong - in a way that's counter to what's generally accepted to be good design, both for cooking games and games in general...

But what if that's a good thing?

After inhaling the fumes of one too many burned eggs, The Architect has come up with an idea - what if a rigid, narrow idea of good design can actually hold games back? What if sometimes games need to break the rules and be made badly in order to teach us new ways of playing?

You Saw:

Arctic Eggs - 2024

Cook Serve Delicious 2 - 2017

Final Fantasy 14 - 2010

Venba - 2023

Overcooked 2 - 2018

DOOM 2016 - There's simply no way of knowing

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

Metal Slug 3 - 2000

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 2022

A Hat In Time - 2017

Ape Escape - 1999

Alien: Resurrection - 2000

ASTRO BOT - not out yet

Dark Souls - 2012

Another Crab's Treasure = 2024

Lies of P - 2013

Dune Spice Wars - 2022

Dune 2 - 1992

Starcraft 2 - 2010

Command and Conquer 3 - 2007

Age of Empires 4 - 2021

Super Metroid - 1994

Hollow Knight - 2017

Ori and the Blind Forest - 2015

Guacamelee 2 - 2019

Slay The Spire - 2019

Across the Obelisk - 2021

Monster Train - 2022

Griftlands - 2021

Far Cry 5 - 2018

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - 2024

Horizon Forbidden West - 2022

Mirror's Edge - 2008

Uncharted 2 - 2009

Resident Evil 4 Remake - 2023

Cruelty Squad - 2021

Golden Light - 2020

Moon: Remix RPG Adventure - 1997

Toodee and Topdee - 2021

Teardown - 2022

Yume Nikki - 2004

Hatoful Boyfriend - 2011

Hylics 2 - 2020

Dragon Quest 3 Remake - not out yet

BABA is YOU - 2019

Outer Wilds - 2019

Fez - 2012

Viewfinder - 2023

Undertale - 2015

Super Mario Brothers - 1985

Shovel Knight - 2014

Mario Bros - 1983

Mario Odyssey - 2017

Sonic Generations - 2011

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - 2017

Bubsy 3D - 1996

Parcel Corps - not out yet

Neon White - 2022

Portal - 2007

Pepper Grinder - 2024

Verlet Swing - 2018

Titanfall 2 - 2016

VVVVVV - 2010

Downwell - 2015

Snake pass - 2017

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom - 2024

MO Astray - 2019

Tinertia - 2014

Splodey - 2023

Super Magbot - 2021

Getting Over It - 2017

I Am Bread - 2014

Sniper Elite 5 - 2022

Halo 1 - 2001

DOOM - 1996

Halo 2 - 2004

Halo Infinite - 2021

Metal Gear Solid - 1998

Resident Evil - 1996

Resident Evil 4 - 2005

Dead Space - 2008

SIGNALIS - 2023

Crow County - 2024

Resident Evil 2 Remake - 2019

Resident Evil 2 - 1998

Prey - 2017

Indkika - 2024

Mario Kart 8 - 2014

Mario Kart Double Dash - 2003

Resident Evil 8 - 2021

Magic The Gathering Arena - 2018

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 - 2015

Metal Gear Solid 2 - 2001

Minecraft - 2011

Splatoon 3 - 2022

Deep Rock Galactic - 2018

Vermintide 2 - 2018

Left 4 Dead 2 - 2009

GTFO - 2019

Stacklands - 2022

Witchhand - 2024

Cultist Sim - 2018

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - 2012

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - 2007

Into The Breach - 2018

Tactical Breach Wizards - not out yet

Shadow of War - 2017

Far Cry 3 - 2012

Sable - 2021

Spiderman 1 - 2018

Death Stranding - 2019

Psychonauts 2 - 2021

Wandersong - 2018

Superliminal - 2019

Buckshot Roulette - 2023

Ultrakill - Early Access

Street Fighter 6 - 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

Catherine - 2011

The Eternal Cylinder - 2021

Borderlands 3 - 2019

Dreamquest - 2014

Rogue Legacy - 2013

Hades 2 - Early Access

Returnal - 2021

Apex Legends - 2019

Zero Seivert - Early Access

Dark and Darker - Early Access

Ghost of Tsushima - 2020

Super Mario World - 1990

New Super Mario Bros Wii - 2009

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - 2022

Pokemon Scarlet - 2022

Overwatch - 2022

Mosa Lina - 2023

QWOP - 2010

Surgeon Sim - 2013

Dishonored 2 - 2016

Chants of Sennaar - 2023

Katamari Damacy - 2004

Destiny 2 - 2017