Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games

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