The Short Game

It’s another almost-annual round up of bird-themed games! Mark Bramhill joins us to share some bird facts as we tap-to-flap. 00:00:00: Intro 00:04:11: Songbird Symphony 00:10:36: Bird Fact #1 00:12:39: Toki Tori 00:16:41: Bird Fact #2 00:18:09: Storm Boy 00:24:22: Bird Fact #3 00:25:35: Glass by Emily Short 00:30:47: Bird Fact #4 00:31:56: Blazing Beaks 00:36:40: Duck Souls+ 00:42:56: Bird Fact #5 00:43:55: The Bird Museum 00:50:43: An Aside About Virtual Museum Walkthroughs 00:52:00: Bird Fact #6 00:53:33: Fledgling Heroes 00:59:57: An Aside About Happy Feet 2 01:03:20: Bird Fact #7 01:05:20: Revenge of the Bird King 01:15:37: Listen To Sound Escapes From BirdNote 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 – @laurajnashMark Bramhill – @mcbramhill (00:00) - Intro (04:11) - Songbird Symphony (10:36) - Bird Fact #1 (12:39) - Toki Tori (16:41) - Bird Fact #2 (18:09) - Storm Boy (24:22) - Bird Fact #3 (25:35) - Glass by Emily Short (30:47) - Bird Fact #4 (31:56) - Blazing Beaks (36:40) - Duck Souls+ (42:56) - Bird Fact #5 (43:55) - The Bird Museum (50:43) - An Aside About Virtual Museum Walkthroughs (52:00) - Bird Fact #6 (53:33) - Fledgling Heroes (59:57) - An Aside About Happy Feet 2 (01:03:20) - Bird Fact #7 (01:05:20) - Revenge of the Bird King (01:15:37) - Listen To Sound Escapes From BirdNote

A perfect fantasy about going to an office job, something many of us aren’t able to do right now. Good Job! is a strange comedy puzzle game for Nintendo Switch. As the CEO’s kid, you can do no wrong… or is that everything? Yes, you do everything wrong. 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: Nate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Good Job! (35:33) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (35:40) - Laura: Never Have I Ever (38:16) - Nate: American Vandal and Money Heist (45:54) - Outro

Was Freya Fellow stabbed by a painting? Detective Grimoire and his assistant Sally Spears have come to Tangle Tower to find out. Laura and Raygan discuss this incredibly well animated and voice acted mystery game, available on Apple Arcade, Switch, and PC. Here’s a link to the Twitter thread covering the animation of the game: As part of our Tangle Tower stream for #LudoNarraCon, I did a short look at our animation system, since it’s one of the things I’m most proud of as the game's programmer.I’d like to show it in a bit more detail, so here we go!THREAD (1/20)#MadeWithUnity #GameDev #IndieDev pic.twitter.com/PXm7l02VQ9— Tom Vian (@SFBTom) April 27, 2020 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) - Tangle Tower (40:13) - Spoiler Break

More than 20 years after the last official game in the series, Streets of Rage is back thanks to a dream team of developers from Lizardcube, Guard Crush Games, and DotEmu. Raygan and Shane, both long time fans of the series, discuss the new entry in depth including an in depth discussion of its new mechanics and encounter design. 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

Raygan and Nate dig in to this tough as nails retro-inspired ninja platformer. This game is a little longer than our usual limit, but it hides an interesting structural twist at its midpoint that made it too interesting not to cover. 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 – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestl

We’re finally saying goodbye to Kentucky Route Zero, with an episode covering Act V as well as the interludes Un Pueblo de Nada and Death of the Hired Man. It’s been a long, strange journey. 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 – @laurajnash (02:02) - Un Pueblo De Nada (20:30) - Act V (49:24) - Death Of The Hired Man

In a world where all mixers are outlawed, the world’s greatest bartender fights against evil corporations by mixing 50/50 vodka and absinthe. 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 – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Red Strings Club (56:44) - Spoiler Break

You demanded it, so this week we’re talking about Animal Crossing. Because Raygan doesn’t know anything about Animal Crossing, Shane brought in two subject matter experts: Returning guest Mark Bramhill is a podcaster and radio producer, and joining us for the first time, Anna Delos Angeles is an artist and designer who does marketing and community management for Coral Sword. We talk a bit about our histories with the series, some of what’s new in this iteration, and dish the dirt on the weird and annoying villagers we are trying to kick off of our islands. 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 – @8bitShaneMark Bramhill – @ mcbramhillAnna Delos Angeles – @ nannapai Raygan Kelly – @raygank (00:00) - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (01:05:17) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (01:06:27) - Raygan - Hi Score Girl Season 2 on Netflix (01:11:00) - Mark - LEGO Masters (01:12:46) - Anna - Support Local Businesses! (01:14:34) - Shane - Say Nothing (01:18:37) - Outro

Death Crown stands out with a 1-bit pixel art meets metal album cover aesthetic, but it’s also something we don’t often see: a real time strategy game with a campaign that you can complete in about two 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 – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestl (00:00) - Death Crown (48:20) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (56:50) - Outro

It’s been a pretty normal couple of weeks with nothing strange or concerning happening at all, so we’re curling into a ball and playing comfort food games. What’s comfortable will be different for each person, so we’re sharing our personal picks and talking about broad categories that say “comfort food” to us. If for some reason you need some human interaction, stop by our Patron only Discord! 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 (00:00) - Intro (08:40) - What Don’t We Want Right Now? (11:31) - Ring Fit - If You Can Find It (12:36) - Re-Playing Things (23:32) - Playing In-Person Games Remotely (28:47) - Chill Hang Out Games (34:19) - Crap Games (41:33) - Puzzles (47:26) - Other Chill Quarantine Recommendations (01:01:44) - Wrap Up