Draknek & Friends Official Podcast

In this episode, Alan and Syrenne are joined by Bobby Vanden, the creator of He Who Watches. We just announced that we're publishing this game, so obviously we're very excited about this one!Topics discussed include the inspirations for the game, how to accommodate for motion sickness in a game that can be very disorienting, and what it's like to publish with Draknek.

In this episode, Alan and Syrenne are joined by Ben Taylor, the creator of Can of Wormholes. Topics include the design ethos of doing a lot with a little, how he came up with Can of Wormholes' innovative hint system, and whether or not Alan can be goaded into adding more content to A Monster's Expedition.

In this week's podcast, we talk to Levi Pinkert, creator of Loophole, about what ideas make it from drawing board to actual development, how to make the judgement call on ambition Vs. realism, and the terrible crime of not featuring pushable blocks in a grid-based puzzle game.

In this episode, Alan and Syrenne are joined by Eli Rainsberry, the composer and sound designer of A Monster's Expedition, Saltsea Chronicles, Wilmot Works It Out, and more. Topics include how they got into the industry, the development of A Monster's Expedition, and how designing music for puzzle games is different from other games.

Adam Saltsman, co-founder of Finji and creator of indie hits like Corgi Space and Cannabalt, talks about his two decades making small, experimental games. He discusses approachability in design, using PICO-8 for puzzle experiments, prototyping surprises, level ordering, and balancing creative flexibility with production constraints. The conversation also touches on studio roles, ethics in business, and discoverability challenges in game distribution.

Alan is joined by Dan Pearson, Draknek & Friends' newest member of the team. Topics include his career from journalism to game development, the challenges of marketing puzzle games, and designing puzzles to get into the mind of players.

Join us for our second year of GOTY festivities at the Draknek & Friends Official Podcast. Syrenne and Alan are once again joined by Mairi and Joseph for this look at a lot of our favorite games from the last year.Games discussed:Blue PrinceIs This Seat Taken?The Roottrees are DeadGlowkeeperÖooThe Mr. Rabbit Magic ShowStrange JigsawsDuck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping0PLAYERLigoGolden Idol DLCsLab RatKaizen: A Factory StoryAdam Saltsman's small PICO-8 gamesGentoo RescueThe House of TeslaEscape Simulator 2Escape Academy 2 DemoGnosia (2022)LOK DigitalThe Electrifying IncidentSpooky Express

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Pip, the writer and narrative director of A Monster's Expedition and Spooky Express. Topics include the development of A Monster's Expedition, worldbuilding in non-linear games, and writing localization notes about comedy.Pip lost her train of thought at a crucial point and forgot to mention a really important part of the writing process on A Monster’s Expedition: involving sensitivity consultant Helen Gould! Helen’s feedback was invaluable in helping us make the exhibits fun for as many people as possible, while working with the museum framing.

In this episode, Alan is joined by Luis, the developer of Sushi for Robots and the new "Thinky Dailies." Topics discussed include the Thinky Dailies, his weird and lucky career, and the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.

In this episode, while Syrenne was on a much-needed vacation, Alan took the opportunity to chat to Adam deGrandis for an hour about all things game dev!