The Secret Lives of Games

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