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Author: Justin Reeve

Forms in Light
A still from Horizon Forbidden West shows the city of Plainsong, a settlement filled with buildings and bridges made with reeds, logs, and other natural materials.

The First City

By Justin Reeve • June 12th, 2024

What do the settlement of Plainsong in Horizon Forbidden West and the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük have in common?

Forms in Light
A wide shot of the ruins of Göbekli Tepe taken on a bright, sunny day.

Stone to Screen

By Justin Reeve • May 10th, 2024

The monumental structures at Göbekli Tepe offer plenty of potential for modern fields of study including videogame level design.

Forms in Light
A photograph of the Louvre Pyramid at night, the glass lit from below so the pyramid shines against the dark blue sky.

Disdain and Devotion

By Justin Reeve • April 11th, 2024

Similar to how some videogame levels have been criticized but later hailed as masterpieces, many buildings have transcended their initial criticism to become beloved landmarks.

Funeral Rites

Between the Skies and Beyond the Horizon

By Justin Reeve • March 28th, 2024

Designer Huffa Frobes-Cross refers to Between the Skies as “rules minimalist, fiction maximalist.”

Forms in Light
The Portal villain GLaDOS, a giant black and white robotic arm, hangs from the ceiling awaiting a final fight with the player.

Weaving the Bountiful Threads of Being

By Justin Reeve • March 14th, 2024

At what point does a bucket of bolts begin being a person? Does it ever?

Forms in Light
A hazy blue view of Bright Falls Light & Power from Alan Wake 2.

Pacific Palettes

By Justin Reeve • February 15th, 2024

Games like Alan Wake 2 provide a glimpse into the Pacific Northwest, allowing us to experience the multifaceted architectural identity of a region largely untouched by modern media.

Forms in Light
A screenshot from Alan Wake 2 shows the titular character standing in the middle of a rainy downtown main street wearing a blue and yellow FBI jacket.

Best Architecture in Games

By Justin Reeve • January 10th, 2024

A short, concise and mostly unordered list of the best level design and environmental art of the year.

Forms in Light

Primal Problems

By Justin Reeve • December 14th, 2023

The architecture in Far Cry Primal closely mirrors the structures and techniques used in the Upper Paleolithic Period, providing a pretty good picture of the past

Forms in Light
Johnathan E. Reid, the player character from Vampyr, stands in a hospital lit by sodium orange lamps.

Parasites and Predation

By Justin Reeve • November 10th, 2023

While Vampyr has been critically acclaimed for its narrative depth and gameplay mechanics, the architectural design is definitely worth a mention, being at once a thematic and functional cornerstone of the game.

Forms in Light
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Mirage shows protagonist Basim perched on the edge of a a tall building, gazing out across 9th century Baghdad.

Building Baghdad

By Justin Reeve • October 11th, 2023

Archaeological reconstruction is at best a double-edged sword, providing valuable insight into the past while grappling with a host of issues that challenge its accuracy and integrity.

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