Draknek & Friends Official Podcast

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Tana Tanoi, the developer behind Shape Sender Deluxe. Topics include the development of Shape Sender Deluxe, the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant, and the difficulties of making a thinky physics puzzle game.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Laure and Kitt from Balloon Studios, the developer behind Botany Manor. Topics include the development of the game, the inspiration for setting the puzzles in a manor, and tricking players into playing puzzle games.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Joseph Mansfield, the manager of ThinkyGames.com. Topics include discussions of thinky games we love, what Joe's been up to, and a long tangent about Bonfire Peaks and The Legend of Zelda series. The vibes on this one are immaculate.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Nic Ford, Jordan Watkins, and Michael Von Korff, the developers behind Bean and Nothingness. Topics include the development of the game, designing complex interactions while balancing the game, and designing puzzle games for hardcore puzzle fans.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Phoenix Stroh from the Electrifying Incident development team. Topics include the development of The Electrifying Incident, working with Godot, and working with your former professor.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lukas Hort, one of the developers behind Map Map: A Game About Maps. Topics include the development of Map Map: A Game About Maps, how cartography puzzle design intersects with level and world design, and being selected for the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Benjamin Davis, the lead programmer on Draknek's games like A Monster's Expedition, Cosmic Express, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, and the recently announced The Electrifying Incident. Topics include how Alan and Ben met, what it's like to work with Alan on these games, and details on the newly announced game. Come for the details about the new game, stay because Syrenne slowly deteriorates throughout the episode. It's a fun one.

In this bonus episode, YagmanX interviews Draknek! Please note that this interview originally happened in early 2024.You can watch the original video upload here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR9-5FyKJOM

Andrejs Klavins, the designer behind The Case of the Golden Idol, shares his work on narrative-rich deduction puzzle games. He discusses frozen-in-time vignettes, gameplay-first prototyping, iterative UI changes, and the naming trick that eased puzzle validation. Conversation covers scaling from a tiny team to larger projects, localization headaches, and adapting the games for mobile and different platforms.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Furniture & Mattress, the team behind Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. Topics include the development of Arranger, designing puzzles and narrative in a world where every step counts, and the challenge of naming games.