This past Sunday, for the first time since before the pandemic, I had the opportunity to share a panel with attendees of PAX East ! Demakes Decoded: From HD to 8-Bit In an age of HD remasters, demakes buck the trend by reimagining a modern game for a more primitive console. Ever wanted to play Silent Hill 2 on the NES, Disco Elysium on Game Boy, or Portal on N64? Now you can! But how much of a game’s core gameplay is dependent on technology? What features are important to preserve, and how do yo...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The tenth annual PAX East was held last month, and I was honored to host two panels of brilliant speakers. One, “The Art of Craft: Inspiring Game Creations”, can be seen and heard on the Polygamer podcast . The other was “The Return of Couch Play”, looking at offline multiplayer as an alternative to online games such as Fortnite, PUBG, and Tetris 99. Steam, PS+, and Xbox Live make it easier than ever to get matched online — yet gamers are increasingly rediscovering the appeal of local, offline p...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 2 min
CRYPTARK is a 2D sci-fi roguelike twin-stick shooter in which players pilot mechs charged with salvaging alien technology from derelict spaceships. Technological defenses remain active on these procedurally generated abandoned hulks, and players must shut them down and shoot the core if they hope to escape with enough artifacts to sell and fund their continuing expeditions. CRYPTARK is available from Alientrap for PS4 and Steam (Mac, Windows & Linux). In this interview, I speak with Alientra...
Jul 05, 2017•26 min
Old Man’s Journey is a 90-minute puzzle through the hero’s memories. After receiving a letter, he sets out on a journey across rolling landscapes that the player can reshape, allowing the old man to leap from foreground to background, making his way across obstacles. At the end of each level, he reminiscences about his past, unraveling a tale of love, hope, and regret. Old Man’s Journey by Clemens Scott and Felix Bohatsch of Broken Rules is available for iOS, Android, and Steam. In this podcast ...
Jun 21, 2017•30 min
Kona from Parabole is a first-person exploration game set in the cold northern reaches of Canada in the 1970s. A private investigator has been hired to investigate some petty crimes but soon stumbles into a larger mystery hidden in the supernatural cold. What secrets lie within in this chilly interactive tale? In this week’s IndieSider , I speak with Jean-François Fiset, community manager for Parabole. We discuss how Kona evolved from a snowmobile simulator to an episodic adventure to its curren...
Apr 19, 2017•30 min
Future Unfolding is a top-down exploration game set in a pastoral world. Without direction or tutorial and with very little written text, the game invites players to go whichever direction they wish as they discover secrets in the woods, make friends and foes of the fauna, and solve puzzles. A rustic palette, rich mythology, and soothing soundtrack complete the ensemble. In this week’s IndieSider , I speak with Andreas Zecher, one-third of the development team Spaces of Play. We discuss the poem...
Apr 05, 2017•34 min
Open Sorcery is a cyberpunk hypertext adventure. You play as BEL/S, a fire elemental who has been bound by C++ code to serve as a firewall. Your job is to scan the local environment and detect any other elementals or poltergeists who could be interfering with your creators or neighbors. As you identify their material and motive, you will learn more about the world around you and gain sentience — possibly posing a threat yourself. In this episode of IndieSider , I chat with Abigail Corfman about ...
Mar 22, 2017•47 min
Circles is an abstract puzzle game for Mac and PC that uses only mouse control. Each level consists of circles that behave in different ways but all of which must be avoided to reach the level’s end. As the game uses no written or spoken language and offers no tutorial, it is up to the player to decipher each level’s mechanics to manipulate and navigate the shapes. In this podcast, I spoke with Jeroen Wimmers of Illusive Games, the sole developer of Circles. After working on the Adult Swim game ...
Mar 08, 2017•24 min
Warlock’s Tower is a 2D puzzle game with a retro Game Boy aesthetic. Tim the mailman must scale the wizard’s tower, but each step he takes costs him a hit point. Players must carefully plot their course through each room to overcome such obstacles as zombies, slimes, barriers, conveyor belts, and more. Warlock’s Tower is developed by Midipixel, a Brazilian studio consisting of Ygor Speranza and Werther Azevedo, and published by Whippering. In this week’s IndieSider , I speak with Speranza about ...
Feb 22, 2017•37 min
Induction is a time-bending puzzle game from Bryan Gale. A veteran of such AAA studios as Electronic Arts, Gale’s first indie game employs temporal mechanics to create time loops. The only way to pull levers and cross bridges is if a player can be in two places at once — as long as they don’t cause temporal anomalies. The geometric art style is complemented by a soundtrack from Tim Shiel, resulting in an experience that challenges players to rethink their concept of time. In this week’s IndieSid...
Feb 08, 2017•27 min
Nine years of development was worth the wait
Dec 21, 2016•35 min
Is it a coincidence that a game developed in Siberia is set in a totalitarian state?
Nov 02, 2016•42 min
When dreams become nightmares, Pankapu charges to the rescue in this family-friendly platformer.
Oct 05, 2016•25 min
Logan Fieth discusses his puzzle-platformer that bends the edges of your television's reality.
Sep 21, 2016•33 min
Tin Man Games brings Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's original 1982 Fighting Fantasy novel to life.
Sep 07, 2016•36 min
David Board of Stage 2 Studios breathes new life into the PS4 port of Lifeless Planet.
Aug 17, 2016•38 min
Russ Pitts is crowdfunding a video documentary series about Chicago's indie game developers. Here's why.
Aug 15, 2016•26 min
An Xbox 360 musical puzzler returns for a new generation
Aug 03, 2016•27 min
Marble Madness meetings Lemmings on iOS
Jul 06, 2016•35 min
An isometric puzzle-platformer in the style of Solstice & Equinox
Jun 15, 2016•41 min
When knights die, they do so in service to the next to take up the sword.
Jun 01, 2016•41 min
A real-world point-and-click detective adventure with mature themes
May 18, 2016•23 min
A narrative adventure where battles are resolved through typing
May 04, 2016•22 min
Duck Duck ANTIGRAVITY
Apr 06, 2016•23 min
Six Irrational Games alumni banded together to create an Oregon Trail roguelike.
Mar 16, 2016•36 min
A puzzle-platformer inspired by Hangman and the Apple II
Mar 02, 2016•30 min
“Ellipsis” means something omitted; what’s missing from Salmi Games’ debut title?
Feb 11, 2016•33 min
A Super Mario Galaxy-inspired platformer for Apple TV
Feb 03, 2016•24 min
It's real—Lumino City is a physical set hand-built and digitized for the game.
Jan 20, 2016•25 min
One of Steam Greenlight's first games makes it Wii U debut.
Dec 02, 2015•29 min
