The Short Game

With Reigns: Beyond coming to Apple Arcade on November 6th it seemed an appropriate time to re-release our episode from 2016 covering the original Reigns. This unlikely series has spawned a sequel, a Game of Thrones spin off, and numerous imitators, and is now heading to space. Neat! We’ll be back next week with more coverage of IFComp.

World of Horror draws inspiration from point and click adventure games, retro computers, horror manga, H.P. Lovecraft, and even recent rogue-lite games, and it’s a unique synthesis. It’s also notably a game “made by one dude in MS Paint”. Anything that gives us an opportunity to talk about Junji Ito for nearly a quarter of the episode is OK by me. Happy Halloween! The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShane (03:06) - Junji Ito and other influences (13:42) - Gameplay and Interface (50:50) - Wrap Up

Morris Lupton is the recently deceased museum curator of the tiny British island of Shelmerston. He’s also the only one who can stop the volcano at the center of the island from erupting. Morris and his ghost-dog Sparky use their ghostly x-ray vision to uncover the mysteries of Shelmerston and save the town they loved in life. This was an odd one. I Am Dead is a beautifully crafted game, badly served by its central mechanic. We discuss where this newest game from Wilmot’s Warehouse developer Hollow Ponds and publisher Annapurna Interactive succeeds, and where it just… doesn’t. Flawed but interesting games sometimes make for the most interesting conversations! I Am Dead is available on PC and Switch for $20. Expect it to take about five hours to complete. Welcome back, Nate! The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - I Am Dead (49:42) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (49:52) - Nate - World War II In Colour and Ted Lasso (58:50) - Raygan - Blaseball (01:00:50) - Laura - Playing House (01:03:55) - Outro

Our IFComp coverage continues, this time with a guest! Long time interactive fiction author and first place 2016 IFComp winner Robin Johnson joins us to talk about a fresh crop of games! 00:00:00: Intro – Thank you to our guest Robin Johnson!00:05:08: A Rope of Chalk by Ryan Veeder00:14:48: #VanLife by Victoria00:20:56: Quest for the Sword of Justice by Damon L. Wakes00:28:39: The Eleusinian Miseries by Mike Russo00:33:39: Babyface by Mark Sample00:39:34: Stoned Ape Hypothesis by James Heaton00:46:23: The Moon wed Saturn by Pseudavid00:52:02: How The Elephant’s Child Who Walked By Himself Got His Wings by Peter Eastman00:57:46: Limerick Quest by Pace Smith01:07:40: Wrap up Next week we’ll be returning with a regular episode, but expect more IFComp coverage, and more guests, throughout the duration of the comp! You can find Robin’s work at his itch.io page. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShane (00:00) - Intro - Thank you to our guest Robin Johnson! (05:08) - A Rope of Chalk by Ryan Veeder (14:48) - #VanLife by Victoria (20:56) - Quest for the Sword of Justice by Damon L. Wakes (28:39) - The Eleusinian Miseries by Mike Russo (33:39) - Babyface by Mark Sample (39:34) - Stoned Ape Hypothesis by James Heaton (46:23) - The Moon wed Saturn by Pseudavid (52:02) - How The Elephant's Child Who Walked By Himself Got His Wings by Peter Eastman (57:46) - Limerick Quest by Pace Smith (01:07:40) - Wrap up

It’s fall, and that means IFComp is upon us again. This quick hit episode introduces our coverage of IFComp 2020, and covers the handful of games we were able to check out between the opening of the comp and our recording deadline. More to come soon! 00:11:44: Move On by Serhii Mozhaiskyi00:17:46: Congee by Becci00:24:05: Trusting My Mortal Enemy?! What a Disaster! by Storysinger Presents00:31:17: Sage Sanctum Scramble by Arthur DiBianca00:42:12: The Magpie Takes The Train by Mathbrush00:49:57: Wrap Up00:51:12: What’s Making Us Happy This Week? The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Intro (11:44) - Move On by Serhii Mozhaiskyi (17:46) - Congee by Becci (24:05) - Trusting My Mortal Enemy?! What a Disaster! by Storysinger Presents (31:17) - Sage Sanctum Scramble by Arthur DiBianca (42:12) - The Magpie Takes The Train by Mathbrush (49:57) - Wrap Up (51:12) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (51:17) - Laura - Stump Sohla (55:39) - Raygan - Crème de la Crème

Paratopic is a cursed Playstation 1 game. Or perhaps it’s an experiment in first person storytelling. Or perhaps it’s just creepy AF. This award winning game from 2018 just came to Nintendo Switch, and it’ll take you under an hour to play. Paratopic is available on PC (Steam and Itch.io) and on Nintendo Switch for $5.49. Expect it to take about 45 minutes to complete. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShane (00:00) - Paratopic (02:50) - PS1 Aesthetic (10:59) - Jump Cuts (30:54) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (31:42) - Shane: Feels Good Man - a Pepe the Frog Documentary (35:56) - Raygan: CrossCode (42:40) - Wrap Up

In the tradition of great arcade racing games like Daytona USA and OutRun2, Hotshot Racing brings fluid 60fps to Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. 8 The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Hotshot Racing (43:08) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (43:14) - Laura - 1920s India Mystery Novels (47:40) - Raygan - Dolemite Is My Name (50:45) - Shane - Invincible

This week we’re talking about a pair of very short very wet games. Spitkiss is “a story of boundless love, told through precision platforming.” Navigate the challenges of polyamory by spitting loving loogies through spikey levels. Spitkiss is available for iOS, Android, and Steam. The Good Time Garden is a beautifully animated surreal adventure game about bodies. It’s available for free on Steam and itch.io and will take about 30 minutes to complete. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Intro (02:11) - Spitkiss (12:18) - The Good Time Garden (26:50) - Wrap Up (27:50) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (28:03) - Laura - Looking At Art Online (31:11) - Raygan - Double King (32:14) - Raygan - Tryrush Deppy on Sega Saturn (36:39) - Outro

What The Golf? for Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, and PC, is not a golf game. It is, however, a good excuse for a Raygan Rant. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - What The Golf? (35:24) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (35:55) - Raygan - The Pout Pout Fish (37:51) - Shane - The Magnus Archives (45:31) - Laura - Harley Quinn

We are now participating in the cultural event of Blaseball. Recorded during the final game of the Season 4 Internet Series, we are joined by narrative designer, writer, and Hades Tigers fan Cat Manning. Cat wrote the best explainer article out there for Blaseball. We discuss the game itself, the community around the game (is there any difference between the two?) and what game design lessons can be learned from this unique experience. You can find more of Cat’s writing at her Substack, and her interactive fiction work on itch.io. We recommend What Isn’t Saved (will be lost), an award winning IF work that was included in the recent itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. Outro music is Let Me Into The Blaseball by Josh Millard, @joshmillard. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnashCat Manning – @cataclypto (39:10) - Landry Violence Their Spirit