Diglino

We build games that feel like they were crafted, not coded.

Diglino Studio is a Warsaw-based team of specialists who treat game design as a form of technical storytelling. We obsess over the tactile language of interaction and the integrity of the player's journey.

Explore Our Process Discuss a Project

The Polish Craft: Our Design DNA

Our philosophy is distilled from the tension between creative impulse and technical constraint. These principles are non-negotiable.

T

Tactile Feedback Loop

Every interaction must have a physical metaphor—a satisfying 'snap', a weighty 'thud', a smooth glide. We design for the thumb, not the screen.

See this in 'Chrono-Weaver' where the inventory is a woven tapestry that physically unravels when accessed.
N

Narrative Minimalism

We strip away UI clutter to let the story breathe. HUD elements are diegetic, appearing only when the player’s context demands them.

Health is a character’s limp, not a red bar. Ammo is seen on the weapon model, not a counter.
C

Constraint-Driven Innovation

Limited screen real estate on mobile forces elegant solutions. Our best ideas emerge from these creative boundaries, not despite them.

A complex mechanic was simplified to a single tap-and-hold gesture, becoming the game's signature move.
C

Cultural Resonance

We weave subtle Eastern European motifs and folklore into modern game mechanics, creating a unique, recognizable aesthetic that feels authentic, not applied.

Patterns from regional paper-cutting traditions inform puzzle solutions in 'Litha's Light'.

Diglino’s method balances deep technical expertise with a respect for player psychology. We structure projects around transparent phases to de-risk creativity, ensuring ideas are validated before they are built.

Inside the Development Cycle

Our process is a series of validated checkpoints. It’s designed to surface assumptions early and protect the core fantasy from feature creep.

Phase 1: The 'Spark' Document

A one-page manifesto defining the game's core emotional hook and target player fantasy, before any code is written.

Pitfall

Skipping this step often leads to a product that functions but lacks a soul—the 'middle' tone that players abandon.

Phase 2: Paper Prototyping & Playtesting

We build the first playable version with paper and dice to test core loops, avoiding costly digital rework.

Pitfall

Skipping paper prototyping leads to feature creep. If an idea doesn't work on paper, it won't work on a screen.

Phase 3: The 'Grey Box' Sprint

A two-week sprint where the entire team builds a feature-complete, art-less version to validate mechanics and pacing.

Pitfall

Over-engineering systems in the grey box. We build only what is necessary to test the loop; architecture scales later.

Phase 4: Art & Audio Integration

A parallel pipeline where visual and sound designers work from the grey box, ensuring assets serve gameplay.

Pitfall

Art created in isolation. By building from the grey box, every texture and sound effect reinforces the mechanical intent.

Phase 5: Polish & Polish Again

The final 20% of time is dedicated to 'juice'—animations, sound effects, and UI polish.

Pitfall

Launching when it's 'functional'. The difference between good and great is in the micro-interactions, not the macro features.

Key Studio Terms

Grey Box

A fully playable, art-less version of the game. It's our truth serum for mechanics—if it's not fun in grey, it won't be fun in color.

Diegetic UI

Interface elements that exist within the game world (e.g., a compass on a character’s wrist), not as a layer on top of it.

Juice

The sensory feedback that makes actions feel satisfying—screen shake, sound pitch, particle effects. The polish phase is all about juice.

Spark Document

Our north star. A single page defining the game’s emotional core, avoiding feature lists. It prevents scope dilation before a line of code is written.

The Team: Roles, Scenarios, and Constraints

The Systems Architect

"If the player can't predict the outcome of an action, we've failed to communicate the rules."
Scenario: A lead dev is asked to build a complex RNG-based loot system. They push back, suggesting a deterministic system where effort directly correlates with reward, aligning with our "fairness" design pillar.
Trade-off: Predictable reward vs. replayability

The Narrative Designer

"A story told in a cutscene is a failure of game design."
Scenario: Mapping the plot to a level's architecture. The 'castle' level's layout itself tells the history of its fall through environmental decay, not a quest log.
Trade-off: Environmental density vs. clarity

The Audio Alchemist

"A door's sound tells you if it's friendly or fatal."
Scenario: Designing audio cues for a stealth game. Each enemy type has a distinct footstep cadence and breath pattern, allowing the player to identify threats by ear alone.
Trade-off: Audio fidelity vs. performance budget

The Polish Lead

"Jank is the enemy of immersion."
Scenario: Final playthrough before submission. They flag a specific 0.2-second delay on a menu transition that breaks the rhythm of gameplay. The team discovers an unoptimized asset loading sequence and fixes it.
Trade-off: Shipping date vs. perfection

Decision Lens: How We Choose

Criteria

  • Does it enhance the core fantasy?
  • Can it be built within our constraints?
  • Does it have a clear, testable outcome?

What We Optimize

  • Player emotional state
  • Technical performance
  • Design clarity

What We Sacrifice

  • Scope creep
  • Unnecessary visual noise
  • Unproven tech for "future" projects

From Warsaw to the World

Echoes of the Vistula

Our debut narrative puzzle. It taught us the primacy of environmental storytelling.

Lesson: The environment is a character. Every object should tell a story.

Chrono-Weaver

A time-manipulation platformer. We built a custom engine to handle non-linear states.

Breakthrough: Constraint became our USP. The limited engine forced elegant, simple mechanics.

Litha's Light

A serene exploration game. Challenge: compelling journey without combat.

Solution: A dynamic light-and-shadow system that physically alters the world state.

Have a project that demands this level of craft?

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We are currently accepting new partnership inquiries for Q1 2027.

Diglino Studio • ul. Nowy Świat 12, 00-001 Warszawa • +48 22 123 45 67 • info@diglino.com

Mon-Fri: 9:00-18:00 CET