The Secret Lives of Games

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