Relic Ruins: Using Radial Design To Create Environmental Puzzles in ‘Horizon Forbidden West’
Horizon Forbidden West takes place in a massive open world filled with mysterious activities for players to encounter. Among such activities are the Relic Ruins: environmental puzzle spaces set in Horizon’s ruins of the Old World, meant to challenge players to solve its mysteries. Senior Game Designer Daniel Wewerinke guides us through the design process for the Relic Ruins that players can find in Horizon Forbidden West as well as its DLC Burning Shores; from concept to block-outs, interdisciplinary work, playtesting, and iteration. He discusses both design challenges and lessons learned while aiming to create interesting, unique, and surprising puzzle spaces for the players.