Fuse Games used board games to prototype Star Wars Galactic Racer

Developers at Fuse Games utilized an unconventional prototyping method for the upcoming title ‘Star Wars Galactic Racer’ by designing a physical board game to test its core systems. Rather than building digital models immediately, the team used paper, Post-it notes, and dice to simulate the game’s roguelite progression mechanics.

The board game prototype specifically focused on the vehicle upgrade and meta-progression systems. In the final game, players earn tuning points and credits through races to purchase parts, abilities, and permanent stat upgrades. This system allows for a loop where certain progress carries over between attempts, a hallmark of the roguelite genre.

Creative Director Kieran Crimmins noted that the goal of using a low-fidelity board game was to validate the ‘emotion’ and satisfaction of the progression system as quickly as possible. By using simple tools, the studio could identify the strengths and weaknesses of the reward structure in a single day before committing to complex engine implementation.