Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games: Recent Episodes
Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games
Candid conversations with game creators that dive deep into the art, craft, and process of making games.
We're joined by Jay Ma (Into the Breach), Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Zatoichi (Juggler/UFO 50 Enthusiast) to discuss Star Waspir, the 39th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“You are an elite member of the Star Wasps. Pilot your ship and battle the incoming swarm!”
Next week: Grimstone
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
ZeroRanger https://se-made.com/ (steam https://store.steampowered.com/app/809020/ZeroRanger/)
Ikaruga (Steam https://store.steampowered.com/app/253750/Ikaruga/) (Switch https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ikaruga-switch/)
Stephen’s Sausage Roll https://www.stephenssausageroll.com/
Jay Ma on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jarmustard.bsky.social
Fulcrum Defender (Jay Ma’s new game on PlayDate) https://play.date/games/fulcrum-defender/
Abnormal Mapping https://www.abnormalmapping.com/
Canonfire.net piece on ZeroRanger https://canonfire.net/post/743721139224838144/041-zeroranger
The Alters https://altersthegame.com/
Zatoichi’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Zatoichi1962-m6v
Ikaruga video essay (not discussed on the episode but recommended by Dylan!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfZoDQhK_8
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Tonda Ros (Blue Prince) and doseone (Enter the Gungeon) to discuss Rakshasa, the 38th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Even death won't stop Jangi from avenging the destruction of his village by demons!”
Next week: Star Waspir
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
The Resurrection of Doseone https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/doseone-backwoodz-studioz-all-portrait-no-chorus-interview
Gainsworthy’s spoiler tagged guide for Rakshasa https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1286352161357299795/1380363338420060321
Connected map of Rakshasa’s levels (spoilers!) https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1286352161357299795/1381399766855843891
Never’s End https://www.neversendgame.com/
Escape Academy 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/3296060/Escape_Academy_2_Back_2_School/
SAMURAI GUNN 2 https://samuraigunn2.com/
Enter the Gungeon 2 https://www.devolverdigital.com/games/enter-the-gungeon-2
Baby Steps https://www.babystepsgame.com/
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Carolyn Petit (Kotaku), Xanagear (youtube.com/xanagear), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Valbrace, the 37th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“No knight has ever survived the journey into Gnothrok Keep. What makes you think you'll be any different?”
Next week: Rakshasa
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
My Perfect Console Ep. 119: Bennett Foddy, philosopher, game designer (QWOP, GIRP, Getting Over It) https://shows.acast.com/my-perfect-console/episodes/bennett-foddy-game-designer-musician-philosopher-qwop-girp-g
Odd Object Game Studio https://oddobject.zone/
Hot Streak https://www.cmyk.games/products/hot-streak
Carolyn on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/carolynmichelle.bsky.social
Scott on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/impossible.bsky.social
Oak & Yarrow Web Design Studio https://oakyarrow.com/
Xanagear on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/xanagear.com
UFO 50 Fan Discord 50games.fans
Cherry Rush (UFO 50 Speedrunning Charity Event) https://www.cherry-rush.org/
The Rude Boys ska podcast https://www.youtube.com/@rudeboyspodcast
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), and Alex Jaffe (Riot Games) to discuss Hyper Contender, the 36th game in the UFO 50 collection. “The daring, desperate, and indebted fight for money in the pits of Phogon.”
Next week: Valbrace
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Towerfall https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension/
Rivals of Aether https://store.steampowered.com/app/383980/Rivals_of_Aether/
Rivals of Aether II https://store.steampowered.com/app/2217000/Rivals_of_Aether_II/
Brawlhalla https://store.steampowered.com/app/291550/Brawlhalla/
Multiversus https://store.steampowered.com/app/1818750/MultiVersus/
Samurai GUNN https://store.steampowered.com/app/239090/Samurai_GUNN/
Samurai GUNN 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1397790/Samurai_GUNN_2/?curator_clanid=38580399
Nidhogg https://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/Nidhogg/
Nidhogg 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/535520/Nidhogg_2/
Scott’s itch page https://impossible.itch.io/
Shuffle Tactics https://store.steampowered.com/app/2186580/Shuffle_Tactics/
Focused Space https://www.focused.space/
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Rob, Nick, Doug, and Andy chat with Jeff Dubbin, a lawyer and (at the time of recording and publication) Board Game Arena’s top-ranked international player of Reiner Knizia’s Lost Cities. Lost Cities is a two-player card game about staking bets and unearthing archaeological treasures. We discuss the tactics behind high-level play, the ins and outs of Elo leaderboard systems, and the emotional impact of striving to be the best in the world.
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Board Game Arena - Lost Cities (scroll down for leaderboards, toggle to “All Time”) https://en.boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=lostcities
Board Game Geek - Lost Cities https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/50/lost-cities
Lost Cities Card Game https://store.thamesandkosmos.com/collections/lost-cities/products/lost-cities-card-game-with-6th-expedition
https://eggplant.show/
https://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), Russ Frushtick (The Besties), and Xanagear (youtube.com/xanagear) to discuss Campanella 2, the 35th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Pilot's gone missing on a giant space station and his sister Isabell is determined to find him!”
Next week: Hyper Contender
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Post Games Patreon https://www.patreon.com/PostGames
Post Games podcast announcement https://postgame.substack.com/p/sneak-preview-of-post-games-and-early
Great Art https://www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art
The Besties https://www.themcelroy.family/podcasts/besties/
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 9 (reunion) and try to rank and contextualize the season.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and more.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series, including live finale interviews: https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by Izzy Kestrel (Funomena, No Goblin) and John Axon (Capy Games) to discuss Overbold, the 34th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“In the notorious Red Arena, the more risk you take, the more money you make!”
Next week: Campanella 2
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
brainfruit! (Rob’s new studio) https://bsky.app/profile/brainfruit.bsky.social
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/
Make Ten Deluxe https://pancelor.itch.io/make-ten-deluxe
The Electrifying Incident: A Monster Mini-Expedition https://store.steampowered.com/app/3352300/The_Electrifying_Incident_A_Monster_MiniExpedition/
A Year of UFO 50 - Camouflage https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-camouflage
A Year of UFO 50 - Kick Club https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-kick-club
A Year of UFO 50 - Golfaria https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-golfaria
A Year of UFO 50 - Pingolf https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-pingolf
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 8 and share their Mole suspicions.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Reality TV Warriors finale live interviews w/ Gilles, Michèle, Alexy https://rtvwarriors.wordpress.com/2025/05/13/diary-of-a-mole-finale-iv/
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by Shawn Alexander Allen (Treachery in Beatdown City), Robert Ashley (A Life Well Wasted), Greg Ford (EGM), and Trent Kusters (League of Geeks) to discuss Fist Hell, the 33rd game in the UFO 50 collection.
"The city has a zombie problem and the mayor can’t be trusted to fix it. Time to grab your friends & fight!"
Next week: Overbold
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 7 and share their Mole suspicions.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Aaron “ix” Kearsley (Speedrunner) to discuss Mortol II, the 32nd game in the UFO 50 collection.
“How many will have to sacrifice their lives to save Mortolia yet again?”
Next week: Fist Hell
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Mortol II Map https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/r44fngq6atqd1.png&rdt=46583
Redder https://w.itch.io/redder
A Year of UFO 50 - Rock On! Island https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-rock-on-island
A Year of UFO 50 - Mortol https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-mortol
Into the Depths: Kentucky Route Zero - Part 1 https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-kentucky-route-zero-part-1
Spelunky Showlike: Breaking world records with Kinnijup and ix https://eggplant.show/03-breaking-world-records-with-kinnijup-and-ix
Spelunky Showlike: Death in Roguelikes with Kawa https://eggplant.show/07-death-in-roguelikes-with-kawa
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 6 and share their Mole suspicions.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by Ben Wilson (Saltsea Chronicles), John Axon (Capybara Games), and Scott Anderson (Unity) to discuss Pingolf, the 31st game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Each year the best golfers in the galaxy show up to compete at the UFO Invitational.”
Next week: Mortol II
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Desert Golfing https://store.steampowered.com/app/757040/Desert_Golfing/
Golfing on Mars https://store.steampowered.com/app/1340570/Golf_On_Mars/
Cursed to Golf https://store.steampowered.com/app/1726120/Cursed_to_Golf/
Executive Golf DX (Playdate) https://play.date/games/executive-golf/
Yoku’s Island Express https://store.steampowered.com/app/334940/Yokus_Island_Express/
Scott’s Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/impossible.bsky.social
John's Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/johnaxon.bsky.social
Ben’s Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/zerofiftyone.bsky.social
Ben's Crosswords https://zerofiftyone.net/
The End of Gameplay by droqen https://store.steampowered.com/app/3120040/The_End_of_Gameplay/
31 Unmarked Games by droqen https://droqen.itch.io/31-unmarked-games
Episode 69 – Building a Better Bridge with Ben Wilson https://eggplant.show/69-building-a-better-bridge-with-ben-wilson
Episode 129 – Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils https://eggplant.show/129-reinforcing-worldbuilding-through-gameplay-with-spoils
A Year of UFO 50 - Golfaria https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-golfaria
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 5 and share their Mole suspicions.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Every Game In This City, Season 1 - Escape Rooms in Kuala Lumpur https://www.idlethumbs.net/everygame/episodes/a-chocolate-milk-heist
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
In the 4th installment of our current Into the Depths series, we dive into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015.
Doug and Rob - joined by special guest host Star St. Germain - continue talking about the main quest with one of the game's creators, Jason Grinblat. This episode we talk through Pax Klanq, Yd Freehold, and the Tomb of Eaters.
Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series.
Show Notes:
Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/cavesofqud
Caves of Qud soundtrack: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/caves-of-qud-soundtrack
2025 Independent Games Festival: https://igf.com/article/consume-me-wins-grand-prize-nuovo-award-2025-igf-awards
Doug & Rob let's play video of Tomb of the Eaters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is3keH8R-8A
Star on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social
Jason on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zflcrtqmb7pcwouiixuf22pq
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Gab Koenig (Tux and Fanny) to discuss Rock On! Island, the 30th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Rally your cavemen and defend your cave from waves of attacking dinosaurs.”
Next week: Pingolf
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Jon Perry – How Tabletop Design Helped Shape ‘UFO 50’ https://gdcvault.com/play/1035154/How-Tabletop-Design-Helped-Shape
Bloons TD 6 https://store.steampowered.com/app/960090/Bloons_TD_6/
PixelJunk Monsters 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/749800/PixelJunk_Monsters_2/
Orcs Must Die! https://store.steampowered.com/app/102600/Orcs_Must_Die/
Dungeon Defenders https://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/Dungeon_Defenders/
Go Home Dinosaurs! https://store.steampowered.com/app/216090/Go_Home_Dinosaurs/
Tillmonk Spreadsheet with Rock On! Island Maps https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SKJjhP__EzNfMxeaDgvVVizerLlmimvsrVh-z13CAlo/edit?gid=358915784#gid=358915784
Brick101 Save Between Waves Mod https://github.com/davidmpickett/ufo50-rock-on-island-save-state
Tooth and Tail https://store.steampowered.com/app/286000/Tooth_and_Tail/
Blood on the Clocktower https://bloodontheclocktower.com/
A Year of UFO 50 - Mortol https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-mortol
Into the Depths: Kentucky Route Zero - Part 1 https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-kentucky-route-zero-part-1
A Year of UFO 50 - Party House https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-party-house
“Yes, And”-ing Your Design with Albert Birney and Gabriel Koenig (Tux and Fanny) https://eggplant.show/128-yes-and-ing-your-design-with-albert-birney-and-gabriel-koenig-tux-and-fanny
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the new 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 4 and share their Mole suspicions.
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Wie is de Mol (Netherlands) Season 14, Episode 3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTgfpKoX96M&list=PL0V4yzkm-Av38Wy9dJZCLGsjOhKzXDVRp&index=3
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by guest hosts Adam Saltsman (Finji), Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), and Teddy Dief (We Are OFK) to discuss Vainger, the 29th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“The Vainger returns to Io and finds itself betrayed. The enemy must be found and eradicated.”
Next week: Rock On! Island
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Prince of Prussia https://adamatomic.itch.io/prince
Deus Ex https://store.steampowered.com/app/6910/Deus_Ex_Game_of_the_Year_Edition/
The Swapper https://store.steampowered.com/app/231160/The_Swapper/
Transistor https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/transistor/
Uncle Slam's record Vainger speed run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q12oY8A5ekA
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown https://store.steampowered.com/app/2751000/Prince_of_Persia_The_Lost_Crown/
Bloodborne https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/bloodborne/
Magic, Kevlar, and Conspiracies with Tactical Breach Wizards Dev Tom Francis https://interactive.libsyn.com/magic-kevlar-and-conspiracies-with-tactical-breach-wizards-dev-tom-francis
Usual June https://store.steampowered.com/app/2702430/Usual_June/
Hyper Light Drifter https://store.steampowered.com/app/257850/Hyper_Light_Drifter/
We Are OFK (game) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490340/We_Are_OFK/
We Are OFK (artist page) https://www.ofk.cool/
Teddy Dief’s webpage https://www.teddydief.com/
Gaburi Chicken, LA https://gaburiusa.com/
A Year of UFO 50 – Warptank https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-warptank
A Year of UFO 50 – Camouflage https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-camouflage
Surviving Overland with Adam Saltsman https://eggplant.show/28-surviving-overland-with-adam-saltsman
A Year of UFO 50 – Porgy https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-porgy
A Year of UFO 50 – Bushido Ball https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-bushido-ball
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the new 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 3 and share their Mole suspicions.
There's never been a better time to get into De Mol. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by guest hosts Xalavier Nelson Jr. (I Am Your Beast) and Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy) to discuss Rail Heist, the 28th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“The most infamous train robbers in the west pull off a series of daring heists.”
Next week: Vainger
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Colt Express https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express Invisible, Inc. https://store.steampowered.com/app/243970/Invisible_Inc/ Gunpoint https://store.steampowered.com/app/206190/Gunpoint/
SteamWorld Heist https://www.gog.com/en/game/steamworld_heist
Hotline Miami https://store.steampowered.com/app/219150/Hotline_Miami/
Killer Queen https://killerqueenarcade.com/
Leisure Suit Larry https://store.steampowered.com/app/763970/Leisure_Suit_Larry_1__In_the_Land_of_the_Lounge_Lizards/
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2116510/Creepy_Redneck_Dinosaur_Mansion_3/
Baby Steps https://store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/Baby_Steps/
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the new 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 2 and share their Mole suspicions.
There's never been a better time to get into De Mol. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by guest hosts Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy), Jay Ma (Into the Breach), and droqen (Starseed Pilgrim) to discuss Divers, the 27th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Control Dylan, Orlok, and Thyme as they explore the watery depths”
Next week: Rail Heist
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Final Fantasy Legend 1 (via the Collection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend) https://saga-franchise.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/collection-saga-final-fantasy-legend
Dungeon Encounters https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/dungeon-encounters
Girls Last Tour https://yenpress.com/titles/9780316470636-girls-last-tour-vol-1
Subnautica https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/
Stardom World Wrestling https://www.stardom-world.com/contents/4272
Droqen’s website https://www.droqen.com/
Jay Ma on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jarmustard.bsky.social
Kayin on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/kayin.moe
droqen on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/droqen.bsky.social
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're recapping the new 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13).
Laura, Jey, and Doug break down Episode 1 and share their Mole suspicions.
There's never been a better time to get into De Mol. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant live from the De Mol 2024 finale https://www.patreon.com/posts/eggplant-de-mol-105398809
Eggplant Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
Taskmaster - Get To 11 Points as Fast as Possible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgLthsvxyAs
Recorded in person at GDC 2025, we're joined by guest host Alfredo Barraza (Riot), and UFO 50 developers Jon Perry, Derek Yu, and Tyriq Plummer to discuss Hot Foot, the 26th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"It's time to grab your beanbags and settle your differences on the Hot Foot court!"
Next week: Divers
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
For the 2nd year in a row, we're recapping the new 2025 season of Flemish De Mol. And this time, we're posting the episodes to the main feed here.
There's never been a better time to get into De Mol. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.
Links:
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Eggplant live from the De Mol 2024 finale https://www.patreon.com/posts/eggplant-de-mol-105398809
Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant
We're joined by guest hosts Billy Basso (Animal Well), Jack Schlesinger (Baby Steps), and Gab Koenig (Tux and Fanny) to discuss Party House, the 25th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Can you throw the best house party of the summer without getting busted?”
Next week: Hot Foot
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
The Quacks of Quedlinburg https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244521/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg
Dominion (Temple Gate Games) https://templegatesgames.com/gamepages/dominion.html
Quarriors! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91536/quarriors
Jon Perry’s board games https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/73364/jon-perry
Michael O’Blivion’s UFO 50 YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjLTO0klFN8&list=PL1D9Hwc75ZKp0tryurUbmtRUufIk_j6GD&index=4
Luck be a Landlord https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/
Slice & Dice https://tann.fun/games/dice/
Into the Depths: Slice & Dice – Part 1 https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-slice-dice-part-1
Baby Steps https://www.babystepsgame.com/
Animal Well https://www.animalwell.net/
Episode 139 – Sticking to Your Systems with Animal Well https://eggplant.show/139-sticking-to-your-systems-with-animal-well
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Part 1) https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-caves-of-qud-part-1
Episode 92 – Untangling Language with Knotwords https://eggplant.show/92-untangling-language-with-knotwords
Episode 128 – "Yes, And"-ing Your Design with Albert Birney and Gabriel Koenig (Tux and Fanny) https://eggplant.show/128-yes-and-ing-your-design-with-albert-birney-and-gabriel-koenig-tux-and-fanny
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by guest host Madison Karrh (Birth), Billy Basso (Animal Well), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss Caramel Caramel, the 24th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Melon got a new camera and is going on a galactic adventure to try it out!”
Next week: Party House
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Snapshot Game https://store.steampowered.com/app/204220/Snapshot/
Spelunky by Derek Yu https://bossfightbooks.com/products/spelunky-by-derek-yu
Brick101’s mod for Caramel Caramel https://github.com/davidmpickett/ufo50-caramel-health
Animal Well https://www.animalwell.net/
Episode 139 – Sticking to Your Systems with Animal Well https://eggplant.show/139-sticking-to-your-systems-with-animal-well
Abnormal Mapping https://www.abnormalmapping.com/
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by guest host Alfredo Barraza (Riot), plus Farbs (Wild Bastards), Dan Vecchitto (Trombone Champ), and Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) to discuss Onion Delivery, the 23rd game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Can you survive the work-week in Zorrg City? Do your best to make deliveries amidst the chaos!"
Next week: Caramel Caramel
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Retro Racing 2 https://www.mrqwak.com/games/retro-racing-2/
Grand Theft Auto https://www.rockstargames.com/games/gta
Trombone Champ https://www.trombonechamp.com/
ICE CREAM DELIVERY JOB https://youtu.be/NfnzV0eMdug?si=q3rBfxpj9cI9cPbU
"The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein https://tsd.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine.html
Adam Conover Tour Dates https://www.adamconover.net/new-tour-dates/
Adam Conover on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/adamconover.net
Farbs on Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@Farbs
Holy Wow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/holywowstudios.bsky.social
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
In the 3rd installment of our current Into the Depths series, we dive into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015.
Doug and Rob - joined by special guest host Star St. Germain - talk to one of the game's creators Jason Grinblat about the main quest - from Bethesda Susa, Omonporch, and the quest after that.
Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series.
Show Notes:
Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/cavesofqud
Jason's reference image for Bethesda Susa: https://imgur.com/a/rH257at
Star on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social
Jason on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zflcrtqmb7pcwouiixuf22pq
We're joined by Trent Kusters (League of Geeks) and Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy) to discuss Porgy, the 22nd game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Strange happenings near the coast! Dive deep and get to the bottom of what's fishy in the sea."
Next week: Onion Delivery
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed on this episode:
Kayin’s Porgy Blog Post – ”On Backtracking” https://kayin.moe/backtracking
Games: Agency as Art – C. Thi Nguyen https://global.oup.com/academic/product/games-9780190052089?cc=us⟨=en&
A Play of Bodies – Brendan Keogh https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262037631/a-play-of-bodies/
Shadow The Past’s Porgy Speedruns (1st World Record run) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoYXGkX2_IA&t=1s
Game Maker’s Notebook – 17 Year Development Journey with Caves of Qud https://interactive.libsyn.com/17-year-development-journey-with-caves-of-qud
Kayin’s website https://kayin.moe/about
Kayin on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/kayin.moe
Trent on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/trentkusters.bsky.social
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Liz Ryerson (Sounds from the Abyss) and Ben Esposito (Neon White) to discuss Waldorf’s Journey, the 21st game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Waldorf didn't go looking for adventure. He was just trying to enjoy a nice nap..."
Next week: Porgy
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Show Notes:
Terry’s Other Games – A collection of Terry Cavanagh’s smaller works https://terrycavanagh.itch.io/terrys-other-games
Paralect https://igf.com/paralect-0
Waldorf’s Journey Speedrun World Record by MACH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2IlhR1fQw
Neon White https://neonwhite.rip/
Liz Ryerson’s Bandcamp https://bandcamp.com/lizryerson
Sounds from the Abyss mixes https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdRlER1F5rGvaoE-XbV6jz6OymxQw4jx&si=HFcDTYa5DPqD_aD5
Great Art by Liz Ryerson https://www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art
GDC Experimental Game Workshop links:
2004–2022 GDC Vault Recordings https://gdcvault.com/browse?keyword=experimental+gameplay+workshop
2023–2024 GDC Vault Recordings https://gdcvault.com/browse?keyword=experimental+game+workshop
Experimental Game Workshop website https://www.experimentalgameworkshop.org/
GDC 2025 Experimental Games Showcase speaker list https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/experimental-games-showcase/911131
Episode 145 – Addressing Memory with Plunderludics https://eggplant.show/145-addressing-memory-with-plunderludics
Episode 94 – Learning to Unclench with Ben Esposito (Neon White) https://eggplant.show/94-neon-white
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
Doug and Rob chat with mut moochi, Jonny Hopkins, and Gurn Group about their experimental game and emulator hacking practice, which they call "plunderludics". We're also joined by special guest co-host Bennett Foddy. We describe some of their pieces, the comparison against plunderphonics and other related terms, the tools they've developed, and more.
Show notes:
plunderludics wiki https://plunderludics.github.io/
Unityhawk https://plunderludics.github.io/tools/unityhawk.html
boshi's place https://boshis.place/
mut's Tapestry https://2024.amaze-berlin.de/mentions/tapestry/
mut's Auto Mario https://nes.mut.media/goodluck.html
Mario Mario's bro skater 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWHXMURV2vo
tetris, but all at once, but all at once https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1624188079408918528
jonny's Mario x film composites https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1627367719518576656 https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1628938203435614208 https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1630298848479281153
Gurn Group's itch page https://gurnburial.itch.io/
Mario Tag documentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pul43sdWO8k
Multibowl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multibowl
"Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative" https://plunderphonics.com/
JohnLee Cooper's list Plundercore (Not By Me Mostly) https://itch.io/c/2861178/plundercore-not-by-me-mostly
Water Level/b.l.u.e. EXPLORATION by hatimb00 https://hatimb00.itch.io/blue-exploration
We're joined by Adam Saltsman (Finji), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Bijan Stephen (Compulsion Games) to discuss Warptank, the 20th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Use your tank to regain control of the station and sever all ties to Capsule World!"
Next week: Waldorf’s Journey
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
The Cousin Game is one of the oldest and most underappreciated genres by Patrick Gill (Polygon)
Sounds from the Abyss mixes
South of Midnight
Fun City (Cyberpunk TTRPG podcast)
Adam’s itch.io (adamatonic.itch.io)
Great Art by Liz Ryerson
GDC Experimental Game Workshop links:
2023–2024 GDC Vault Recordings
Experimental Game Workshop website
GDC 2025 Experimental Games Showcase speaker list
Episode 28 – Surviving Overland with Adam Saltsman
A Year of UFO 50 Episode 16 – Camouflage
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Big Bell Race, the 19th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Do you have what it takes to become the Big Bell Race Champion?"
Our show has been nominated for a 2024 Thinky Award in some great company! Check out the full list here... and if you should be moved to vote for us, that is between you and whatever higher power you recognize. Thanks to Thinky Games for the recognition.
Next week: Warptank
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed on this episode:
Darknet Remastered
Darknet Soundtrack
Arco
Arco Soundtrack
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by John Axon (Capybara Games) and Ben Wilson (Die Gute Fabrik) to discuss Golfaria, the 18th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Deep beneath the fairway, a golf ball awakens. Where did it come from? What is its purpose?"
Next week: The Big Bell Race
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
John Axon on Bluesky
Zerofiftyone.net (Ben’s crosswords)
Episode 69 – Building a Better Bridge with Ben Wilson
Episode 129 – Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We chat with Mo Cohen (Queermo Games) and Hagen Deloss about Queer Quest, a point-and-click adventure that's best described as "gay Monkey Island meets feminist Leisure Suit Larry".
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Show notes:
Queer Quest official site (Queermo Games)
Mo Cohen
Queer Quest on Steam and itch.io
Hagen Deloss
Eggplant interview with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
Leisure Suit Larry
Monkey Island
Queer Quest Kickstarter (October 2016)
Mar Del Castillo and Miss Honey
Skullduggery! mobile game
Read Only Memories (ROM) (MidBoss)
My Ex-Boyfriend the Space Tyrant (Luke Miller)
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Sense8
Rise of the Video Game Zinesters by Anna Anthropy
Tarotno
Kentucky Route Zero Eggplant episode
Beak, Feather & Bone
We're joined by Carolyn Petit (Kotaku) and Russ Frushtick (Polygon) to discuss Campanella, the 17th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Fly the Campanella through five challenging worlds! And don't forget to stop for coffee!"
Next week: Golfaria
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Space Taxi
Alfonzo’s Bowling Challenge
Carolyn on Bluesky
Russ on Bluesky
The Besties Podcast
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Adam Saltsman (Finji) and Izzy Kestrel (Funomena, No Goblin) to discuss Camouflage, the 16th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Blend in with your surroundings to evade predators and fulfill your destiny."
Next week: Campanella
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed on this episode:
Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love – A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson
Willy’s Wonderland
Adam’s PICO-8 Games (and other itch.io releases!)
Izzy’s itch.io page (specific titles mentioned below)
Gexfeld
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure Adventure
Channel Surfing
Oral Gex Podcast
Episode 28 – Surviving Overland with Adam Saltsman
Adam Saltsman on Bluesky
Izzy Kestrel on Bluesky
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
The whole crew assembles to share our personal five favorite games of 2024, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy 2025!
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):
Doug:
Xenosphere
B3313 (Mario 64 mod)
Boku no Natsuyasumi 2
Slice & Dice 3.0
Caves of Qud
Sarah:
Velgress (from UFO 50)
Balatro
Bridge Command
Waxwing
Key of Dreams
Zach:
Astro Bot
Astro Bot
Astro Bot
Astro Bot
Astro Bot
Laura:
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
Balloon SMP
Interstate 35
Games to play with babies / Zach’s 2023 pick
Dress to Impress (Roblox)
Nick:
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Pseudoregalia
Paper Beast
Smart Ball
The Nest
Andy:
Hollow Knight
Pokemon TCG Pocket
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Astro Bot
Velgress (of UFO 50)
Rob:
Balatro
Moon Adventure
Barbuta (of UFO 50)
Slice & Dice 3.0
Caves of Qud
Show Notes:
Electron Dance piece/interview about Xenosphere
Dominic Tarason
action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi (2022)
The Boku Diaries
Into the Depths: Slice & Dice
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud
Other picks from guests and listeners:
UFO 50
Cryptmaster
Case of the Golden Idol DLCs
Fractal Block World
N++ Community Tab Project
Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip
10 hours of silence occasionally broken up by the Taco Bell bong
Fallout 4
Earth Defense Force 6
Rabbit and Steel
Rogue Legacy 2
The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom
Feldivek
Factorio
Playframes: How Do We Know We Are Playing? by Celia Pearce
Celeste
Pepper Grinder
Riven (2024)
Caves of Qud
Animal Well
Katamari Damacy
Leap Year
Arcs
MX Bikes
Karen Kavett’s Gradient Cascade Puzzle
Earthrise 1 in Melbourne
Cine2Nerdle Battles
Deadlock
We're joined by Patrick Traynor (Patrick’s Parabox) and Frank Lantz (Universal Paperclips, NYU Game Center) to discuss Block Koala, the 15th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Flamingus has stolen all the water! Solve puzzles to defeat him and save the park!"
Next week: Camouflage
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Frank Lantz’s Substack
Patrick’s Parabox
PuzzleScript
Stephen’s Sausage Roll by increpare
Corrypt by Michael Brough
Hectique’s UFO 50 All Games Speedrun (the Block Koala part)
Jelly no Puzzle by Qrostar
Blockhouse by Kory Heath
The Gang by Kory Heath
Episode 124 – Thinking Inside the Box with Patrick Traynor (Patrick’s Parabox)
Episode 87 – Fighting Words with Everybody House Games (Babble Royale)
Episode 31 – Good Times with Bad Robots with Frank Lantz (Hey Robot)
Join our Discord: http://discord.gg/eggplant
Leave us a tip: https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Casey Yano (Mega Crit), Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Bushido Ball, the 14th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"It’s the annual Bushido Ball tournament. Choose from 6 fighters and compete to win!"
Next week: Block Koala
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
In the 2nd installment of our current Into the Depths series, we dive into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and in this episode we celebrate this month's momentous v1.0 release.
Doug and Rob talk to one of the game's creators Jason Grinblat about Qud basics and the early game (up to Golgotha).
Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series.
Show Notes
Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io
Caves of Qud merch
qudzoo - "Your one-stop shop for improving in Caves of Qud"
Recommended settings for playing Qud on a Steamdeck (credit to Discord user patric!)
"The important changes are all in UI portion of the options menu:
UI Scale: 1.25 Play Area Scale: Pixel Perfect Pixel Perfect Tile Graphic Scale: 2 Ability Bar Mode: Compact Mini Map: Off Nearby Objects: Off Message Log Font: -5
Last but not least, use your finger to move the bar between the play area & the message log as far to the right as you can. It’s a little fiddly to do, but frees up a good amount of real estate."
We're joined by Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It), Kenny Sun (Mr. Sun's Hatbox), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Mooncat, the 13th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"Jump and dash through forests, caves and mountains, in search of the egg."
Next week: Bushido Ball
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by UFO 50 developers Derek Yu, Jon Perry, and Eirik Suhrke to discuss the first 12 (?) games in the collection.
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games), Star St. Germain (Aconite), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Avianos, the 12th game in the UFO 50 collection.
"In a time when birds rule, an epic war rages between the red talons and the blue beaks."
Next week: Mooncat
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by John Axon (Capy Games) and Hayden "Docky" Scott-Baron (Planet Coaster) to discuss Kick Club, the 11th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Sports are fighting over who is best! Let’s all play together!”
Next week: Avianos
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games) to discuss Devilition, the 10th game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Build and detonate chain reactions to drive the demon horde out of town!”
Next week: Kick Club
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Attactics, the ninth game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Carefully arrange your troops for maximum advantage in this game of realtime tactics.”
Next week: Devilition
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Marc Flury (Thumper) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Planet Zoldath, the eighth game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Brave the wilds of Planet Zoldath in search of the intergalactic treasure map!”
Next week: Attactics
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Derek Lieu (derek-lieu.com) and Colin Northway (Fantastic Contraption) to discuss Velgress, the seventh game in the UFO 50 collection.
“The space pirate Alpha is trapped in the deep pit known as Velgress. Help her climb out!”
Next week: Planet Zoldath
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Aaron "ix" Kearsley (speedrunner), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Mortol, the sixth game in the UFO 50 collection.
“How many people will lay down their lives to save Mortolia?”
Next week: Velgress
http://discord.gg/eggplant
https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Stuffed Wombat (Mosa Lina), and XanaGear (youtube.com/xanagear) to discuss Magic Garden, the fifth game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Stop the jealous witch Cloverana from sabotaging your garden!”
Next week: Mortol
In the first installment of a new Into the Depths series, we dive into the brilliant Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we're celebrating it as it nears a v1.0 release. Doug and Rob, together with guest host and Qud-head Jack Schlesinger (Puzzmo, Knotwords, Good Sudoku), talk to Caves of Qud creators Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat all about post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, building an emergence-focused game engine, and what it takes to keep a project and partnership going for nearly two decades.
Don't forget to join our discord and play along with the series. Try to get a character to Level 5 before our next episode, where we'll get into some basics around the early game and Qud's many interlocking systems. You can purchase Caves of Qud -- still in Early Access, for now -- on Steam or GOG.
Discussed in this Episode
Gamma World Dwarf Fortress Kitfox Games Data-Driven Engines of Qud and Sproggiwood, talk by Brian Bucklew @ IRDC 2015 A Data-Driven Object System, talk by Scott Bilas @ GDC 2002 ("Looks like the paper isn't available but here's a talk on the same subject matter") The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) Tracery for context-free grammar generation Emergent Narrative in Dwarf Fortress, talk by Tarn Adams @ Progression Mechanics 2017 The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe Clark Ashton Smith Sam Wilson (pixel artist) Craig Hamilton (OST)
We're joined by Frank Lantz (The Beauty of Games) to discuss Paint Chase, the fourth game in the UFO 50 collection.
“Rev your engines and color your way to victory in the local paint racing competition!”
Next week: Magic Garden
We're joined by Adam Robinson-Yu (A Short Hike) to discuss Ninpek, the third game in the UFO 50 collection.
“It’s ninja time! Run and jump to reach the end of the world.”
Next week: Paint Chase, with guest co-host Carolyn Petit
We're joined by Frank Lantz, Jack Schlesinger, and John Axon to discuss Bug Hunter, the second game in the UFO 50 collection.
“The moon quarry has a bug problem and you’ve been hired to fix it.”
Next week: Ninpek
We introduce Eggplant Presents: A Year of UFO 50 - our new 1-year weekly show covering every game in the UFO 50 collection. Join us!
Next week: Barbuta, with guest co-hosts Xalavier Nelson Jr. and Gabe Cuzzillo.
We’re joined by our own Sarah Elmaleh, who is currently leading the SAG-AFTRA video-game actors’ strike as Chair of the union's Interactive Negotiating Committee. In this rare topical emergency episode, we discuss the urgency of securing basic protections for performers in the age of so-called “generative A.I.,” the power of collective action, and why this fight has existential stakes for video games as a commercial medium. Happy Labor Day!
Show Notes
Sarah Elmaleh
SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Official FAQ
SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements
SAG-AFTRA Tiered Budget Interactive Media Agreement
In this 3rd and final installment of our latest deep-dive miniseries, the crew continue to discuss “yahtzee roguelike” Slice & Dice, a host favorite that has made our GOTY list for two years running. We're joined once again by series guest co-host Darius Kazemi.
This episode, we ask Slice & Dice developer tann six (6) questions about the game. We also discuss Nightmare mode, as well as the modding system.
Show Notes:
Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play
Into the Depths: Slice & Dice - Episode 1 & 2
Eggplant interview with Animal Well's Billy Basso and Dan Adelman
Eggplant interview with Balatro's localthunk
Slice & Dice 20 Boss Bossrush mod
Knytt & Knytt Stories by Nifflas
Sorry for the lack of new episodes! We have some big stuff brewing though, tune into this announcement for the details.
Doug and Zach talk to prolific game maker sylvie (love game), together with guest co-host Raigan Burns (Metanet Software). We talk about sylvie's design process, freeware games, subverting traditional orthodoxies around gamefeel, sylvie's influences, and more.
Show Notes:
sylvie's website
Catalog of sylvie's games
sylvie's blog posts
sylvie's post on playtesting
Bennett Foddy on JIGGLY ZONE
Eggplant Episode 11 with Raigan
Melos Han-Tani on Living in the Relational Playworld
John Thyer's How To Make Good Small Games
We're joined by Laure De Mey and Kitt Byrne of Balloon Studios to chat about their Victorian first-person puzzler Botany Manor. We discuss building a space that feels the right amount of "real," letting history guide your setting, weaving a subtly affecting narrative, and...priest holes.
Show Notes:
Laura De Mey
Kitt Byrne
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Return of the Obra Dinn
Pettson O Findus in the Garden
Sapphire Tower
Monkey Island
Over the Garden Wall
Little Women
MacDowell Colony
Nicholas Owen / Priest Holes
RickRack Cactus
Cragside Manor
Greenway House
Wild garlic
In this 2nd installment of our latest deep-dive miniseries, the crew continue to discuss “yahtzee roguelike” Slice & Dice, a host favorite that has made our GOTY list for two years running.
We're joined once again by series guest co-host Darius Kazemi, as well as very special guest Michael Brough (!), whose own roguelike Cinco Paus is one of the cited inspirations behind Slice & Dice. This episode, we discuss the game's curses and blessings system, as well as its links to some of Michael's games, including 868 HACK.
Join our Discord and send in your questions for the Slice & Dice designer tann.
Show Notes:
Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play
Michael Brough's blog posts on streak scoring (2013, 2017)
868-HACK
Cinco Paus
Michael Brough's blog post on the "powerup" (curse) system in 868-HACK
Slice and Dice | 98%+ Winrate Unfair Hero Tier List video
Hoplite
Classic Unfair run with Doug, Rob, and Andy
We're joined by Animal Well's sole developer Billy Basso and his business partner Dan Adelman to discuss their genre-defying/defining, steeped-in-secrets hit. Plus special guest co-host Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), as we dig deep into the game's slow-burn development, the iteration of its manifold gameplay (and other) layers, and the delicate balance of stoking the fires of your fanbase.
Show Notes:
Animal Well
Billy Basso
Dan Adelman
Adam Conover
Scary kangaroo video
Axiom Verge
The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret
Fez
The Witness
Spelunky
Why do God of War's characters keep spoiling puzzles?
All of the Secret Bunnies in Animal Well (HUGE SPOILERS)
The Ultimate Secret Ending of Animal Well (EVEN BIGGER SPOILERS)
haseverythinginanimalwellbeenfoundyet.com
ARG Guardrails blog post
VVVVVV
Riven
Super Win the Game
In the first installment of our Slice & Dice deep-dive miniseries, the crew head Into the Depths with the “yahtzee roguelike” that's shown up on our GOTY list for two years running. We're joined by interactive artist/developer Darius Kazemi to help introduce the game and share beginner tips from our (significant) playtime, and get into its unique combination of maximalist design and systems-driven humor.
Next episode, we’ll get into some of our favorite game modes: Classic Unfair, Cursed, and Cursed-Hyper. Don’t forget to join our Discord and send in your questions for the game's designer tann, to be answered over email later in the series.
Show Notes:
Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play
Eggplant’s 2022 GOTY Episode (S&D Rob’s #2)
Eggplant’s 2023 GOTY Episode (S&D Doug’s #2)
Darius Kazemi’s Spelunky level-gen browser tool
Slice & Dice development history essay, by tann
Allison Parrish’s talk on designing to explore possibility spaces
Slice & Dice beginner tips powerpoint
Sid Meier’s 2010 GDC keynote
Tharsis on Steam
The stream where Rob and Doug “puppeteered” Andy to a Classic Unfair victory in Slice & Dice v2.0
Left to our own devices without a guest, we get a little goofy - thankfully our listener letters overfloweth, so we dive into a few of them. Thanks, listeners!
Show Notes:
Jupiter Sunrise
Dinner with the Band
GeoGuesser World Cup 2023
Knytt
Seiklus
Daniels: Why We Tell The Stories We Tell
Pale Fire
Four of ours hosts went to the 2024 Game Developers Conference, and we lived to share anecdotes, interesting games we saw, and the highlights (and injuries) of our week! Also, Rob chases down a handful of other lovely devs to tell us the best/hardest things about making games right now.
Show Notes:
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
Experimental Game Workshop
Museum of Mechanics: Lockpicking
Once Upon a Jester
Misshapen
Mediterranea Inferno
Kill Lincoln
The Crush House
We're joined by LocalThunk, solo creator of the hypnotic deckbuilder Balatro. We discuss flauting the fashion of a genre and going into development blind, the benefits of balacing by feel, and why Balatro shouldn't exist.
Show Notes:
Balatro
LocalThunk
Big two
Luck Be a Landlord
Slice & Dice
Slay the Spire
Risk of Rain 2
We're joined by renowned designer Eric Chahi (Another World, From Dust) to discuss his singularly surreal VR adventure Paper Beast. We discuss building a living ecosystem born from constraints, how the craft has changed over the decades, and the indecency of technology.
Show Notes:
Eric Chahi
Paper Beast
Another World
From Dust
Heart of Darkness
Strandbeest
TsuShiMaMiRe
Paprika
Pale Blue Dot
We're joined by Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios (80 Days, Heaven's Vault) to discuss A Highland Song - a wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands. We chat about creating narrative-driven games without a critical path, allowing players to fail forward, and the origins of Inkle's beloved narrative scripting language, ink.
Show Notes:
Jon Ingold
A Highland Song
Inkle Studios
ink
The Forever Labyrinth
Rick Dangerous
TV Superstars
Inform
MUDs
Uncharted 3's horse-riding section
We (belatedly) celebrate the 5th anniversary of our show with a sprawling, silly, reflective episode with a full house of hosts! Thanks for listening to us for all this time. <3
Show Notes:
Bob Mould
Heat: Pedal to the Metal
Everest Pipkin's The Poppy Grower
Learning Moonring with Zach
A Link to the Past Redux
Paper Beast
Late Show 3-Legged Race: Video Game Speedrunner Edition
Tharsis
Blue Thunder
Everyday Shooter
PixelJunk Monsters
Puzzled Pint
Sleep No More
Teeny Little Super Guy
LearnedLeague
We welcome Rob Dubbin (he/they) as a permanent member of the host pool! We discuss his journey from Late Night into making games, applicable lessons learned in the writers' room, and the importance of making your own shot.
Show Notes:
Rob Dubbin
NYU Game Center
Babycastles
Wonderville
Game Studies Study Buddies
I Am America (And So Can You!)
Earl Grey
ZZT by Anna Anthropy
London Jerry: Freelance Mailman
Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondants' Dinner
Samurai Gunn
Sportsfriends
Scripto
Scripto + Global Game Jam 2024
We're joined by Kevin Poupard, co-creative director of the beautiful, meditative climbing game Jusant. We discuss the pains and gains of physics, trying something new as a studio, and anthropomorphizing mountains. Plus special guest co-host Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit! Thanks Mark!
Show Notes:
Jusant
GMTK - How Jusant Makes Rock-Climbing More Immersive
Mind Over Magnet
Grow Home
Shadow of the Colossus
We sit down with our newest co-host, writer/developer Rob Dubbin, to each count down our Top 5 games of 2023, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy New Year!
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):
Zach: Super Locomotive Kirby's Dream Land 2 The F Train Simulator Playing Wii-U with a kid Yamaha TENORI-ON Sarah: Betrayal at Club Low Puzzmo Crosswords The Emerald Flame Case of the Golden Idol Organized Labor Andy: System Shock (remake) Pikmin 1+2 (remakes) Horseless Carriage Betrayal at Club Low Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
Rob: Puzzmo Crosswords Overflow Lasers & Feelings Mr. Sun's Hatbox Rude Tales of Magic Laura: Dredge Return of the Obra Dinn-likes VIDEOVERSE Girls' High School Mystery Class The Exit 8 Doug: The Password Game Human Chess 5th Season of Survivor Maryland Slice & Dice Blood on the Clocktower Nick: Rez Infinite PSVR2 w/ eye tracking Hi-Fi RUSH So Clover! Tux and Fanny EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6
Other picks from guests and listeners: Suika Game Baldur's Gate 3 Puyo Puyo Tetris Picross S9 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Disc golf Void Stranger El Paso, Elsewhere Basilisk 2000 Whist 22 Xenonauts 2 myhouse.wad Pikayune Dreams Magic Spellslingers
Other things mentioned: Rob Dubbin Laura's 31 Days of Halloween newsletter Berghain Trainer Glitch City bathroom game
Daria Radu, Ben Wilson, and our very own Douglas Wilson join us to discuss their trick-taking card game Spoils, featured as an optional game within story-driven adventure game Saltsea Chronicles. We discuss the genesis of the game, drawing inspiration from worldbuilding, trick-taking as a mechanic, the programming of the AI systems, and more.
Show Notes:
Episode 69: Building a Better Bridge with Ben Wilson
Spoils - A Development Retrospective
Briscola Chiamata
Bridge
Skat
The Fox in the Forest
The creators of Tux and Fanny - Albery Birney and Gabriel Koenig - stop by to discuss their existential and hilarious adventure game Tux and Fanny. We discuss collaboration as improv comedy, the benefit of working with people from outside of games, and creating a Saturday morning cartoon from another world.
Show Notes:
Tux and Fanny (game)
Tux and Fanny (film)
Albert Birney
Gabriel Koenig
Dr. Mario or: House I Learned to Love Video Games Again and Accidentally Made One
Pixilart
Stalker
Birth - Eggplant Episode
Turn Towards Instead of Away
Russian Winnie-the-Pooh
McPixel
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Katamari Damacy by L. E. Hall
Humanity
Stray
Super Mario Bros. 35
The Books - The Lemon of Pink (bonus from post-show discussion)
We're joined by creative director Hannah Nicklin and writer Harry Josephine Giles to discuss Die Gute Fabrik's beautiful new story-driven adventure, Saltsea Chronicles. We dig into the world-building and construction of the playable ensemble cast, the writer's room that pulled it off, and building out design process as design.
Show Notes:
Saltsea Chronicles
Die Gute Fabrik
Hannah Nicklin
Harry Josephine Giles
Ink
Deep Dive: Designing a narrative for multiple middles and multiple heroes in Saltsea Chronicles
Saltsea Chronicles and Writing the Future
Pool Panic
Building a Better Bridge with Ben Wilson
A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit
notgoingbacktonormal.com
'Endemic' SARS-CoV-2 and the death of public health
Rebecca Solnit: When the Hero is the Problem
We talk to our very own Zach Gage about his brand new games website, Puzzmo. We talk about player curiosity, newspaper games, Crosswords, and more.
Show Notes:
Episode 37: Designing Around Language with Zach Gage
Puzzmo manifesto
AVCX
How Hard Could It Be? (crossword puzzle by Rob Dubbin)
Ian MacLarty and Kalonica Quigley join us to discuss their open world physics simulation game, Mars First Logistics. We talk about the tech art behind the game's visual style, the procedurally generated landscape, the humor of the gameplay, and more.
Show Notes:
Mars First Logistics
Catacombs of Solaris
Apartment
Red Desert Render
Out of Bounds: Exploring the Limits of Videogames
Ian's tech art posts
Jumpgrid
Bennett Foddy blog post about zk map
We're joined by Patrick Traynor, creator of Patrick's Parabox, a mind-bending recursive puzzle game about boxes within boxes. We discuss following your gut to what a game wants to be, being part of the puzzle design community, and our core philosophies behind puzzle design.
Show Notes:
Patrick's Parabox Patrick Traynor Linelith I Wanna Be the Guy Fangames Sokosoko Sokoban Stephen's Sausage Roll Singles - Rebecca Sugar Patrick's Parabox OST Osmos Puzzle Level Idea Strategies The Witness Tyler Glaiel - Make and release lots of small games before making a big one Jonathan Blow - Truth in Game Design
We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from 2020 with a new introduction from Doug!
The ENTIRE all-star Disc Room team - Kitty Calis, JW Nijman, Doseone, and Terri Vellmann - stop by for a rowdy disc-ussion on their new arcade sci-fi avoid-em-up. We chat about making the Margherita pizza of games, nailing the details to make a simple concept sing, and making the most of team collaborations.
Show notes:
Disc Room
Launch trailer
Kitty Calis
JW Nijman
Doseone
Terri Vellmann
Pizza Margherita
Disc Room Game Jam
VVVVVV
Chris Ware
Monolith
Bit Pilot
We're honored to be joined by Gilles De Coster, host of our favorite Belgian reality TV game show - De Mol - to talk about the process, inspirations, and execution of the sublime game design behind its thrilling, subversive challenges. We spend the first hour giving all the context you'll need to follow along, before diving into the interview. This is a special one for us, check it out!
Show Notes:
De Mol (SPOILERS)
The Mole (inferior American version)
Wie is de Mol? (Dutch version)
The Amazing Race
Every Game in This City
Bestemming X
We're joined by Abhi to discuss Venba - Visai Games' short narrative cooking about family, love, and loss. We discuss uniting narrative and gameplay, making a very personal game in a commercial industry, and creating a cooking experience with its own distinct flavor.
Show Notes:
Abhi
Venba
Papers, Please
Assemble with Care
Idli
Exit/Corners
Wholesome Games
Laundry Bear Games
Alpha Something - Venba soundtrack
Keel Haul
Abhi's picks:
Favorite cooking videos:
Layered Biriyani
Kerala Style Fried Chicken
Chicken Ghee roast
Great Tamil movies to get started with:
Merku Thodarchi Malai
Kaaka Muttai
Kaithi
A playlist of songs that inspired Venba's soundtrack
We're joined by Color Gray Games' Andrejs Kļaviņš to discuss their deeply rewarding detective game The Case of the Golden Idol. We discuss building on the game's cross-media inspirations, finding the 'aha!' moments in playtesting, and trusting yourself to trust your players.
Show Notes:
The Case of the Golden Idol
Color Gray Games
Andrejs Kļaviņš
Resonance
Return of the Obra Dinn
gamedeveloper.com interview
GMTK - What Makes a Good Detective Game?
Understanding Comics
William Hogarth
Her Story
Outer Wilds
Dark Souls
Foucault's Pendulum
PostCurious episode
Godot Engine
Mark Brown episode
SpiderHeck
Hercule Poirot
Poker Face show
Under a Killing Moon
We're joined by actor Ashly Burch and Guerilla Games' Ben McCaw and Jochen Willemsen to deconstruct their deeply collaborative work on the Horizon game franchise - building the character of Aloy, the role of performance capture, and carving out nuance and evolution in a blockbuster series.
Show Notes:
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon series
Ashly Burch
Ben McCaw
Jochen Willemson
Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'?
Tenzin (Uncharted 2)
Gildun (Horizon character)
Seyka (Horizon character)
We're joined by Rita Orlov to discuss her PostCurious catalog of captivating narrative tabletop puzzle games, including her journey from physical and fine art into games, why designers love bouldering, and trusting players to summit her puzzles.
Show Notes:
Rita Orlov
PostCurious
The Emerald Flame
Threads of Fate KickStarter
Lauren Bello
Rita’s furniture
Rita's masks
Prague tunnels
Bouldering
Chip’s Challenge
Syberia
Rush Hour
Society of Curiosities
Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg
Jack Fallows
Voynich Manuscript
Codex Seraphinianus
The Case of the Golden Idol
Mother of Frankenstein
Four of our hosts get a little loopy answering questions submitted by our listeners, from how we all met, to our favorite game controllers, to the importance of mechanics vs vibes. We plan to do more of these episides once in a while, so let us know what you think and send us your most burning, random questions!
Show Notes:
Andean Abyss
Zach's dreamy eyes
Game of Thrones board game
NeGcon
Gravis PC GamePad
PsychOdyssey
Dysforgiveness
Unify
XOXO Festival
Edgar Rice Soiree
Clusterf**k!
Every Game in This City
The AirBnB we were going to rent
findsatoshi.com
The Jejune Institute
Signal Tower speakeasy
Lost Cities
Planet of Lana
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Chrono Trigger
EarthBound
We're joined by co-founders Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa to discuss Red Hook Studios' new roguelike road trip of the damned, Darkest Dungeon II. We explore heroism by contrast, the delicate stakes of making an unforgiving game more forgiving, and fostering the will to get back up again when the road gets tough.
Show Notes:
Red Hook Studios
Darkest Dungeon II
Tyler Sigman
Chris Bourassa
Fury (2014 movie)
We're joined by Kenny Sun (Twinfold) to chat about his slapstick, roguelite platformer Mr. Sun's Hatbox. We talk about the benefits of setting a prototype down for a while, what humor can let you get away with, and trusting your instincts.
Show Notes:
Kenny Sun
Mr. Sun's Hatbox
Kenny's concert photography
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Gabe Cuzzillo
Ape Out
We're joined by Greg “Cosmo D” Heffernan to discuss his IGF-winning, dice-fueled fever dream Betrayal at Club Low. We explore his fascinating journey from making music to making games, balancing for transparency, and letting your love of the process guide you.
Show Notes:
Cosmo D
Betrayal at Club Low
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
Boiler Room London live set
Despelote
Glasslands Gallery
Gloomhaven
The Brooklyn Strategist
Disco Elysium
Fate role-playing system
Charles Pratt
Desktop Dungeons
Wizardry
Vlaada Chvátil
Parasite
Infinity Engine
We're joined by Daniel Benmergui (I Wish I Were the Moon, Fidel Dungeon Rescue), creator of the narrative-weaving puzzle game Storyteller. We discuss the challenges of designing playful and snappy interaction, wrangling cause and effect, and managing expectations for a game 15 years in the making.
Daniel Benmergui
Storyteller
Cosmicomics
Petri Purho
I Wish I Were the Moon
Today I Die
Fidel Dungeon Rescue
Scribblenauts
Florence
worm club
Framed
Façade
We're joined by Hernán Sáez of Videogamo (DOBOTONE, NAVE) to discuss his beautifully ephemeral party/arcade games, as well as Marie Foulston, a playful curator/creative director who commissioned Videogamo's latest work, GOL-E-GOL. We discuss site-specific experiences, and the slippage between hardware and software realms.
Show Notes:
Hernán Sáez
Marie Foulston
Videogamo
Máximo Balestrini
NAVE Arcade
DOBOTONE
Gol-E-Gol
Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt
Wild Rumpus
No Quarter Exhibition 2022
The Grannies
Australian Centre for the Moving Image
OUYA
B.U.T.T.O.N.
California Extreme
Slick Shot (pool arcade game)
We're joined by John Johanas, Director of Tango Gameworks' pitch-perfect rhythm action game Hi-Fi RUSH. We discuss the many challenges of creating a world and systems that stay on beat, while John and Sarah discuss the creation of the character she plays in the game (!), Korsica.
Show Notes:
John Johanas
Hi-Fi RUSH
Tango Gameworks
Sekiro
Skate's text-based prototype
Everyday Shooter
Tormentor X Punisher
Patapon
PaRappa the Rapper
GuitarFreaks
Guitar Hero Live
Dyad
Thumper
Zwan - Honestly
We're joined by Madison Karrh, the solo dev behind Birth, a curious new adventure puzzle game about building a companion to quell your loneliness. We discuss the density and voyeurism of exploring city spaces, embracing the aesthetics of death, and making games that respect your time on earth.
Show Notes:
Madison Karrh
IndieCade: Canabalt's Adam Saltsman's Pursuit of the Infinite
Cole Imperi (Thanatologist)
Double Fine's PsychOdyssey
Everyone I Know Keeps Breaking Things
A Chat With the Creator of Birth - Eurogamer
Feral Earth
Solar Protocol
Weiwei Xu's Multiverse
Library of Babel
No guest this week, so we chat about the motley selection of games we're playing, before hopping into some thoughtful listener questions. We talk reality shows, historical board games, our go-to podcasts, and the importance of making things for yourself.
Show Notes:
Betrayal at Club Low
Noita
Slice & Dice
Hi-Fi RUSH
Duolingo
I Imported EDF6, And Here's Why You Should Too
Boss Fight Books - Season 6 Kickstarter
OODA loop
Paolo Pedercini's Making Games in an F****d Up World
Greening the Games Industry
Homo Ludens Podcast
Playing at the World
Molly House
Dead Eyes
Rashomon
Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV
The Eleventh podcast
The Worst Idea of All Time
Guy Montgomory
Lolita Podcast
You Must Remember This
A More Civilized Age
Dr. Gameshow
Hey Riddle Riddle
Just Button
Patrick "Vectorpark" Smith joins us to discuss his curious and inspiring oeuvre, the lost art of Flash games and DVD menus, and the pros and cons of keeping your art to yourself.
Show Notes:
Vectorpark
Windosill
Patrick's paintings
Haunt the House
Dorling Kindersley's 1995 Encyclopedia of Nature
Daniel Clowes
Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan
Julie Doucet
Jim Woodring's Frank
"Playdate" by Chris Ware
Richard McGuire
TET
Playables
Hollow Ponds
Noby Noby Boy
We welcome Laura E. Hall (they/she) as a permanent member of the cast! Fresh off a session of their online escape game The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg, we dig into its web-savvy design, how the last few years have impacted the immersive games space, and the inspirations behind a rad career of experience design.
Show Notes:
Laura E. Hall
The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg
The Pop Star's Room of Doom
Pursuit of the Assassin Artist
Palace Games
Sleep No More
Meow Wolf
I Love Bees
The Beast
Masquerade book
The 11th Hour book
Level99
The Silence in Room 1258
De Mol
A Game Designer's Analysis of QAnon
Per tradition, we sit down with immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall - and bonus guest writer/developer Rob Dubbin - to count down our Top 5 games of 2022, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy New Year!
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):
Laura: Pentiment Bureau of Multiversal Arbitration Immortality The Case of the Golden Idol The Emerald Flame
Rob: Kubb I Was a Teenage Exocolonist Fun City Slice & Dice Babble Royale Andy: Metroid Dread Pentiment (... and Modern Warfare 2) Neon White Elden Ring (and Sekiro) Root (and John Company, Oath, and Pax Pamir)
Sarah: Horizon Forbidden West Knotwords Escape Academy Subaltern Music League (but actually kpop)
Zach: (Three-way tie) Elden Ring / Robotron: 2084 / fetch Super Mario Land DX (on the Analogue Pocket) Need for Speed Unbound (Tie) Isle of Arrows / Gargoyle’s Quest Legend of Zelda Ancient Dungeon (Complete Conversion of NES Legend of Zelda)
Doug: Top 5 TikTok Games Apartment Claim to Fame The Mo!e ORG (application form) Super "Sonic Saves the World" World
Nick: God of War: Ragnarök Tinykin Spots Tunic FAR: Changing Tides
Other picks mentioned by previous guests/listeners: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure Paradise Killer Dwarf Fortress TEAM3 Super Mario World romhack - The Getaway Poinpy Pigments Sylvie Lime Stunt Derby Cinco Paus Dome Keeper Game Boy Camera Outer WIlds: Echoes of the Eye Linelith Citizen Sleeper Skate Story trailer Dota 2 Final Fantasy VI Stardew Valley - anthropomorphic animals mod Wordle Bally's Fathom pinball machine Hyper Meteor PRODUCER 2021 The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine Bespoke Counter Depth 4-Door Flex Refridgerator
Josh Sawyer (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity) joins us to discuss Obsidian's historical, narrative-driven adventure game Pentiment. We chat about text boxes as game feel, creating hard player choices that don't feel bad, and putting yourself in your art.
Show Notes:
Josh Sawyer
Pentiment
The Name of the Rose
Pitching a 16th Century Murder Mystery - AIAS Game Maker's Notebook
Juice It or Lose It talk
Lettermatic
Night in the Woods
So where is Tassing, actually? (Tumblr post)
Darklands
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Andrei Rublev
Our guest couldn't make it, so we gathered some listener questions and got weird! Join us for Thanksgiving recipes, our favorite recent game mechanics, and some "state of the industry" musings. Enjoy!
Show notes:
Vectorpark
Meathead's AmazingRibs.com
Manchego mashed potatoes
Kabocha Pie
Nick's pancake recipe
Paprika Recipe Manager
Sarah's Konsoll talk
Sarah as She-Venom
Marvel Snap
Caper: Europe
Air, Land & Sea
God of War: Ragnarok
Pax Pamir
John Company
Tango
Theory of Mind
Donkeyspace
We (well, Nick) stops by the annual Day of the Devs event in San Francisco, and chats to a bunch of lovely developers about the games they're showing there, their biggest design challenges, and what it feels like making games in the cursed year of 2022.
Show notes:
Day of the Devs
Double Fine
iam8bit
Pietro Righi Riva
Saturnalia
Chandana Ekanayake
Thirsty Suitors
Jasper Oprel
Indiana Jonas
Surmount
Madison Karrh
Birth
Billy Basso
Animal Well
Xalavier Nelson Jr.
Sunshine Shuffle
Rachel Heleva
Astra Games
Doseone
Game Over by A7PHA
Brandon Sheffield
Demonschool
Ghost Pattern's Jason Bakker and Georgia Symons join us to discuss their heartfelt interactive story Wayward Strand. We meander through its immersive theater inspirations, the origins of its airship, and the process of rethinking player agency in the attention economy.
Show Notes:
Jason Bakker
Georgia Symons
Ghost Pattern
Wayward Strand
Need 4e+9 Speed
The Last Express
Sleep No More
The Drowned Man
The Life Aquatic
VicScreen
Freeplay
Alexander Perrin and Joshua Tatangelo join us to discuss their expressive, physics-driven space puzzler Heavenly Bodies. We chat about designing a challenging game that isn't antagonistic, a funny game whose comedy is inherent, and their inspirations (or lack thereof).
Show Notes:
Heavenly Bodies
2pt Interactive
Pogo Cat
Short Trip
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Meredith Hall
Untitled Goose Game
Simpsons space scene
We're joined by dear friends of the show Laura E. Hall, Bennett Foddy, and Doseone for a Doug-masterminded, Eggplant-themed game of Just One. Stick around after the insanity for a reflection on the past four years of the show, how our lives have changed since, and what the show means to us (and you - thanks for the letters!).
Show notes:
Laura E. Hall
31 Days of Halloween newsletter
Find Satoshi
Bennett Foddy
Doseone
Demon Throttle
Immortality
Hyper Demon
Just One
Anthony Carboni
Sarah Northway (Northway Games) joins us to discuss her sprawling new narrative RPG I Was a Teenage Exocolonist. We discuss juggling a staggering script, deckbuilding as storytelling, and some of the wilder places that the game's time looping can go.
Show notes:
Northway Games
Sarah Northway
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Museum of Other Realities
Princess Maker (series)
Groundhog Day
Signs of the Sojourner
Dragon Age (series)
Jogging House
Co-founders Wyatt Bushnell and Mike Salyh - and special guest co-host Laura E. Hall - join us to discuss Coin Crew's awesome new co-op escape room game Escape Academy. We discuss pandemic pivoting to the digital space, designing for arcades vs. living rooms, and the perils of playtesting in both mediums.
Show notes:
Coin Crew Games
Escape Academy
Laura E. Hall
Planning Your Escape
The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg
Space Squad in Space
Two Bit Circus
Hot Wheels: King of the Road
999 (series)
The Room (series)
My Hero Academia
Mark Rosewater
Ash Neleh, host of the ! Series of online reality games, joins Doug for a conversation about adapting reality TV competition games for online fan communities. We talk about the 18-year history of the ! Series, as well as some of the favorite twists he's designed.
Show notes:
! Series Wiki
! Series Discord
De Mol
Frog Detective creator Grace Bruxner joins us to discuss the inspirations and process behind her charming detective series, including the upcoming Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County. We discuss sticking to scope (or not), making the most of adventure game tropes, and finding inspiration in the mundane.
Show notes:
Grace Bruxner
Frog Detective
ALIEN CASENO
Games Talks 2020: Grace Bruxner
Building Games Around Humor (GDC talk)
L.A. Noire
Frog Detective Twitter account
Freaky Ep 7 - Dummy
Round the Twist (full first season)
We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago. And check out the new mobile version of Dicey Dungeons, and the free DLC!
Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV) joins us to talk about his fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, Dicey Dungeons. We discuss the thread of generosity in his game design, the challenges of working across genres, and what might be next for Terry!
Show notes:
Terry's distractionware.com
Dicey Dungeons
VVVVVV
Super Hexagon
Tiny Heist
Stephen Lavelle
Dream Quest
7 Day Roguelike
Naya’s Quest
The Long Dark
Super Hexagon playthrough at Fantastic Arcade
Hearthstone Battlegrounds
Ben Esposito (Donut County, What Remains of Edith Finch) joins us to talk about his heavenly new card-powered, speedrunning FPS Neon White. We discuss making tight designs by keeping things loose, what a "career" of indie games feels like, and making games u wish 2 see on the Dreamcast.
Show notes:
Ben Esposito
Neon White
Donut County
Arcane Kids
Glitch City
Super Meat Boy
Killer7
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Hunter x Hunter
GoldenEye 007
Lovely Planet
Machine Girl
Sonic Dreams Collection
Perfect Stride
CRAP! No One Loves Me
Room of 1000 Snakes
Arcane Kids manifesto
Card Shark creators Arnaud De Bock of Nerial (Reigns) and Nicolai Troshinsky join us to discuss their innovative new adventure game about cheating. We discuss its filmic inspirations, the narrative progression of chaining tricks, and designing a game loop of teaching and testing.
Show notes:
Arnaud De Bock
Nicolai Troshinky
Nerial
Reigns
Pikuniku
UFO On Tape
Loop Raccord
Barry Lyndon
The Expert at the Card Table
Gambling Sleight of Hand - Steve Forte
The Magic Castle
Knotwords creators Jack Schlesinger and our own Zach Gage chat to us about their elegant new logic puzzle word game. We discuss "cracking" the game design they'd been chasing forever, and how they created the puzzle/word generator that makes it great.
Show notes:
Jack Schlesinger
Zach Gage
Knotwords
Nikoli puzzles
Alcazar
Two Not Touch puzzles
Good Sudoku
SpellTower+
Bit Pilot
Wordle
Calvin & Hobbes
Mahdi Bahrami joins us to discuss his beautiful, mind-bending new puzzle game Tandis. We discuss teaching complex geometry concepts without any numbers, poetry as playtesting, and drawing a line through Mahdi's math-inspired oeuvre. Show notes:
Mahdi Bahrami
Tandis
Engare
Farsh
ArsTechnica Tandis review
Waldorf Education
Mercator Projection
Tender Claws' Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzazo join us - alongside guest co-host Star St. Germain - to discuss their singular immersive theater experience The Under, creating an enriching social space in VR, and gameplay as an act of rebellion.
Show notes:
Tender Claws
The Under
Virtual Virtual Reality
Star St. Germain
Tumball
Piehole
The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite
Royal Shakespeare Company's Dream
Talk 'n Play
The Invention of Morel
Uncle Roy All Around You
Janet Cardiff
Mary Sweeney
Walkabout Mini Golf
Surprise! In the spirit of SMW's bonus worlds, we're back with a Special episode to cap off our deep-dive miniseries, as previous Into the Depths guests Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux take us on a tour of some of the coolest SMW ephemera yet!
Show notes:
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Tons of links this week, so please check out this great syllabus that Patrick put together for us!
In the fifth - and final! - installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, streamer/speedrunner Grand POOBear joins us to discuss the uncanny valley of SMW Remade From Memory, and the masterful Super 'Sonic Saves the World' World romhack by the mysterious 'Maddy, allegedly'.
Show Notes:
GrandPOOBear
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
DougDoug
SMW Remade From Memory
Super 'Sonic Saves the World' World
Grand Poo World 2
Invictus SMW romhack
Luminescent SMW romhack
Celeste.smc
Spelunky 2 randomizer
Celeste: Farewell
In the fourth installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable) joins us to discuss the infamous Star and Special worlds, and walk us through the ever-evolving, often hilarious culture of Kaizo Mario.
Show notes:
Davey Wreden
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
The Beginner's Guide
Ivy Road
Elden Ring VICE article
The Japanese names for the Special courses
Asshole Mario Stage 1
Asshole Mario Stage 10
Asshole Mario 2 Stage 9
Claustrophobia Kaizo hack
Icing (game)
The Complete History of Kaizo Mario
Homework for next episode:
SMW Remade From Memory
Sonic Saves the World played by Grand POOBear
In the third installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, David Hellman (Braid) joins us to discuss the aesthetics of SMW, touch on its recent widescreen mod, and suffer through the game's worst world and level (while savoring the interesting bits).
Show notes:
David Hellman
Braid: Anniversay Edition
Satoru Iwata tribute
The eyes on question mark blocks
Mario shades of red
SMW widescreen mod
SMW jazz fusion album
Homework for next episode:
Star World
Special World
Watch some Kaizo/Asshole Mario World
Our friend Jake Kazdal (17-Bit) joins us for a (spoiler-free!) roundtable discussion of Elden Ring, in which we compare our experiences in FromSoftware's latest monsterpiece, consider the inseparable nature of its community, and deliberate its bolder design decisions.
Show notes:
Jake Kazdal
17-BIt
Elden Ring
Souls (series)
Resident Evil 7
Nick's home invasion thread
Clint Hocking on the virtues of exploration
Lord of the Rings (films)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Discovery Tour
There's no such thing as an Elden Ring cheese
Halo Infinite
Bill Mudron on player summoning
In the second installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet Software (N++) join us to talk about the inertia that makes Mario feel like Mario, the beautiful strangeness of the cape, and just how deep SMW's control quirks go.
Show notes:
Metanet Software
N++
The Story of Super Mario World
Elasto Mania
Bernard Suits
MineRalph
Gish
Tumbledown Drive
Jiggly Zone
Making History with Summoning Salt
Kaizo Kindergarden
The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret
Retronauts on SMW
Reverse Design: SMW
Burned Mario and Luigi
SMW Widescreen
11 Years of N
In the first installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Derek Yu (Spelunky) and Maddy Thorson (Celeste) join us to talk about our personal histories with the game, its iconic world map and multi-layered secrets, and all sorts of Mario ephemera in-between.
Show notes:
Super Mario World
Derek Yu
Maddy Thorson
Ep. 75: Finding our Intersection Tastes
Kaizo Mario
SMW as an "athletic game"
Atheltic Theme
The Wizard (1989)
Mario death sprite
How to get 50+ lives in SMW
LOVE
We celebrate Sarah Elmaleh as a permanent new member of the cast! Yay Sarah! We also announce the next Into the Depths series, dive into some wildly different topics du jour, and answer your questions! Show notes:
Sarah Elmaleh
Super Mario World
"King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design
Shut Up & Sit Down Root review
Line Goes Up - The Problem with NFTs
Wordle
The Saturday Paper - Wordle
Wordles of the World
Lingo UK
Wordle as poetry generator
The Wreck
The Red Lantern
The Beatles: Get Back
Pokemon Red
Blinfolded Sekiro run
OODA loop
Games Done Quick
Hanabi
Frank and James Lantz of Everybody House Games join us to discuss their tactical word-slinging free-for-all, Babble Royale. We discuss the built-in texture of language, reconsidering elegance, and why not: we phone a few friends for some live rounds of Hey Robot.
Show notes:
Frank Lantz
James Lantz
Everybody House Games
Hey Robot
Babble Royale
Babble Royale beginner's guide
Babble Royale advanced guide
Chris Hecker
Scrabble
Wordle
Typeshift
Nethack
A Wizard of Earthsea
Wordnik
Starcraft: Brood War
Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Wavelength
Recurring GOTY guest / immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall joins Sarah Elmaleh and the rest of our crew to count down our Top 5 games of 2021, alongside picks from previous guests and our listeners. Happy New Year!
Show notes:
Laura E. Hall
Planning Your Escape
The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg
Ynglet 101% Completion Guide
Find Satoshi
Laura's Animal Crossing: New Horizons Dream Code: DA-9271-2414-8564
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):
Zach:
Monster Hunter Rise
Death’s Door
Metroid Fusion
Wordle
Halo Infinite
Sarah:
Mass Effect (1) Legendary Edition
Wildermyth
The Maze on Planet 7 (streaming)
It Takes Two
Kentucky Route Zero
Nick:
Sea of Thieves
Elechead
It Takes Two
Guardians of the Galaxy
Inscryption
Doug:
Survivor, South Africa, Season 8
Ynglet
Learned League
Alien (folk game)
Factions (Discord game by Doug)
Andy:Ynglet (Skee Mask - Pool)
Unpacking (Porter Robinson - Nurture)
Kentucky Route Zero (Low - HEY WHAT)
Inscryption (Squid - Bright Green Field)
Babble Royale (Madlib - Sound Ancestors)
Laura:
The Forgotten City
Valheim
Pursuit of the Assassin Artist
Inscryption
Unpacking
Witch Beam's Wren Brier and Tim Dawson join us to discuss their cozy zen puzzle game, Unpacking. We chat about the origins of its subtle narrative, living life on the grid, and the generous details that make it feel like home.
Show notes:
Witch Beam
Assault Android Cactus
Unpacking
Wren Brier
Tim Dawson
Stugan
Aseprite
Making Generous Games with Terry Cavanagh
The UI Artist's Survival Kit
Cohesion is Key: Art Direction for Indies
Daniel Mullins (Pony Island, The Hex) joins us to discuss his inky black card-based odyssey, Inscryption. We discuss [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. Just go play it, then come back and listen. Thanks also to our guest co-host Star St. Germain!
Show notes:
Daniel Mullins Games
Inscryption
Pony Island
The Hex
Daniel's Itch Page
Star St. Germain
Magic: The Gathering Arena
Slay the Spire
Boss Fight Books - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Buddy Simulator 1984
Hidden my game by mom
Sam Barlow
ARG video with Daniel
Masquerade book
Borg vs McEnroe
Our old pal and Spelunky creator Derek Yu stops by to discuss his helpful blog post on how to think about feedback on your game. We discuss sympathetic vs unsympathetic feedback, thinking about feedback across your entire creative practice, and why feedback can be valuable beyond the content itself.
Show notes:
Derek Yu
Indie Game Dev: Getting Feedback
Osmos
Creativity, Inc.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Slay the Spire: Metrics Driven Design and Balance
Lil' Dozer
Playtesting: Avoiding Evil Data
Hannah Nicklin on Critical Response
r/DestoryMyGame
ElecHead creator NamaTakahashi joins us to discuss his inventive puzzle-platformer, one of our favorites in years. We discuss the indie scene in Japan, making a game about secrets, and how to avoid players getting too "full" on your game. Big thanks to Chao from Asobu for translation help!
Show notes:
NamaTakahashi
Indie Brains podcast (Japanese language)
ElecHead (also on Steam)
Chao Zen
Makers Fund
Asobu
Branching Paths
Archipel
Enhance Experience
Celeste
VVVVVV
NamaTakahashi profile video
Downwell
Toki Tori 2
We're joined by Asher Vollmer (Threes) to discuss the mouse-bouncing adventure Beast Breaker, the debut game from his studio Vodeo Games. We discuss the perils of overscoping, scaling up (and back down), and building a studio ethos.
Show notes:
Asher Vollmer
Vodeo Games
Threes
IndieCade Awards
Royals
holedown
Ballz
BBTan
Monster Hunter
The Witcher
A Playful Production Process
Craig D. Adams (Superbrothers A/V) and Patrick McAllister (Pine Scented Software) join us as they embark on the release of their interstellar adventure JETT: The Far Shore. We cover its 10+ year development, telling a small piece of a big story, and assembling the right squad to help land it.
Show notes:
JETT: The Far Shore
Superbrothers A/V
Pine Scented Software
Fatal Inertia
Sworcery ARG?
Jim Guthrie
scntfc
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
Monster Hunter
Fumito Ueda
Ralph McQuarrie
17-BIT
Getting Things Done
Variable State co-founders Jonathan Burroughs, Terry Kenny, and Lyndon Holland pop by to chat about their supernatural anthology drama Last Stop. We discuss capturing London through its details, telling an interconnected story across multiple genres, and the importance of pacing. Show notes:
Variable State
Virginia
Last Stop
Hannah Nicklin
Attack the Block
Fleabag
Firewatch
Thirty Flights of Loving
Primer timeline
Dunkirk
We're joined by Anne Austin and Nate Austin of Worldwalker Games to explore their charming myth-making tactical RPG, Wildermyth. We dig into the challenges of procedural storytelling, clever ways of handling time passage and death, and capturing a tabletop feel without the table.
Show notes:
Wildermyth
Worldwalker Games
AI-Driven Dynamic Dialog through Fuzzy Pattern Matching
The Thing (video game)
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 (board game)
Descent: Journeys in the Dark
XCOM
Spirit of the Century
Graham Parkes and Bela Messex of GoodbyeWorld Games join us to discuss their beautiful, blink-controlled adventure through the afterlife, Before Your Eyes. We discuss the benefits of disempowerment, working off faith in technology, and teaching players to let go.
Show notes:
Before Your Eyes
GoodbyeWorld Games
Graham Parkes
Bela Messex
Little Bug
Close Your
Blendo Games
Walter Murch's In the Blink of An Eye
Death of a Salesman
C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce
Where You Are short film
We chat to Umurangi Generation's Tali Faulkner about his (IGF grand prize-winning!) "first-person photography game in the sh*tty future." We discuss keeping scope small while having a lot to say, the role of respectful design and Indigenous knowledge, and positioning players to see for themselves.
Show notes:
Tali Faulkner
Umurangi Generation
Sarah Elmaleh
Shooting the Apocalypse by Jini Maxwell
Freeplay Parallels 2020 talk
Neon Genesis Evangelion
British nuclear tests at Maralinga
ThorHighHeels' OST
Umberto Eco's UR-FASCISM
For our 75th episode special, we endeavor to find which games lie at the intersection of our tastes, talking through our ranking algorithm and counting down our top 22 games. Thanks for all the support so far!
Show notes:
Sportsfriends
Knytt
StepMania
0SPACE
The Little Prince
Let's Mosey: A Slow Translation of Final Fantasy VII
Chrono Trigger by Michael P. Williams
Chrono Trigger Mixtape
Losing Your Grip: Futility and Dramatic Necessity in Shadow of the Colossus
Arcane Kids Manife$to
Kaizo Mario
TENNNES
TENORI-ON
Our Top 22 (SPOILERS):
10th place:
Super Puzzle Fighter
N++
Katamari Damacy
Dance Dance Revolution
9th place:
Samurai Gunn
8th place:
Everyday Shooter
7th place:
Kentucky Route Zero
Fez
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
6th place:
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Galaxy
Portal
Final Fantasy VII
Doom
5th place:
Mario 64
Drop7
Desert Golfing
Chrono Trigger
4th place:
Shadow of the Colossus
3rd place:
Spelunky 2
2nd place:
Spelunky HD
1st place:
Super Mario World
The second special episode originally created in partnership with AMC Games for the in-flight entertainment of Airplane Mode, a very literal flight simulator. We chat about ritual in games, rethinking our relationship to time, and bringing it to bear on our own work and play. Show notes:
Lifeline...
Shadow of the Colossus
Tharsis
Star Trek: Discovery
The Castles of Burgundy
Lost Cities
Desert Bus
Pippin Barr's Durations
Marina Abramović’s The Artist is Present
Zach’s Transit Meditation
San Andreas Deer Cam
Dishonored
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Discovery Tour
Grand Theft Auto Pacifist
The Traveling Swordsman Problem
Nick's Thanksgiving Blade Triptych
Casey Reas’ Processing
How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
Delayed Response: The Art of Waiting From the Ancient to the Instant World
The Great British Bake Off
Apex Legends
VESPER.5
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Brandon Sanderson
Aconite founders Star St. Germain and Nadya Lev and lead designer Scott Jon Siegel join us to discuss their beautiful, mixed reality mind bender HoloVista. We chat about embracing hidden object game design, telling personal stories through a lens of social media, and subverting the selfie museum.
Show notes:
HoloVista
Star St. Germain
Nadya Lev
Scott Jon Sigel
Aconite
Coilhouse
The Fallen Cosmos
SFZero
Journey to the End of the Night
Ian Bogost
Jane McGonigal
Gardens of Time
How Return of the Obra Dinn Works
Mariode
Blake Kathryn
Nour: Play With Your Food
Andrew Morgan
Andi Hegedus
MTV Cribs
Meow Wolf
teamLab
Museum of Ice Cream
Strix
Cory O'Brien
LiveJournal
Sara Carr
Mesmer & Braid: The Alternate Reality Game
Steve Peters
Nick Tierce
Jakub Wasilewski of Beetlewing joins us to talk about his new grand-yet-bite-sized space strategy game, Slipways. We discuss game feel as inspiration, breaking your game for fun and profit, and limiting your universe to expand your audience. Show notes:
Jakub Wasilewski
Beetlewing
Slipways
PICO-8
Indie Fund
Celeste
hearthstone
Pocket-Run Pool
Twilight Imperium
Teomachia (Jakub's board game)
Master of Orion
Magic: The Gathering
SpellTower
Slay the Spire
Tom Francis
Evan Anthony and Jeremy Abel of Feral Cat Den join us to discuss their inspired cosmic adventure game, Genesis Noir. We discuss the aesthetics of interaction, processing your game launch, and shooting for the stars with your ending. Show notes:
Feral Cat Den
Evan Anthony
Jeremy Abel
Genesis Noir
Vectorpark
Hohokum
GNOG
Cosmicomics
Reaktor
Florence
Skillbard
Oikospiel
Inside
Busby Berkeley
Rez
Marcin Zeglinski
Interstellar
L.A. Noire
Wabi-sabi
Kintsukuroi
Die Gute Fabrik's Studio Lead Hannah Nicklin joins us to discuss her writing and narrative design work on their sublime mutant soap opera, Mutazione. We discuss working with time and an ensemble cast to create a story with "multiple middles," embracing the scars of a lengthy development cycle, and the best bikes in video games. Show notes:
Hannah Nicklin
Die Gute Fabrik
Mutazione
Into the Depths: The Music of Mutazione - Part 1
Divised theater
Grey’s Anatomy
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Narrative Design Sliding Doors
Multiple Middles & Mutazione
Kentucky Route Zero
Critical Response
Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
N+1 a bike/game zine
Sokpop's Digital Bird Playground
We sit down with Creative Producer Ben Wilson to discuss the thrilling cooperative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, and how the game builds on and subverts precedents like Spades and Bridge.
Show notes:
Ben Wilson
Wizard Jam
Spelunky Dare Challenge Bot
Trick-taking games
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
The Crew - A Card Game for Everyone
Skat
Hearts
Spades
Bridge
Zach's Grit
Bourre
Hanabi
The Perfect Game of Hanabi
Ha Ha Ha! game
Codenames
#remoteplay: Playing in a Pandemic, Part 2
In the final installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we sit down with two of its creators - Jake Elliott and Ben Babbitt - to discuss the origins of their collaboration, drawing from influences beyond games, and the process of working on such a long-term project.
Show notes:
Kentucky Route Zero
Jake Elliott
Ben Babbitt
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Sarah Elmaleh
A House in California
KRZ Kickstarter
Pillars and Tongues
Dog and Bone are Friends
Jon Cates
Critcal Artware
Demoscene
Ableton
.microsound
Magic Matrix Mixer Mountain
Sidequest
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Jorge Luis Borges
Balloon Diaspora
Gloam Collective's Min-Taylor Bai-Woo and Damian Sommer join us to chat about their thrilling new turn-based fighter Bravery Network Online. We discuss the design of its Pokémon-inspired battles, the clever ways in which they replaced randomness, and making friends in the post-post-apocalypse.
Show notes:
Gloam Collective
Min-Taylor Bai-Woo
Damian Sommer
Bravery Network Online
Guillaume Singelin
OKAYKELLYK
Emily Carroll
Pokémon Showdown!
droqen
Good BNO example match w/ commentary
BNO first tournment playlist
Daigo Umehara
Star Wars: Destiny
Magic: The Gathering - Commander
Final Fantasy Tactics
Splatoon
Yomi
Umurangi Generation
PATH
In the fifth installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we broadcast our thoughts on the Un Pueblo De Nada interlude, before prowling our way through Act V and our closing thoughts on the game.
Show notes:
Kentucky Route Zero
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Sarah Elmaleh
Alice Munro - Dear Life
Clara Rockmore - The Art of the Theramin
Clara Rockmore - The Swan
Brian Rotman: Signifying Nothing - The Semiotics of Zero
Bob Moog
WEVP-TV transmedia videos
Sandin Analog Image Processor
Our Town
Jenny Odell - How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
How to unlock the bonus interlude
Noah Caldwell-Gervais - Notes From Along Kentucky Route Zero
Robert Frost - The Death of a Hired Man
Orthographic projection
Projective Geometry
Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Can't Tell Me Nothing with Zach Galifianakis HQ
Walt Whitman - Song of Myself, Verse 52
Nabokov and spirals
Jon Cates
Metal Gear Solid 3, I Love You With All My Heart
Jordan Youngblood “Is Metal Gear’s Rectum a Digital Grave?: Queer Trauma and Failure in the Metal Gear Solid Series.” Panel on Queer Failure. Queerness and Games Conference. University of Berkeley. 24-26 October 2013
Echodog Games' Dyala Kattan-Wright joins us to discuss their wildly unique and wonderful narrative card game Signs of the Sojourner. We chat about the process of developing the game's innovative dialogue system, its surprising effects on player experience, and why sometimes you just can't go home again.
Show notes:
Eggplant Patreon
Dyala Kattan-Wright
Echodog Games
Signs of the Sojourner
Slay the Spire
Ascension: A Case Study in Deckbuilding Games
Friday
Consentacle
Fog of Love
Hanabi
Hearthstone
Dream Quest
80 Days
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Signs of the Sojourner Original Soundtrack
In the fourth installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we dial in our thoughts on the Here and There Along the Echo interlude, before bringing our insight to bear on the brittle facts of Act IV.
With guest co-hosts Stephanie Boluk, Patrick LeMieux, and Sarah Elmaleh!
Show notes:
Kentucky Route Zero
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Sarah Elmaleh
Limits and Demonstrations Little Berlin installation
Sarah's Part 3 Twitter thread
Karl Marx, Capital Vol. III
Karl Marx, The Fragment on Machines
Museum of Jurassic Technology
Lee Tusman
Richard Lemarchand, Attention Not Immersion
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Will Oldham), I See a Darkness
Kelly Reichardt, Old Joy
Martin Deny, Exotica
Audiogames.net
Kenji Eno, Real Sound: Kaze No Regret
Sound of Metal
Nomadland
Gabriel A. Radvansky et al., Walking Through Doorways Causes Forgetting
Andre Bazin, Ontology of the Photographic Image
Sigmund Freud, The Uncanny
A special episode originally created in partnership with AMC Games for the in-flight entertainment of Airplane Mode, a very literal flight simulator. We chat with its creator Hosni Auji about the challenges and benefits of simulating the mundane, our strangely poignant experiences with the game, and our personal flight etiquette. Show notes:
Airplane Mode
Hosni Auji
AMC Games
F.E.E.D.
Zero Age
NYU Game Center Incubator
Gone Home
The Twilight Zone - Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
BLAH airlines
Captain Bennet Foddy
In the third installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we take a seat for The Entertainment interlude, before exploring the physical manifestation of debt in Act III. With recurring guest co-hosts Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux, and bonus guest Sarah Elmaleh!
Show notes:
Kentucky Route Zero
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Sarah Elmaleh
Giving Games a Voice with Sarah Elmaleh
Resonance game
The Consolidated Power Company
The Entertainment paperback
Maxim Gorky, The Lower Depths
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan
Eugene O’Neill, The Iceman Cometh
The Last of Us
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Julee Cruise, Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart on Twin Peaks
Colossal Cave Adventure
Junebug, Too Late to Love You
Vannevar Bush, As We May Think
Steve Russell et al., Space War!
Joseph Weizenbaum, Eliza/Doctor
Eliza Douglas Engelbart, The Mother All Demos Ted Nelson, Computer Lib/Dream Machines
Roberta and Ken Williams, Mystery House David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years
IF titles: the next generation of generation
Game historian and documentarian Summoning Salt joins us to discuss the world of speedrunning, the process behind his deep-dive videos that unpack its most exciting moments, and the ineffable magic that makes some classic games so beautifully broken.
Show notes:
Summoning Salt
Home - We're Finally Landing
Breaking World Records with Kinnijup and ix
The Quest for 1 Million Subscribers
Games Done Quick
SS's speedrun.com records
The Quest to Beat Matt Turk
The History of Wii Sports Resort Golf World Records
Jon Bois
Tim Rogers' Action Button
Summoning Salt Patreon
The History of Contra World Records
Mario Kart 64: The Quest for World Record Perfection
Video Game History Foundation
World Record Progression: Half-Life 2
Andy's latest EP
In the second installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we marinate in the Limits & Demonstrations interlude, before navigating the Zero to Act II to tackle bureaucracy, bears, and the recurring question: are we inside, or are we outside?
Show notes:
Kentucky Route Zero
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick LeMieux
Nam Jun Paik, Random Access
Edward Packard, UFO 54-40
Museum of Other Realities
KRZ Fulltext
Jack Burnham, Software Catalogue
Eddie Shanken, "The House that Jack Built"
Le Corbusier, "Five Points of Architecture"
The Jejune Institute
SCP Foundation
Robert Frost, "Two Tramps in Mud Time"
Robert Frost, "Death of the Hired Man"
Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
Rene Magritte, The Blank Signature
Marie Foulston, Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt
Actor, advocate, and consultant Sarah Elmaleh (Afterparty, Anthem, Gone Home) joins us to discuss her craft across myriad game roles, the connections between voiceover and design, and using your voice to fight for equity and connectedness.
Show notes:
Sarah Elmaleh
Eggplant Podcast Community Game Jam
Void Protocol
Babycastles
Behind the Voice
Dominic Armato
Afterparty
Anthem
Gears 5
Superbowl spot
Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy
A Play of Bodies
Hades
Disco Elysium
Johann Sebastian Joust
Lifeline
Earplay: Jurassic World Revealed
SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreement
Pyre
Star Wars Twitter thread
Gamedev.world
IndieCade 2020 Awards
In the first installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we meet our guest co-hosts, with whom we put Act I's opening scene under a microscope, discuss the game's novel dialogue system, and dive deep into the first batch of its many intertextual references.
Show notes:
Stephanie Boluk
Patrick Lemieux
Kentucky Route Zero
Cardboard Computer
A House in California
Metagaming book
Mutazione
Designing for Mystery in KRZ GDC talk
Dear Esther
Fluxus
Grapefruit
Successful Reflective Choices in Interactive Narrative
Colossal Cave Adventure
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Recoding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in Computing
Playing with Feelings: Video Games and Affect
Game of Life
Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave
One Hundred Years of Solitude
A Pedestal, A Table, A Love Letter: Archaeologies of Gender in Videogame History
Hundred Thousand Billion Poems
1976: Adventure
Mathematical Theory of Communication
New Media Reader
Daniel Helbig of Megagon Industries (Lonely Mountains: Downhill) joins us to discuss the magic behind their pitch-perfect 2019 mountain biking game. We discuss the trials and techniques of their game-defining controls, physics, and camera work, and mastering multifaceted mountains (phew!).
Show notes:
Eggplant Game Jam
Daniel Helbig
Megagon Industries
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Skiing Yeti Mountain
Ski Stunt Simulator
Game Feel book
Downhill Domination
Deep Rock Galactic
Ring of Pain
Maddy Thorson (Celeste, TowerFall) joins us to discuss the evolution of their excellent catalog of platformers, how Celeste made them reconsider difficulty, and the benefits of working with a team you can trust.
Show notes:
Maddy Thorson
Celeste Classic 2
Celeste source code
Axiom Verge randomizer
Spelunky Dare Challenge Bot
Maddy's Mario Maker 2 courses
Maddy's Super Mario World Remix
Twilight Imperium
Detransition, Baby book
Dreamsnake book
Line Rider
Andy's first Spelunky 2 Cosmic Ocean run
Narrative Director Xalavier Nelson Jr. joins us fresh from his announcement of Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, the latest in his lengthy list of collaborations. We discuss the methodology behind his prolific oeuvre, the benefits of planning ahead, and how he approaches the unique narrative of a game like Hypnospace Outlaw.
Show notes:
Xalavier Nelson Jr.
Xalavier's Itch.io page
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
Hypnospace Outlaw
An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs
Guts of Glory
Up in the Air
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Oreskaband
Skatune Network
The final installment of a special miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music. In this episode, they discuss the rest of the game's Story Mode music, and play some early sketches.
Show notes:
Die Gute Fabrik
Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack)
Alessandro's Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione
Nils' Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione
Immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall returns for another huge year-end show, as we each count down our Top 5 games of 2020, alongside picks from previous guests and our listeners. Happy New Year!
Show notes:
Laura E. Hall
Planning Your Escape: Strategy Secrets to Make You an Escape Room Superstar
Every Game in This City
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):
Laura:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Box One Presented by Neil Patrick Harris
Holovista
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
The Truth About Edith / Cain's Jawbone
Zach:
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Persona 5
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Hearthstone Battlegrounds
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Andy:
Spelunky 2
Death Stranding
Through the Ages
Disco Elysium
Outer Wilds
Doug:
De Mol 2020 season
Spelunky 2
Kentucky Route Zero
The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine
PlayingCards
Nick:
Ghost of Tsushima
Spelunky 2
Astro's Playroom
A Short Hike / Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Guest picks:
Astro's Playroom
Sludge Life
Penko Park
Deep Rock Galactic
Apex Legends
Duck Game
Hades
Cinco Paus
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Web Liero
Death Stranding
Umurangi Generation
STALKER: Shadow Over Chernobyl
Listener picks:
Hades
Universal Paperclips
Mancala
Roundguard
Mutazione
Blaseball
Signs of the Sojourner
Tenderfoot Tactics
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Ring Fit Adventure
Paradise Killer
Treachery in Beatdown City
The third installment of a special miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music.
In this episode, they discuss the creation and iteration of the game's main 'town' music.
Show notes:
Die Gute Fabrik
Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack)
Knytt Stories
Sea & Cake
Ikenfell creator Chevy Ray Johnston joins us to explore the inner workings of his tactical magic school RPG, from building a meaningful story with interpersonal stakes, to nailing the timing on a streamlined yet dynamic combat system. Show notes:
Chevy Ray Johnston
Ikenfell
Ring Fit Adventure
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Carmilla YouTube series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Ikenfell Original Game Soundtrack
A Shell in the Pit
Sammus
Rowan Atkinson bee comedy
The second installment of a special miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music.
In this episode, they discuss the creation of the game's generative musical gardens.
Show notes:
Die Gute Fabrik
Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack)
Gardens teaser video
Brian Eno - Music for Airports
Greg Kasavin and Amir Rao of Supergiant Games join us for a deep design dive on their smash hit dungeon-crawler Hades, from how (and why) they tackled gameplay and narrative persistence in a roguelike, to creating dynamic systems and characters that always have something new to say.
Show notes:
Hades
Greg Kasavin
Amir Rao
Dead Cells
Slay the Spire
Noclip's Hades: Developing Hell series
Introducing a special Into the Depths miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music. In this first installment, they discuss the origins of their collaboration, and the early direction and influences that informed the tone of both the game and its music.
Show notes:
Die Gute Fabrik
Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack)
Rückblende
Alessandro's Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione
Nils' Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione
The Books - Lost and Safe (album)
Sifteo Cubes
Josh "Stuffed Wombat" Hollendonner joins us to discuss his inspiring oeuvre of Small Games, from creating the 10mg collection - and his entry Always Down - to exploring the tiny text adventures of Ord, and the sustainability and learnings of exploring the Small Games space.
Show notes:
Stuffed Wombat
10mg Collection
The Small Game manifesto
Gutwhale
How to delete your Twitter account
Ord.
Handulum+
qomp
In the final installment of our deep-dive Spelunky 2 miniseries, creator Derek Yu and lead programmer Micky Pascual regale us with stories of development, their approach to the post-launch changes, and how they tackled an ocean of secrets. First half is largely spoiler-free (until 1:14), second half is full spoilers!
Show notes:
Derek Yu
Micky Pascual
BlitWorks
Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
Minus World
Spelunky book
Andy Baio's kid
Eirik Suhrke
UFO 50
Goats screaming like humans
Necrobarista's lead artist Ngoc Vu sits down to tell us how her team created the singular aesthetic of their kinetic visual novel, and talks us through its inseparable Melbourne inspirations. Show notes:
Ngoc Vu
Route 59 Games
Necrobarista
Long Live the Queen (the game Ngoc couldn't remember!)
Tumblr Cinegraphs
Rabbit Rush
Kotaku anime frustration article
Tachikoma
Bin chickens
Ned Kelly
Sidney Nolan
Understanding Comics
Tilt to Live
In the fourth installment of our deep-dive Spelunky 2 miniseries, we wade into the deepest secrets and SPOILERS of the game, covering the entire "chain" path and far beyond, giving our impressions, tips, and design musings along the way.
Show notes:
Mummy's voice meme
A breakdown of 2013's most fascinating video game moment
Ancient Egyptian sacrificial mythology
Nick's first trip to Duat
Our new voicemail number: 312-809-9680
The ENTIRE all-star Disc Room team - Kitty Calis, JW Nijman, Doseone, and Terri Vellmann - stop by for a rowdy disc-ussion on their new arcade sci-fi avoid-em-up. We chat about making the Margherita pizza of games, nailing the details to make a simple concept sing, and making the most of team collaborations.
Show notes:
Disc Room
Launch trailer
Kitty Calis
JW Nijman
Doseone
Terri Vellmann
Pizza Margherita
Disc Room Game Jam
VVVVVV
Chris Ware
Monolith
Bit Pilot
In the third installment of our deep-dive Spelunky 2 miniseries, we continue the discussion on its unique difficult curve, debate the latest changes to the game, and talk through the design of worlds 3-5.
Show notes:
Noita 1.0
Thanks for a Great Launch (Update)
JakeTreester's Reddit criticisms (big spoilers!)
Nick's Olmec whiff
Nick's Jiangshi whiff
Colin's Daily in a GIF
Tj Hughes (Terrifying Jellyfish) joins us to talk about his upcoming experimental food/art game Nour: Play With Your Food. We discuss games as toys, making things accessible by making them weird, and the most important element of both cooking and design (spoilers: it's love). Show notes:
Tj Hughes
Nour: Play With Your Food
Feesh
Panoramical
Electroplankton
Tabor Robak on Video Games
Food in FFXV
Breakfast in Dreams
Hero of Time, Vegan of Hyrule
Toasted Ravioli
City Museum
In the second installment of our deep-dive Spelunky 2 miniseries, we discuss the game's radical approach to difficulty, break down and contrast the second worlds of the game, and compare results on the Daily challenge.
A Short Hike creator Adam Robinson-Yu chills with us to chat about his cozy exploration game, from its Humble origins and inspirations, to balancing feature density with scope. Show notes:
A Short Hike
Adam Robinson-Yu
Pitfall Planet
Adam's Itch.io page
Fund: Futures
Crafting a Tiny Open World: A Short Hike Postmorterm
Building Games Around Humor: Lessons from The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
Stugan
Breakwaters Kickstarter
doseone's new album
In the first installment of our deep-dive Spelunky 2 miniseries, we have a - spoiler-free! - discussion of the first world of the game, design changes big and small and their implications, and what this sequel does to recapture the essence of what make the series so special.
Show notes:
Spelunky 2
Noita
Surviving Spelunky 2: Tips for a Successful Expedition/Transition
Northway Games
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Museum of Other Realities
Polygon Spelunky 2 review
Ojiro's Spelunky 2 death
Nick's Spelunky 2 shotgun forgetfulness
eggplant.show
Lucy Morris (Starcolt) joins us to talk about her recently-released dating/pet care sim Best Friend Forever! We discuss running a studio in a small community, building three dimensional characters, and the emotional travails of launching a game.
Show notes:
Lucy Morris
Lovegames podcast
bffgame.dog
Launch Day: the emotional cost of releasing a game
Jared Rosen + Dream Daddy
Love Transcends All (Geographical) Boundaries
acrylic
We kick off a new era with a fully rebranded show! After navel-gazing about the changes, we talk to our own Zach Gage about making a Sudoku game that loves you.
Show notes:
eggplant.show
Good Sudoku
doseone
Richard Hogg
Northway Games
Sportsfriends
Osmos
The Worst Idea of All Time
Hot Tub Time Machine
Arcane Kids Manife$to
The Miracle Sudoku
The Berenst#in Bears problem
Put Your Name on Your Game GDC talk
We close out this chapter of the podcast with some (spoiler-free!) impressions of the near-final Spelunky 2, with creators Derek Yu and Eirik Suhrke to guide us through their design process and answer your burning questions. The walls are shifting...
Some things we discussed:
Derek Yu
Eirik Suhrke
Spelunky 2 release date trailer
Super Mario World
Downwell
Faxanadu
Loot Rascals co-designers Ricky Haggett and Jonathan Whiting join us to discuss their whimsical cosmic roguelike, as does superfan Tim Schafer to help us sing its praises! We discuss playing with hexes in the pub, the function of humor in games, and how Loot Rascals is the first "stranding" game. Some things we discussed:
Loot Rascals
Hollow Ponds
Jonathan Whiting
Double Fine Productions
RAD
Davey Swatpaz
Archon: The Light and the Dark
Skylanders
HeroQuest
Good Sudoku
Nethack
Into the Breach
I Am Dead
Meowza
Jon Boam
Shawn Alexander Allen joins us to talk about his tactical brawler, Treachery in Beatdown City. We discuss the roots and inspirations of this innovative mash-up, the action economy that makes it tick, and the process of translating life experience into your creative work.
Some things we discussed:
Shawn Alexander Allen
Treachery in Beatdown City
Hybrid Heaven
V.A.T.S. system
Put Your Glock Away, I've Got a Stronger Weapon For You (A Maze talk)
@writnelson's Blockbuster thread
Cory Arcangel's Super Mario Clouds
Being black in America
Theresa Duringer (Temple Gates Games) joins us to discuss the process of bringing board games to digital platforms. We discuss tutorial and UI challenges, machine learning for AI, and how to find your niche as a small studio.
Show notes:
Theresa Duringer
Temple Gates Games
Roll of the Galaxy beta
Gen Con
Machine Learning for Boardgame AI in Race for the Galaxy
TD-Gammon
AlphaStar: Mastering the Real-Time Strategy Game StarCraft II
Keldon Jones' Race for the Galaxy AI
How to Run a Studio Without a Surprise Hit
Scythe: Digital Edition
Terraforming Mars
Soren Johnson (Offworld Trading Company) joins us to discuss his new historical strategy game Old World, as we dive into playing by feel in a numbers-driven game, the problematic themes inherent to the 4X genre, and personalizing games through narrative scale.
Some things we discussed:
Soren Johnson
Mohawk Games
Civilization IV
Spore
Offworld Trading Company
Old World
4X genre
Designer Notes podcast
Heroes of Might and Magic
Guns versus butter
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Battle Line
Lost Cities
In the final installment of our Noita miniseries, Nolla Games' Petri Purho and Olli Harjola join us for a deep dive Q&A on the game! We discuss the influence of magic on its design, its origins and early iterations, how they empower different play styles, and where the boundaries of the game might actually be.
Some things we discussed:
Kloonigames
Facepalm Games
Hempuli
Sisu
Knytt
The Magic Way
Frog Fractions
NetHack
Game Feel book
Stair Dismount
Liero
The Fight of the Sumo Hoppers
Pro Pilkki
My Summer Car
Nokia worm (Snake)
Wings
Soldat
Stephen’s Sausage Roll
Apex Legends Forge misdirect
It's Andy's big 5-0 and we're celebrating by diving into our mailbag of thoughtful listener questions! We discuss working within a team, how academic practice intersects development, framing your work across a career, the role of aesthetics in games, and the materiality of engines. Phew!
Some things we discussed:
The Last Dance
B.U.T.T.O.N.: On Self-Effacing Games and Unachievements
Characteristics of Games
Terry Cavanagh
Design Anarchy
Ansel Adams
Clusterf*ck
GMTK Game Jam
N
Designing with Physics: Bend the Physics Engine to Your Will
Super Pole Riders: How We Got Full Pole Control
Lost Cities
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
In the fourth installment of our Noita miniseries, we discuss the intention of randomness, getting stuck in our play patterns, leaning into the game's weirdness, and some modifications we'd like to see.
Some things we discussed:
10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal Problem
Brogue
Teamfight Tactics
Balancing Multiplayer Games
Spelunky creator Derek Yu returns for an expansive discussion on the membrane between players/devs, the connection between design/process, and the understated influence of arcade games on his work - all through the lens of what we've been playing and thinking about in quarantine.
Some things we discussed:
Derek Yu
UFO 50
Noita
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
AC:NH QoL fan video
Marina Abramović
Streets of Rage 4
Metal Slug X
Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2
Web Liero
Scourgebringer
Bargain Basement Bathysphere
Gals' Fighters
boardgamearena.com
Can’t Stop
Acquire
Innovation
Sea Block Factorio mod
SnowRunner
Caveblazers
Miasmata
Escape From Tarkov
Gutwhale
Just One
Lost Cities
Azul
What Up With That?
In the third installment of our miniseries, we discuss Noita's worldbuilding, secrets in game culture, games as toys, tutorialization (or lack thereof), and the conflicts of wandcrafting.
Some things we discussed:
Noita
Arcane Kids Manife$to
Magicians Trilogy
Rain World
Noita 101 - Tips for new players
Else Heart.Break()
My Summer Car - Early Access trailer
TIS-100
Tom Francis (Gunpoint, Heat Signature) crashes in to discuss his upcoming small-scale strategy game Tactical Breach Wizards, how he finds and focuses on the cores of his games, and the narrative systems that make them sing.
Some things we discussed:
Tom Francis
Gunpoint
Heat Sig
Tactical Breach Wizards (new walkthrough)
RPS: What Works And Why
Morphblade
Imbroglio
GameMaker
Into the Breach
The GIPF Project
Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
Dishonored
Brick
Design Talk: Difficulty is Random
In the second installment of our miniseries, we discuss our different play styles, wand customization, building games around online communities, and our experiences with - and the implementation of - Noita's Daily Challenge.
Some things we discussed:
Noita
Risk of Rain
Zach's badass barrel kick
Noita 101 - Tips for new players
Wand Stats - Noita Notes 4
Martin Jonasson (holedown) joins us to extract the juiciness that powers his "delightful spectacle of bouncing," reveals the truth behind his rounded corners, and discusses the aesthetic and scope commitments that drove games like twofold inc. and rymdkapsel.
Some things we discussed:
grapefrukt games
holedown
twofold, inc.
rymdkapsel
jesus vs. dinosaurs
Juice it or lose it
Breakout: Pilgrim in the Microworld
experimental gameplay project
vectorpark
In this first installment of our new miniseries focused on Noita (with guest co-host Bennett Foddy), we share our early stories and beginner tips, discuss the genealogy of the game, and contemplate how we feel about shooting being its primary verb.
Some things we discussed:
Noita
Bennett Foddy
Crayon Physics Deluxe
The Swapper
Baba Is You
Liero
Worms
Kuron and the Jelly Islands
Sisu
Tyriq Plummer (Catacomb Kids, UFO 50) joins us to discuss the guts and evolution of his long-term roguelike project, how he stays motivated, and making his minions matter. Plus a very special show announcement!
Some things we discussed:
Tyriq Plummer
Catacomb Kids
UFO 50
Our new Discord!
Noita
Made out of Meat: Health Systems in Video Games
Tyriq's dev streams
Pixelation.org
Aesop Rock
Sachin Teng
Basic Animation Aesthetics by David OReilly
The External World
The Amazing World of Gumball
Andrea Roberts of Wonderbelly Games talks to us about her brand-new bouncy dungeon crawler Roundguard! We discuss physics as a system of uncertainty, combining Peggle with a roguelike formula, and using that formula to create player friendliness.
Things we discussed:
Roundguard
Spelunky 2 PS Blog post
Dunklords
Peggle
Fable
A Guide to Proc Gen Practitioners
That's the Way the Ball Bounces: Using Physics to Manifest Chance in Roundguard
Caves of Qud
Subterfuge
Disgaea
Cleromancy
Baby's First RPG
Electronic Rituals, Oracles and Fortune Telling
Cinco Paus
Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit joins us to talk about the process behind his excellent series on game design. We discuss his recent video on randomness - diving deep on input/output randomness - as well as roguelike progression, and much more!
Things we discussed:
Game Maker's Toolkit
How (And Why) Spelunky Makes its Own Levels
The Two Types of Random
Michael Brough's Imbroglio "brog"
Characteristics of Games
Playing at the World
Sid Meier's Psychology of Game Design
Geoff Engelstein's "pink noise" talk
Roguelikes, Persistency, and Progression
Let's Game it Out YouTube channel
The Best Games from GMTK Game Jam 2019
Ryan Clark of Brace Yourself Games (Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule) sashays in to chat with us about how he hit on his rhythm roguelike formula, layering in depth to make his systems sing, and how he's found - and repeated - indie game success.
Some things we discussed:
Brace Yourself Games
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Industries of Titan
Phantom Brigade
Bard seeded speed world record
How to Consistently Make Profitable Indie Games
Dwarf Fortress
Meteorfall
Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated
We get cozy with our own Zach Gage to talk about his just-released SpellTower+, the follow-up to the puzzle game that put him on the map. We discuss making word searches interesting, the design of letter distribution, and making the Westworld of word games.
SpellTower+
zachgage.com
Kinnijup’s new eggplant run world record
Kinnijup's new low% hell run world record
Puzzlejuice
Letterpress
The history of Tetris randomizers
Typeshift
Jan Willem "JW" Nijman (Nuclear Throne, Minit) sits down with us to help us fix mini golf, before we dig into some of the design thinking behind Vlambeer's amazing catalog of action games, how he approaches prototyping, and being the self-proclaimed "Jamie Oliver of game feel."
Things we discussed:
Vlambeer
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan
Ribbit King
JW's The Art of Screen Shake talk
Samurai Gunn
Monolith
Immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall joins for our big GOTY show, as we each share our Top 5 games of 2019. We also hear many of YOUR picks (thanks!), and stick around until the end to hear picks from several of our 2019 guests. Happy New Year!
Things we discussed:
Laura E. Hall
Katamari Damacy by Boss Fight Books
Every Game in This City podcast
Sleep No More
Trolling as an Air Traffic Controller in Flight Sim X
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS)
Laura:
Heaven's Vault
Elsinore
Lianna Fled the Cranberry Bog: A Story in Cootie Catchers
Shenmue III
Storyteller's Secret
Zach:
Call of Dury: Modern Warfare
Slay the Spire
The Pinball Wizard
Apex Legends
Vagante
Doug:
Slay the Spire
Disco Elysium
Return of the Obra Dinn
A Short Hike
Petscop
Andy:
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
A Short Hike
Sekiro
Song of Bloom
Auto Chess
Nick:
Ape Out
Painter Detective
Pilgrims
Remember Our Trip
Earth Defense Force 5
With the help of our friend Bennett Foddy (QWOP, Getting Over It) we consider Spelunky as the Game of the Decade - we discuss what influence it's had (or hasn't had) in and beyond its genre, its distinct connection to Dark Souls, and experiencing the external narrative of modern gaming.
Things we discussed:
Bennett Foddy's games
Ape Out
TIGSource
Tim Rogers Presents The Games of the Decade
Finishing a Game by Derek Yu
Vagante
Characteristics of Games
Assassination of Lord British
Reasons and Persons book
Put Your Name on Your Game GDC talk
Song of Bloom
Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV) joins us to talk about his fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, Dicey Dungeons. We discuss the thread of generosity in his game design, the challenges of working across genres, and what might be next for Terry! Things we discussed:
Terry's distractionware.com
Dicey Dungeons
VVVVVV
Super Hexagon
Tiny Heist
Stephen Lavelle
Dream Quest
7 Day Roguelike
Naya’s Quest
The Long Dark
Super Hexagon playthrough at Fantastic Arcade
Hearthstone Battlegrounds
We're taking a much-needed week off, but please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from early on. We'll be back in two weeks with guest Terry Cavanagh to talk about his new roguelike deckbuilder (dicebuilder?) Dicey Dungeons - check it out and send us your questions! Anyways, on to our show:
Justin Ma of Subset Games joins us to discuss the design of his excellent sci-fi strategy game Into the Breach, from its Spelunky-inspired high/low-level design, to how they cracked its time-driven gameplay, to why throwing away 80% of their work...worked.
Things we talked about:
Justin Ma
Subset Games
FTL
Into the Breach
Input / Output Randomness
'Into the Breach' Didn't Click Until I Played it Like an EMT
Into the Breach - Fantastic Arcade 2017 Developer Commentary
Stephen's Sausage Roll
Return of the Obra Dinn
Frank Lantz (Drop7, Universal Paperclips) stops by to tell us about his new party game for smart speakers, Hey Robot. We discuss fun ways to engage with rigid AI - and the privacy issues inherent to doing so - before taking a wild detour into the taxonomy of paddle boats.
Things we discussed:
Frank Lantz
Hey Robot
Breakfast Spelunky
Shiren the Wanderer
ClemmyGames' Top 10 Best Underrated Roguelike/Roguelites
NYU Game Center
Pac Manhattan
Drop7
Universal Paperclips
Everybody House Games
Antigrams
SmileBot
Lodden Thinks
Paddle Boats
The history of Tetris randomizers
Frank's How to play Cinco Paus
Hanabi
Free of guests or a "plan," our crew of intrepid hosts dives into a bounty of stimulating listener questions! We discuss our personal roads into game design, the challenge of procedural generation in AAA games, and the game design of reality shows.
Things we discussed:
Kirby703_'s World 23 correction
Demon’s Souls
IndieCade
Game Design Deep Dive: The creative camaraderie behind Wilmot's Warehouse
Kate Compton's 10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal
Drop7
Noita
Conan Death Stranding video
Classic Tetris World Championship
Deadwood
Are You The One?
The Stormlight Archive
Pilgrims
Machinarium Remixed
Card of Darkness
The gang’s all here to chat with our own Zach Gage (SpellTower, Tharsis) about his new Apple Arcade adventure game, Card of Darkness. We discuss distilling roguelikes, the role of randomness, and designing 52 cards in two days.
Things we discussed:
Card of Darkness
Andy’s baby!
World 23 Spelunky glitch
The Grannies (Red Dead Redemption explorers)
Zach’s collaborators
Card of Darkness soundtrack
Zach's games
Hearthstone: Dungeon Run
Finji’s Adam Saltsman drops by for a deep dive on his new road trip survival game Overland. We discuss its surprisingly affecting narrative innovations, design epiphanies from its 6+ year development, and its understated influence from Legacy board games.
Things we discussed:
Overland
New Spelunky duplication glitch
Canabalt
Finji
Adam's blog
X-COM: UFO Defense
868-HACK
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Oasis
Rebuild
Underworld
Play Dead Podcast with Adam
Riot Games’ Greg Borenstein joins us to chat about the design behind their red-hot autobattler Teamfight Tactics, as we discuss the benefits of embracing complexity, the rise of randomness, and what the game has in common with Sorry! You know, that Sorry!
Things we discussed:
Teamfight Tactics
Mutazione
Untitled Goose Game
UFO 50
Riot Games controversy - timeline of events
Riot Games controversy - one year later
Dota Auto Chess
Dota Underlords
League of Legends
Richard Garfield: Luck and Games
Our crew is stretched thin, but we soldier on with a wide-ranging, freeform 1-year anniversary episode! Nick and Andy chat about the recent glut of amazing game releases - and upcoming highlights (roguelights?) - while Andy reflects on the 10-year anniversary of his career-defining game Osmos, and we dive into a bounty of beautiful listener letters.
Things we discussed:
Mutazione
Zach's game tease
Noita
Overland
Osmos
agar.io
Telling Lies
Eliza
Control
Dicey Dungeons
RAD
Plunge
EarthNight
Loren Schmidt's Roguelike
Loot Rascals
Michael Brough
Kamibox
Cryptark
Teamfight Tactics
Megacrit’s Anthony Giovannetti sits down with us to dive deep into the iterative design process of his hit roguelike deckbuilder, Slay the Spire.
Things we discussed:
Slay the Spire
Stimhack
Android: Netrunner
Spelunky 2 delay
Magic: the Gathering
Dominion
Dream Quest
GDC talk - Slay the Spire: Metrics Drive Design and Balance
FTL
Desktop Dungeons
The Binding of Isaac
Brogue
Why Revealing All is the Secret of Slay the Spire's Success
How Slay the Spire's Original Interface Almost Killed the Game
Milling in MtG
The co-creator of Rogue - yes, THAT Rogue - chats with us about the creation and legacy of his seminal 1980 game that birthed a genre! We discuss the origins of its key innovations of procedural generation and “consequence permanence,” its surprisingly Chesslike origins, and the secret metagame behind Quicken (shhh!). Rogue
Hack
Nethack
Brogue
Curses programming library
Diablo
ADOM
Moria
Angband
Rogue's instruction manual
Glenn’s unused Rogue manual art
Our full crew is reunited, and just in time for a very special guest! Spelunky HD programmer Andy Hull joins us to chat about his time as a toy designer, rebuilding Spelunky from the ground up, and nailing the jelly shader in his upcoming 2v2 basketball beat ‘em up, Dunk Lords.
Things we discussed:
Dunk Lords
Mossranking
Klik & Play
Sushi Slicing Play Set
Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Cone Play Set
Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set
What is Bothering Carl?
Spelunky book
Aquaria
Braid
Ridiculous Fishing
Corridor Crew
Spelunky render dupe
Solo Eggplant Run
Indie Tech Talk #17: Andy Hull
Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy
Ape Out
NBA Jam
Lee Petty of Double Fine (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Stacking) drops by to talk to us about their upcoming post-post-apocalyptic roguelike, RAD! We discuss the emergent origins of its procedural design, capturing ‘80s nuclear angst, and Tim Schafer’s love/hate relationship with farts.
Things we discussed:
leepetty.com
Tharsis (iPad)
Brutal Legend
Broken Age
Stacking
Headlander
RAD
Amnesia Fortnight
Psychonauts 2
Grim Fandango Remastered
Brothers Quay
Hitman
Autonomous
Chromehounds
Risk of Rain
Inside Out
The Return of Heracles
Gamma World
Moebius
Talisman
MossRanking creator Mathieu “saturnin55” Legaré and advisor/speedrunner Kevin “meowmixmix” Hyer join us to talk about the history and design behind Spelunky’s incredible community hub.
Things we discussed:
MossRanking
mewomixmix's GDQx2018 run
Playing the Spelunky 2 demo at TwitchCon
speedrun.com
Bananasaurus Rex's infamous solo eggplant run
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Nick’s Daily Death
Sci-fi strategy-shooter Void Bastards is tearing up the charts, and we’ve got two of its creators on the show! We discuss worldbuilding via British bureaucracy, telling stories in a world of roguelite progression, and yelling at yourself in your own game...as a pirate.
Things we discussed:
Void Bastards
Embed with Games: A Year on the Couch with Game Developers
System Shock
Dishonored 2
Captain Forever
Card Hunter
Brazil
Red Dwarf
The Stanley Parable
Choose Your Own Anna Anthropy interview
The creator of The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy joins us for a career-spanning discussion of his design ethos, and the organized chaos that drove the creation of the most successful roguelite ever.
Things we discussed:
Super Meat Boy
The Binding of Isaac
The End is Nigh
The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls
Gish
Aether
Closure
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Desktop Dungeons
Fingered
The Binding of Isaac: Antibirth
Keyforge
Overwatch
Kingdom Death
Brogue creator Brian “Pender” Walker joins us to chat about the elegant design behind his sublime roguelike dungeon-crawler, from the lessons he took from Rogue (and those he didn’t), to creating a rich world of interactions while keeping things simple.
Things we discussed:
Brogue
Zach's instructional Brogue stream
Brogue w/ Daily Challenge
Brogue w/ Daily Challenge + Potion change
Rogue
Angband
Nethack
Derek Yu on Brogue
Roguelike Celebration talk: Procedural level design in Brogue and beyond
Hearthstone's Dungeon Run
David Sirlin on balancing multiplayer games
Slay the Spire
Andrew Doull's Ascii Dreams
Unangband
Brian's lessons From the original Rogue post
Brian's Roguelike Radio interview
Brogue's Jellymancer build
Into the Breach
Caves of Qud
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Braid
The crew makes the most of being paired off: Andy and Zach talk climbing documentaries, persistence, and design back home, while Nick and Doug play and discuss some Spelunky co-op on the road in New Zealand. Plus a quick interview with Mini Metro’s Robert Curry, one of the biggest Spelunky fans we know!
Things we discussed:
Free Solo
The Dawn Wall
PRACTICE 2016 Talk - Mastering Movement
Notes on the Synthesis of Form
Grow21
Typeshift
Mini Metro
We delve deep into the pages of Derek Yu’s excellent Spelunky book, from its thoughtful musings on creativity, to its inspiring lessons in game design. A must-read on how our favorite game came to be! Plus some record-breaking Spelunky news, the Weekly Challenge, and more.
Things we discussed:
Now Play This
Low% Hell World Record
d_tea's back-to-back World Records
Co-op All Journal Entries run
Spelunky book
Boss Fight Books Humble Bundle
TIG source
Derek Yu's Twitter thread on difficulty
Mutazione announcement trailer
Shopstorm, A Spelunky Story
Spelunky Generator Lessons
A Breakdown of 2013's Most Fascinating Video Game Moment
We return home from the Game Developers Conference with hands-on impressions of the new Spelunky 2 demo, while the muse himself Derek Yu gives us a Spelunky 2 development update. Plus Slay the Spire’s Casey Yano talks about the design of their hit roguelike deckbuilder!
Things we talked about:
GDC
Day of the Devs
Slay the Spire
Dream Quest
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Cyber Shadow
ToeJam & Earl creator Greg Johnson gets funky with us, as we deconstruct his latest entry in the series - Back in the Groove - and discuss his approach to playfulness and accessibility in roguelikes, the lack of cultural diversity in games, and much more.
Things we talked about:
New Spelunky WR run
Dwarf Fortress remaster
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
HumaNature Studios
Doki Doki Universe
Brogue
A Few Provocative Thoughts by Greg Johnson
ToeJam & Earl launch party
Tanya X. Short of Kitfox Games drops by to discuss her co-edited essay collections Procedural Storytelling / Generation in Game Design, as well as her own approach and challenges to procedural narrative in Moon Hunters, and the upcoming Boyfriend Dungeon.
Things we talked about:
Kitfox Games
Procedural Generation in Game Design
Procedural Storytelling in Game Design
Dwarf Fortress
Spelunky Udjet Eye run
Moon Hunters
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Age of Conan
Boyfriend Dungeon
The Shrouded Isle
ESC
Justin Ma of Subset Games joins us to discuss the design of his excellent sci-fi strategy game Into the Breach, from its Spelunky-inspired high/low-level design, to how they cracked its time-driven gameplay, to why throwing away 80% of their work...worked.
Things we talked about:
FTL
Into the Breach
Input / Output Randomness
'Into the Breach' Didn't Click Until I Played it Like an EMT
Into the Breach - Fantastic Arcade 2017 Developer Commentary
Stephen's Sausage Roll
Return of the Obra Dinn
Raigan Burns of Metanet Software (N, N+, N++) stops by for a spirited debate on the term “roguelike,” as we discuss the tenets of the genre, why (and if) they’re important, and how Spelunky fits into it all.
Things we talked about:
N++
GMTK: Roguelikes, Persistency, and Progression
Wandering Towards Interactive Narrative
Notes on the Synthesis of Form
DoomRL
probability 0
Downwell
The creator of Magic: the Gathering, Netrunner, King of Tokyo, and so much of the modern gaming culture we love joins us to talk about finding cohesion in the beautiful randomness of his latest design: the world’s first Unique Deck Game, Keyforge.
Things we mentioned in the interview:
Keyforge!
The Art of Warcast: A Keyforge Special
Richard Garfield - Game Boy Geek interview
Richard Garfield on Luck vs. Skill
Characteristics of Games
Rest of the show:
Blindfolded Final Fantasy IX menu
Everspace
Noita
Mutant Year Zero
How I Built This podcast
Dev Game Club podcast
Reply All podcast
In 2019, We Need to Learn How to Break a Perpetually Tied Game
We sit down to talk about our favorite games that we played in 2018 - from videogames, to board games, to escape rooms, to Malaysian schoolyard games. Join us for the most diverse GOTY list you’ll hear! We’ll see you - and Spelunky 2 - in 2019!
...
Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS)
Zach:
Dr. Meep
Mega Man 11
Noita
Pokémon Go
Hollow Knight
Andy:
Wind the Film
Into the Breach
Azul
Cinco Paus
Magic: the Gathering Arena
Doug:
Holedown
Arkham Horror: The Card Game - The Path to Carcosa
Classroom Murder Unsolved: Part 2
The Best Thing
Children's Malaysian folk game
Nick:
Celeste
The Mind
Florence
Here Comes the Dog
Bacon/Supertype/See/Saw
We chat to our own Zach Gage about his 2016 spacefaring strategy game Tharsis, from its roguelike and tabletop influences, to promoting player narrative, to the psychology of randomness. Plus first impressions of Twinfold and Below!
Some things we mentioned:
The Systems Design of Tharsis
Let's Get Physical: Lessons From the Real World
How to win Tharsis
Twinfold
Below
Roguelike expert and advocate Kawa (@KawaiiDragoness) stops by to talk Death in Roguelikes, and the power and potential of the post-death "morgue" experience. We also dig into our relationship to dying in Spelunky, and recount our best deaths!
Links from the interview with Kawa:
Nethack fanfic dramatic reading
Original fic
A Trip to the Morgue
Roguelike Radio
Twitter: @kawaiidragoness
Discord - Kawa#7680
Our best Spelunky deaths:
Nick
Andy
@toythatkills
@aaronkearsley
@aaronkearsley2
d_tea
@tictacfoe
Spelunky creator Derek Yu joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on his design philosophies for approaching a sequel, embracing chaos in design, and so much more. This is a special one, so brew some tea, grab a pug, and get comfortable!
We dive deep into the core design of Spelunky - what exactly fuels its procedural perfection, and why is its world still so compelling? And what design touches do our listeners love, and which would they send to Hell? Plus some new Spelunky 2 tidbits!
Master trailer craftsman Derek Lieu stops by to go deep on the making of the awesome Spelunky 2 trailer! We talk through his process, the unique challenges of working with a procedural game, and even unearth a few new Spelunky 2 tidbits along the way.
We welcome world-record speedrunners and all-around Spelunky experts Jamie “Kinnijup” White and Aaron “ix” Kearsley to the show! We talk about the culture of competitive Spelunky, recent record-breaking runs, and why speedrunning feels like skateboarding.
The Spelunky Beginner’s Guide! For anyone who ever hit a wall, we’re here to help. We dive into both the practical and philosophical approach to upping your Spelunky game, and share some great tips submitted by listeners. Plus the first Weekly Challenge!
Hands-on Spelunky 2 demo impressions! Nick is fresh off the PAX plane, and Andy, Zach, and Doug are here to grill him on the details, while the whole crew breaks down the first gameplay trailer, chat about the new art, branching paths, mounts, and more.