The Short Game

This week we’re shuffling together two different card-based mash-up games on iOS. Card Thief is a stealthy dungeon crawl in card form, and Missile Cards takes Atari Missile Command and reimagines it as a tense game of solitaire. We start off with a general discussion of both games, then at [00:17:21] we dive into specifics about Card Thief and at [00:42:14] we transition to talking about Missile Cards. We wrap up with a quick discussion of SGDQ2017. Links for this episode: Card Thief MISSILE CARDS (PC/iOS) | Nathan Meunier – Freelance Writer / Author / Indie Game Developer 99: Pocket Card Jockey – The Short Game 71: Mushroom 11 – The Short Game SGDQ Speedruns Mentioned Donkey Kong 64 by Kiwikiller67 in 2:10:47 – SGDQ2017 – Part 30 – YouTube Banjo-Kazooie by Stivitybobo in 2:04:51 – SGDQ2017 – Part 45 – YouTube Guacamelee! Gold Edition by Grimelios in 1:15:22 – SGDQ2017 – Part 9 – YouTube Mirror’s Edge Catalyst by matchboxmatt in 1:03:49 – SGDQ2017 – Part 29 – YouTube NieR: Automata by Halfcoordinated in 1:43:05 – SGDQ2017 – Part 1 – YouTube Assault Android Cactus by MrBond and TucanSam in 50:19 – SGDQ2017 – Part 12 – YouTube Dishonored 2 by Blood_Thunder in 35:14 – SGDQ2017 – Part 49 – YouTube You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Raygan Kelly – @raygank Nate Heininger – @natestl Laura Nash – @laurajnash

Little Nightmares is a side scrolling puzzle-platform-horror-action game by frequent Media Molecule collaborator Tarsier Studios. It’s the first major independent work developed by the Swedish developers, whose catalog most notably includes side content for the Little Big Planet series, and ports such as Tearaway: Unfolded. Little Nightmares stars Six, a young girl trapped in a mysterious and terrifying complex called The Maw. This wordless and creepy game has serious echoes of Short Game favorite Inside, but it has a number of interesting and notable differences. Little Nightmares is available for Windows, PS4, and Xbox One and is regularly priced at $20. Expect it to take around three to four hours to complete. Congratulations to Nate and Molly on the birth of their first child! Links for this episode: – The Short Game episode 94: Inside – Russo Brothers Adapting Video Game ‘Little Nightmares’ for TV (Exclusive) – Hollywood Reporter You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Laura Nash – @laurajnash

Mark Bramhill of the Welcome to Macintosh podcast joins us to discuss the winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards. The ADAs are Apple’s yearly recognition of outstanding design in software for iOS and MacOS, and this year five games were awarded. We talk briefly about the history of the awards, then dive into each game. Apple Design Awards 2017 [00:14:46] Mushroom 11 Mushroom 11 – The Short Game episode 71 [00:20:20] Severed Severed – Covered on The Short Game episode 108 [00:23:38] Blackbox [00:40:01] Splitter Critters [00:48:43] Old Man’s Journey [00:54:34] Non-game App Winners Thanks again to Mark for joining us on this episode. Look forward to season 3 of Welcome to Macintosh coming this summer! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Nate Heininger – @natestl Laura Nash – @laurajnash Mark Bramhill – @mcbramhill (00:00) - Intro (14:46) - Mushroom 11 (20:20) - Severed (23:38) - Blackbox (40:01) - Splitter Critters (48:43) - Old Man's Journey (54:34) - Non-game App Winners (01:04:40) - Outro

Guest host Jupiter Hadley joins us to discuss the Ludum Dare 38. Ludum Dare is a game jam/competition where game developers attempt to create a game from scratch in 48 (or 72) hours. Jupiter brings her expertise and a long list of picks from the almost 3000 games made for this year’s jam. [02:32] What is a game jam? [04:04] What is Ludlum Dare? [13:04] Honey Home [16:09] Smalltrek [18:39] Paisley Princess [21:10] Krilgore [26:34] Snowed In [27:50] Super Kaiju Dunk City [29:49] The Treachery of Game Dev [33:44] Plonet Atek [37:29] Floraison [40:02] Rapid fire Murder 38 – Episode One: A Small World Ant Detective The Deep Until Tomorrow Petty Puny Planet 38 A Mind Is A Small Place Miniature Underwater Polo Brainstorm 38 The Cashbags Man Tiny Tony Jupiter Hadley:   Twitter Youtube Patreon IndieGameJams You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Laura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Intro (02:32) - What is a game jam? (04:04) - What is Ludlum Dare? (13:04) - Honey Home (16:09) - Smalltrek (18:39) - Paisley Princess (21:10) - Krilgore (26:34) - Snowed In (27:50) - Super Kaiju Dunk City (29:49) - The Treachery of Game Dev (33:44) - Plonet Atek (37:29) - Floraison (40:02) - Jupiter's Picks: Rapid-fire

The Sexy Brutale is a stylish adventure puzzle game set against the background of a lavish casino mansion, trapped in a single, endlessly looping day. It’s a co-production between Spanish developers Tequila Works and UK developers Cavalier Game Studios. We discuss how the “groundhog day” mechanics and observation-based puzzle solving put a twist on the the adventure game genre. The game is available on PS4, Xbox One, and for Windows via Steam, GOG, and Humble for $19.99. Expect it to take 6-8 hours to complete. Spoiler break at 51:29. You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Nate Heininger – @natestl Laura Nash – @laurajnash Raygan Kelly – @raygank (51:29) - Spoiler Break

What Remains of Edith Finch is the second game from The Unfinished Swan developer Giant Sparrow and creative director Ian Dallas. It’s a sort of anthology game; a collection of family stories tied together by Edith Finch’s attempt to unravel a family curse as she explores her ancestral home. We had a great discussion about what this brings to the first person narrative game genre and why it’s been such a hot take machine. What Remains of Edith Finch is available for PS4 and Windows (Steam). Expect it to take two to three hours to complete. Spoiler break at 52:18. Links for this episode: Giant Sparrow (@giantsparrow) | Twitter Ian Dallas » A reasonable man 43: The Unfinished Swan – The Short Game The Remains of Isadore McMurtlemumsy Edward Gorey – Wikipedia Ian Bogost (@ibogost) | Twitter Video Games Are Better Without Stories – The Atlantic Giant Sparrow/Ian Dallas (What Remains of Edith Finch) – official AMA! : PS4 The Sexy Brutale You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Laura Nash – @laurajnash Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Nate Heininger – @natestl (52:18) - Spoiler Break

Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya helped define “indie” game development with his freeware masterpiece Cave Story. Several years later, his follow up was a strange and possibly under appreciated game. Kero Blaster is a side-scrolling shooter, but unlike Cave Story it draws more inspiration from games like Mega Man and Contra than it does from Metroid or Castlevania. Kero Blaster came out in 2014 on iOS and later Windows, but recently got its first console release on PS4. We revisit the game and discuss how our perceptions of it have changed since its debut three years ago. Kero Blaster is $9.99 on PS4 and Steam (Windows only), and $5.99 in iOS. Expect it to take 4-5 hours to complete, not counting the unlockable “Zangyou Mode.” Links for this episode: Kero Blaster on PSN Kero Blaster on Steam Kero Blaster on the App Store 03: Cave Story – The Short Game You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Nate Heininger – @natestl

Cut Yourself! (Editor’s Note: Please do not cut yourself.) This week we’re talking the about the sort-of-first-party Nintendo Switch exclusive puzzle game Snipperclips. Break off a tiny controller and chat with us about this unusual game in Nintendo’s launch lineup. Friend of the show Bryan Wade joins us as a guest. Thanks Bryan! How Gudetama, a lazy egg yolk with a butt, became an unstoppable cultural phenomenon – Vox Emily on Twitter: “”Crouch down” “Stand up” “No don’t take me with you!” “Put some pleases and thank yous in there!” #switchporndialogue” There Was Something Odd Going On With Nintendo Switch Game Snipperclips As I Had Already Played It A Year And A Half Ago – Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News Snipperclips – Nintendo Treehouse: Live with Nintendo Switch – YouTube Expanded Universe (@Luuuuuuuukecast) | Twitter Expanded Universe Bryan Wade (@wadebryanr) | Twitter You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Laura Nash – @laurajnash Bryan Wade – @wadebryanr

We’re hopping aboard Sophia III with Jason Frudnick to help him find his pet frog Fred in this remake/sequel to the classic NES shooter/platformer hybrid. We start with a brief discussion of the Blaster Master series before tunneling into the reboot. Blaster Master Zero is available on Nintendo Switchand 3DS for $9.99. Expect it to take about 8 hours to complete. Links for this episode: Blaster Master Zero Official Site Retronauts Micro 57: A Blaster Master retrospective and Blaster Master Zero review | Retronauts Paprium is a new Mega Drive game four years in the making • Eurogamer.net You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygank Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Nate Heininger – @natestl Laura Nash – @laurajnash

The Short Game’s official Dungeon Master (that’s Shane) shares his tips on fitting Dungeons & Dragons into your life. D&D is having a bit of a moment lately, but it can still feel like “30 minutes of fun squeezed into four hours.” We discuss ways to enjoy the world’s greatest role playing game, while still respecting your time. We have tips for both Dungeon Masters and adventurers, and advice on organizing and running a game for busy adults. Links for this Episode: The Game (@the_gamednd) on Instagram Doodle polls One Page Dungeon Contest 2016 Dungeon Masters Guild donjon – RPG Tools Sly Flourish’s The Lazy Dungeon Master Building Encounters in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons: Sly Flourish SlyFlourish (@SlyFlourish) on Twitter Tales from the Yawning Portal | Dungeons & Dragons Fate (role-playing game system) – Wikipedia Fiasco – Bully Pulpit Games Kobold Fight Club – Online D&D Encounter Builder D&D Beyond (Beta) Dungeons and Dragons: Bryan’s Song — Duckfeed Presents (Shane DMs a session for the Duckfeed network) Sly Flourish’s Fantastic Locations Prepared: A Dozen Adventures for 5th Edition Book of Challenges: Dungeon Rooms, Puzzles, and Traps (3e) – Wizards of the Coast You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes! Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShane Raygan Kelly – @raygank Nate Heininger – @natestl Laura Nash – @laurajnash