"Reviews a game design document for completeness, internal consistency, implementability, and adherence to project design standards. Run this before handing a design document to programmers."
Install
npx skillscat add donchitos/claude-code-game-studios/design-review Install via the SkillsCat registry.
When this skill is invoked:
Read the target design document in full.
Read the master CLAUDE.md to understand project context and standards.
Read related design documents referenced or implied by the target doc
(checkdesign/gdd/for related systems).Evaluate against the Design Document Standard checklist:
- Has Overview section (one-paragraph summary)
- Has Player Fantasy section (intended feeling)
- Has Detailed Rules section (unambiguous mechanics)
- Has Formulas section (all math defined with variables)
- Has Edge Cases section (unusual situations handled)
- Has Dependencies section (other systems listed)
- Has Tuning Knobs section (configurable values identified)
- Has Acceptance Criteria section (testable success conditions)
Check for internal consistency:
- Do the formulas produce values that match the described behavior?
- Do edge cases contradict the main rules?
- Are dependencies bidirectional (does the other system know about this one)?
Check for implementability:
- Are the rules precise enough for a programmer to implement without guessing?
- Are there any "hand-wave" sections where details are missing?
- Are performance implications considered?
Check for cross-system consistency:
- Does this conflict with any existing mechanic?
- Does this create unintended interactions with other systems?
- Is this consistent with the game's established tone and pillars?
Output the review in this format:
## Design Review: [Document Title]
### Completeness: [X/8 sections present]
[List missing sections]
### Consistency Issues
[List any internal or cross-system contradictions]
### Implementability Concerns
[List any vague or unimplementable sections]
### Balance Concerns
[List any obvious balance risks]
### Recommendations
[Prioritized list of improvements]
### Verdict: [APPROVED / NEEDS REVISION / MAJOR REVISION NEEDED]- Contextual next step recommendations:
- If the document being reviewed is
game-concept.mdorgame-pillars.md:- Check if
design/gdd/systems-index.mdexists - If it does NOT exist, add to Recommendations:
"This concept is ready for systems decomposition. Run
/map-systems
to break it down into individual systems with dependencies and priorities,
then write per-system GDDs."
- Check if
- If the document is an individual system GDD:
- Check if the systems index references this system
- If verdict is APPROVED: suggest "Update the systems index status for
this system to 'Approved'." - If verdict is NEEDS REVISION or MAJOR REVISION NEEDED: suggest "Update
the systems index status for this system to 'In Review'." - Note: This skill is read-only. The user (or
/design-system) must
perform the actual status update in the systems index.
- If the document being reviewed is