Gunpoint
A stealth puzzle game where you rewire buildings to sneak past guards.
Where Gunpoint comes up1 episode or test
- 1Robot dropping fridgesSpace game starting idea
- 2Deus Ex-style side-scrollerRewiring was one hacking mini-game
- 3Prototyped the rewire mechanicClear it should be a puzzle game
- 4Built everything around hackingExpanded the hacking hugely
From Tom Francis on Gunpoint's design
What was said about Gunpoint
Prototyping one hacking mini-game revealed Gunpoint was really a puzzle game. Tom Francis began with a robot in space dropping fridges on people, then a Deus Ex-inspired side-scroller where rewiring was one possible hacking mini-game. Once he prototyped the rewire mechanic, it was clear it should be a puzzle game, so he expanded the hacking hugely and built the whole game around it.
In his words: "Gunpoint just kind of told me what it wanted to be." Francis hoped his next game, Heat Signature, would find itself the same way, but it took years of building ship generation, AI and a galaxy economy before he found that on-ship combat was the fun part.
The Games That Designed Themselves
Began as a fridge-dropping robot idea, then a Deus Ex-inspired side-scroller with rewiring as one hacking mini-game. Prototyping the rewire mechanic showed Tom Francis it was a puzzle game.
Prototyping one hacking mini-game revealed Gunpoint was really a puzzle game. Tom Francis began with a robot in space dropping fridges on people, then a Deus Ex-inspired side-scroller where rewiring was one possible hacking mini-game. Once he prototyped the rewire mechanic, it was clear it should be a puzzle game, so he expanded the hacking hugely and built the whole game around it.
In his words: "Gunpoint just kind of told me what it wanted to be." Francis hoped his next game, Heat Signature, would find itself the same way, but it took years of building ship generation, AI and a galaxy economy before he found that on-ship combat was the fun part.
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