What Makes a Great Strategy Game? Key Design Principles for Indie Devs

Ever wondered what separates good strategy games from great ones? After working on two deep strategy titles—including our current indie project, Just a Shadow Game—we've learned valuable lessons about what truly makes strategic gameplay engaging.

In this devlog-style analysis, we'll explore the three essential factors of a great strategy game: Depth, Complexity, and Variance. We'll discuss common pitfalls, share practical examples from hit games like #Starcraft, #SlayTheSpire, #Wildfrost, #VampireSurvivors, #Cossacks, #Civilization, #HeroesOfMightAndMagic, #Balatro, #BadNorth, #IntoTheBreach, and explain how indie developers can achieve depth without overwhelming complexity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CjjUjCek8Q