Draknek & Friends Official Podcast

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Dana Trebella, the founder of Spoke & Wheel Strategy. Topics include best practices for how and when to message your game, common marketing pitfalls, and stories of working with the Draknek team.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lucie Viatgé, the concept artist behind Spooky Express. Topics include the development of Spooky Express, her time at KO-OP, and her relationship with puzzle games.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Joseph Mansfield for his threepeat appearance on the podcast to discuss the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2025 and the recently premiered Thinky Direct!This episode has a video version that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/RVNMsXXeatkA copy of each of our shortlist of recommended games, some of which did not get discussed in the episode:Games Discussed:Bonfire Peaks - Lost Memories Parts 2+3Gentoo RescueKiko's Apple AdventureSpooky ExpressCompress(space)Shape Sender DeluxeDuck Detective: The Ghost of GlampingMap Map: A Game About MapsSchrodinger's Cat BurglarPup ChampsHe Who WatchesBlue PrinceIsles of Sea and Sky868-BACKMemory's ReachThe Button EffectOther recommendations we ran out of time to discuss:Stuffo the Puzzle BotHiding SpotSOLAS 128LinelithIs this Seat TakenHeadlong HuntThe Court of WanderersToki Tori 2+LOK DigitalEcho Weaver

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Zachary Johnson, a developer behind games like Joggernauts and Stage Fright. Zach is also the inspiration for Draknek's next game, Spooky Express - a fact he did not know when the recording started. Topics include an overview of Zach's career, stories from Train Jam, and Zach's hopes for Spooky Express.The Spooky Express demo is live now, so go ahead and give it a try after listening to this episode!

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Luke Spierewka, the developer behind Pup Champs and Railbound. Topics include the development of Afterburn's games, developing games in shorter turnarounds, and lessons learned across multiple successive puzzle games.

In this special episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lucas Le Slo, a puzzle designer on the newly announced Spooky Express. Topics include the development of Spooky Express and its inception, the project's goals, as well as Lucas' other work on puzzle games such as Lab Rat.

In this episode...Well, sometimes when you set out to create something, it doesn't actually end up looking at all like what your goal was. That statement applies to both this podcast episode as well as The Electrifying Incident. Syrenne and Alan are joined by Ben and Phoenix from the development team and things go off the rails fast as Syrenne re-experiences the intense scope creep and change that happened on this title.Please keep in mind that this episode contains FULL SPOILERS for all seven achievements of The Electrifying Incident. And remember folks: this isn't a 3-v-1, this is a 1-v-3 and I'm winning.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Annika Maar the developer behind Duck Detective. Topics include the development of the game, short development timelines, and making approachable and funny games with deep thinky mechanics.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Gwen Frey the developer behind Lab Rat. Topics include the development of the game and its large scope, Gwen's long career in games, and the state of funding in the industry.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Izzy Kestrel from the Electrifying Incident development team. Topics include the development of TEI, Thinky Games as social experiences, Gex, and A Little Game Called Mario.