Approximately halfway through Reach’s development, I took over scriptwriting responsibilities following the departure of the fantastic Frankie Wakefield-Harrey. At the time, we had a fully implemented vertical slice script, as well as early drafts of key scenes elsewhere in the game. Given the pace of development, however, much of what we had was soon out of date. I went delving into what we knew about each of Reach's characters, seeing to understand their personalities and b
I was responsible for creating several combat encounters throughout Reach, from small-scale encounters designed to introduce enemy types, to larger multi-wave encounters designed to test the player’s abilities. This article delves into the creation of an encounter I lovingly refer to as ‘The Gauntlet’. Running the Gauntlet - Design Goals The Gauntlet is a combat encounter occurring in Reach’s final level. Before beginning designing the space, I established what I wanted the e
White Rabbit (approx 15-30-mins playtime) is one of Reach’s early levels, and serves to introduce the player to the underground setting where they’ll spend most of their playtime. I worked on this level from its initial paper designs through to completion. Research & Planning Work on White Rabbit began with research. I created a list of mechanics already understood by the player by this point in the game, and a list of the major narrative beats they’d have experienced. Workin
