About Me

I love asking this question and being asked this question. You can learn a lot about someone by knowing what they are interested in. Our creativity is shaped by the games we love, and that influence often shows in the work we create. This is especially true in game design, where so much of the craft involves borrowing ideas, tweaking them, and turning them into something new. Mechanics can also be reused in fresh contexts that no one else is exploring.

My favorite game of all time is the remake of the first Resident Evil. I think it strikes the perfect balance in puzzle design: challenging but never unfair. There is a fair amount of backtracking required, which has become something many players dislike, leading modern games to streamline it away. Take the Dead Space series as an example. In Dead Space 1, the entire game is set on the Ishimura, requiring players to revisit areas repeatedly. By contrast, Dead Space 2 takes place on a massive space station but plays as a much more linear experience. While it is still excellent, I felt it lost some of the charm that made Dead Space 1 special.

In Resident Evil, backtracking works brilliantly because it forces players to learn the layout of the mansion. Multiple pathways connect the rooms, and it is up to the player to decide how to navigate. Some hallways are more dangerous than others, which adds tension. The mansion is not very large, but the branching routes make it feel massive. As you retrace your steps over and over, it becomes deeply familiar, almost like a character itself.

Another aspect I love is the way the game teaches mechanics. It rarely breaks the fourth wall. Instead, it uses in-universe notes to explain both the story and gameplay. Some mechanics it never teaches directly, and you are left to discover them yourself. One standout feature exclusive to this remake is the Crimson Heads: zombies that resurrect into faster, more dangerous versions unless you burn or decapitate their corpses. A note hints at this mechanic, but the game never tells you that you can line up multiple corpses and burn them all at once to conserve resources. Nor does it explain that crippling a zombie’s knee is another way to permanently disable it. Those discoveries feel earned.

And finally, the music. Resident Evil uses music sparingly, but when it does, it is unforgettable. It amplifies the atmosphere to an incredible degree. I highly recommend listening to tracks like “Save Theme” and “Cold Water” on their own, as they immediately capture the solitary, mysterious, and dangerous mood of the game.

I could keep rambling about why I adore this game, but I will stop here. Some of my other honorable mentions are Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Kingdom Hearts II.

So, what is your favorite game? Feel free to shoot me a message in the contact form below. I would love to hear your pick and why it means so much to you.