The Short Game

It’s a short game rerun this week while Raygan takes some parental leave, but we’re bringing back a timely episode. Superhot Mind Control Delete is out this week and will be our new episode when we return. Let’s reacquaint ourselves with the 2016 original. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash

For as long as the show has been around, whenever we asked “what’s a great short retro game?” the nearly unanimous answer was always “Super Metroid!” It’s the game that launched one of our favorite genres, but for various reasons none of us had played much of it. We correct that this week, and brought along a friend for that 1994 perspective. We discuss the game’s forward thinking design and impact, as well as approaches and tips for playing it in 2020, and some listener responses. Resources: Original ManualThe Metroid Library – page with numerous scans of period appropriate guides(Raygan mostly used the GamePro guide, which is short and spoiler-light, and the official Player’s Guide)Game Maker’s Toolkit – Boss Keys: The World Design of Super Metroid Dependency chart The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnashZoltan (00:00) - Intro (02:01) - Our Introductions to Super Metroid (07:14) - Super Metroid in 2020 (34:33) - Tips and Resources (55:08) - Favorite Moments (01:05:37) - Listener Responses (01:09:55) - Soundtrack (01:14:39) - Other Metroid Games (01:20:53) - Wrap Up

Superliminal is a first person puzzle game based on optical illusions and forced perspective. In development by a small team since 2014, this game has some incredibly polished tech and clever puzzle design, while its story and theme fall little flat. Still, it has lots of clever ideas to show us in its 2-4 hour runtime. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShane (00:00) - Superliminal (53:07) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (53:20) - Raygan - Hardspace Shipbreaker (01:02:10) - Shane - First Cow (01:10:44) - Outro

Young love in the Lonely Valley. JELLY is an interactive fiction game co-written by Short Game favorite Chandler Groover and newcomer (?) Tom Lento. It was recently awarded Best in Show at the Spring Thing interactive fiction competition. Laura, Shane, and Nate discuss the game, including a post-show spoiler break. JELLY is a TWINE work, and is playable via a browser at the Spring Thing website. It can also be downloaded as part of a Spring Thing 2020 bundle on itch.io. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - JELLY By Tom Lento And Chandler Groover (32:31) - What’s Making You Happy This Week? (32:40) - Shane - The Raven Tower by Ann (38:21) - Laura - The Royal Art of Poison (42:31) - Nate - Playing Chess on SocialChess (45:23) - Wrap Up (46:48) - Spoiler Break

This week guest host Anna Anthropy joins us to discuss an unexpected HD remaster of a beloved but obscure Japan-only GameCube game! The Mr. Driller series burned brightly but briefly from 1999 through the early 2000s, and Drill Land is by far its most elaborate and varied entry. The game includes the classic Mr. Driller arcade-puzzle-action game, along with several variations that keep the same basic mechanics but transform the game in fun ways. We discuss everything that Drill Land brings to the table, from its gameplay to its wonderful soundtrack to its totally unnecessary, wildly elaborate lore. Thanks again to Anna Anthropy for joining us on this strange descent. You can find more of Anna’s work on her Twitter, at her itch.io page, and this month as part of A Needle in a Gay Stack – A PRIDE Bundle Mr. Driller Drill Land is available on Nintendo Switch and Steam for $29.99 (but if you’re really hardcore you’ll play an import copy in Japanese on a GameCube via a boot disc.) Length is open ended, but most players will complete the story mode on level 1 difficulty within about 5 hours. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestlAnna Anthropy – @adult_witch (00:00) - Mr. Driller Drill Land (11:42) - What Is A Driller? (23:27) - Y2K Design (26:43) - Characters and Lore (32:57) - Dig A Chance! (35:32) - Wait, More Lore (44:49) - The Incredible Soundtrack (50:31) - Horror House Mode (55:49) - Hole of Druaga (01:05:05) - Drindy Adventure (01:10:55) - Wrap Up (01:14:32) - Tavern at the End of the World and the Needle in a Gay Stack Pride Bundle (01:21:49) - Outro

Set in a colorful post-apocalyptic wasteland, Signs of the Sojourner is a narrative deck-building game about building a character – and deck – through conversations. It has a beautifully illustrated visual-novel style presentation, and a unique card based conversation system with dozens of characters to meet across its large map. Signs of the Sojourner merges narrative and mechanics in a way that is unlike anything else we have played. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Signs of the Sojourner (38:33) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (38:42) - Laura - Emma (40:30) - Raygan - Blades in the Dark (44:59) - Outro

Jet Lancer is a free-flying 2D shooter that feels like a colorful, expanded version of Luftrausers. Fly a high-tech jet that can flip 360° mid flight and boost to air-brake, and take on swarms of jets and massive robot bosses. It’s a tough but extremely fun and unique shooter. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestl (00:00) - Jet Lancer (47:36) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (47:44) - Shane - Hollow Knight (52:33) - Raygan - The Most Beautiful CRT Ever Made (54:57) - Nate - Pokerrrr 2 (57:41) - Outro

This week on the show we are talking about the incredible itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, a pay-what-you-want bundle of over 1000 games supporting the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. We go over the existing Short Game favorites in the Bundle, some new discoveries, and some recommendations from our listeners. Black Lives Matter. Things we’ve covered in the past: (Links go to our past episode on each game) Quadrilateral CowboyWheels of AureliaDr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed EmeraldMinitWide Ocean Big JacketA Short HikeNight in the WoodsOctodad: Dadliest CatchCelesteOxenfreeMicro MagesSpeed Dating for GhostsAnodynePyre 2064: Read Only MemoriesPikuniku There were too many things mentioned for me to add links past here, but the bundle page is searchable! Nate Super Win The Game Raygan Sky RogueExtreme Meatpunks ForeverLoot RascalsGlittermitten GroveEat GirlHot Pot PanicSerreZone of Lacryma & Sonar SmashPHN-HOMEDusk ChildPixel Fireplace & Just Rain Shane Shane rounds up some of the tabletop RPG content in the bundle Spreadsheet of TTRPG content in the bundleOne Page DungeonsOne page LoreHex KitLancerBlades in the DarkGentleman Bandit Laura Picks Laura couldn’t make it but shared her favorites What Isn’t Saved (will be lost)A Mortician’s TaleSigns of the SojournerThis discord has ghosts in itDominique PamplemooseHidden FolksArt SqoolDeath and Taxes Listener Responses Order a Pizza: a Visual Novel 2000:1 a Space Felony (Or How I Came to Value My Life and Murder Mercilessly”MausritterCuckoo CastleDogs Throwing Swords IIBleed 2!Wide Ocean Big JacketDemocratic Socialist SimulatorGlittermitten GroveOne Night StandLoot RascalsTicketCombo PostageThe King’s Bird Other Resources The games in the bundle are listed on How Long To Beat!A subreddit just for the bundleA spreadsheet of all the TTRPG content The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestl (00:00) - Black Lives Matter (13:42) - Previously Covered On The Short Game (49:27) - New To Us Recommendations (01:09:41) - Tabletop Game Recommendations (01:24:05) - Listener Submissions (01:50:57) - Wrap up

No episode this week, but please listen to this brief programming note. #BlackLivesMatter Our next episode will be covering highlights from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. We’d like to know what stands out to you in the bundle! Listen for info on how to participate. Bundle for Racial Justice and EqualityWays to HelpDonate to These Orga to Support Black Trans PeopleWays You Can Support the Black LGBTQ Community

In this episode Shane and Laura talk about Mini Metro and Mini Motorways by Dinosaur Polo Club, a game and its sequel. One has had staying power and one hasn’t. When SimCity got serious: the story of Maxis Business Simulations and SimRefineryXumo LG Channels PlusOnly Connect The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash