Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games

We're joined by dear friends of the show Laura E. Hall, Bennett Foddy, and Doseone for a Doug-masterminded, Eggplant-themed game of Just One. Stick around after the insanity for a reflection on the past four years of the show, how our lives have changed since, and what the show means to us (and you - thanks for the letters!). Show notes: Laura E. Hall 31 Days of Halloween newsletter Find Satoshi Bennett Foddy Doseone Demon Throttle Immortality Hyper Demon Just One Anthony Carboni

Sarah Northway (Northway Games) joins us to discuss her sprawling new narrative RPG I Was a Teenage Exocolonist. We discuss juggling a staggering script, deckbuilding as storytelling, and some of the wilder places that the game's time looping can go. Show notes: Northway Games Sarah Northway I Was a Teenage Exocolonist Museum of Other Realities Princess Maker (series) Groundhog Day Signs of the Sojourner Dragon Age (series) Jogging House

Co-founders Wyatt Bushnell and Mike Salyh - and special guest co-host Laura E. Hall - join us to discuss Coin Crew's awesome new co-op escape room game Escape Academy. We discuss pandemic pivoting to the digital space, designing for arcades vs. living rooms, and the perils of playtesting in both mediums. Show notes: Coin Crew Games Escape Academy Laura E. Hall Planning Your Escape The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg Space Squad in Space Two Bit Circus Hot Wheels: King of the Road 999 (series) The Room (series) My Hero Academia Mark Rosewater

Ash Neleh, host of the ! Series of online reality games, joins Doug for a conversation about adapting reality TV competition games for online fan communities. We talk about the 18-year history of the ! Series, as well as some of the favorite twists he's designed. Show notes: ! Series Wiki ! Series Discord De Mol

Frog Detective creator Grace Bruxner joins us to discuss the inspirations and process behind her charming detective series, including the upcoming Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County. We discuss sticking to scope (or not), making the most of adventure game tropes, and finding inspiration in the mundane. Show notes: Grace Bruxner Frog Detective ALIEN CASENO Games Talks 2020: Grace Bruxner Building Games Around Humor (GDC talk) L.A. Noire Frog Detective Twitter account Freaky Ep 7 - Dummy Round the Twist (full first season)

We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago. And check out the new mobile version of Dicey Dungeons, and the free DLC! Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV) joins us to talk about his fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, Dicey Dungeons. We discuss the thread of generosity in his game design, the challenges of working across genres, and what might be next for Terry! Show notes: Terry's distractionware.com Dicey Dungeons VVVVVV Super Hexagon Tiny Heist Stephen Lavelle Dream Quest 7 Day Roguelike Naya’s Quest The Long Dark Super Hexagon playthrough at Fantastic Arcade Hearthstone Battlegrounds

Ben Esposito (Donut County, What Remains of Edith Finch) joins us to talk about his heavenly new card-powered, speedrunning FPS Neon White. We discuss making tight designs by keeping things loose, what a "career" of indie games feels like, and making games u wish 2 see on the Dreamcast. Show notes: Ben Esposito Neon White Donut County Arcane Kids Glitch City Super Meat Boy Killer7 Cowboy Bebop Trigun Hunter x Hunter GoldenEye 007 Lovely Planet Machine Girl Sonic Dreams Collection   Perfect Stride CRAP! No One Loves Me Room of 1000 Snakes Arcane Kids manifesto

Card Shark creators Arnaud De Bock of Nerial (Reigns) and Nicolai Troshinsky join us to discuss their innovative new adventure game about cheating. We discuss its filmic inspirations, the narrative progression of chaining tricks, and designing a game loop of teaching and testing. Show notes: Arnaud De Bock Nicolai Troshinky Nerial Reigns Pikuniku UFO On Tape Loop Raccord Barry Lyndon The Expert at the Card Table Gambling Sleight of Hand - Steve Forte The Magic Castle

Knotwords creators Jack Schlesinger and our own Zach Gage chat to us about their elegant new logic puzzle word game. We discuss "cracking" the game design they'd been chasing forever, and how they created the puzzle/word generator that makes it great. Show notes: Jack Schlesinger Zach Gage Knotwords Nikoli puzzles Alcazar Two Not Touch puzzles Good Sudoku SpellTower+ Bit Pilot Wordle Calvin & Hobbes This episode edited by Dylan Shumway, thanks Dylan!

Mahdi Bahrami joins us to discuss his beautiful, mind-bending new puzzle game Tandis. We discuss teaching complex geometry concepts without any numbers, poetry as playtesting, and drawing a line through Mahdi's math-inspired oeuvre. Show notes: Mahdi Bahrami Tandis Engare Farsh ArsTechnica Tandis review Waldorf Education Mercator Projection