Draknek & Friends Official Podcast

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Alex Diener AKA ThemsAllTook, the developer of Leaf's Odyssey and a puzzle game YouTuber. Topics include the development of Leaf's Odyssey, the running of the YouTube channel, and how playing and covering games intersects with making them.

In this very special episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by co-hosts Mairi Nolan and Joseph Mansfield to discuss some of their favorite thinky games of 2024. This episode is pretty spoiler-free, so kick back, enjoy, and learn about why we love some of the games that came out last year.Games discussed: No Case Shall Remain Unsolved, Is this Game Trying to Kill Me?, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, Isles of Sea and Sky, Blue Prince (Demo), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Star Stuff, Leap Year, Tactical Breach Wizards, Botany Manor, Rise of the Golden Idol, Leaf's Odyssey, LOK Digital, BOND, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Ouros, and Croquet Conundrum.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Mairi Nolan, the studio manager at Draknek & Friends. Topics include how Mairi got into puzzle games, her love of escape rooms, and what being a studio manager at a company like Draknek & Friends is like.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Harry Shang Lun Lee, one of the developers behind Draknek's first major commercial release Sokobond. Topics include the development of Sokobond, how Harry and Alan met, what Harry's been up to since then, and being comfortable with failure and personal growth.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Samarth Hattangady, the developer behind Konkan Coast Pirate Solutions. Topics include how Samarth started making games, learning how to design great puzzles throughout development, and his experiences with the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.

In this special episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by the developers of LOK Digital, the exciting new Draknek & Friends published release that just surprised launched! Topics include the original design of the LOK book, the journey to the digital version, signing with Draknek & Friends, and the road to launch.

Michael Weintraub, game designer and co-creator of Star Stuff; Daniel Levitt, puzzle-focused developer with an educational tools background; Sylvia Aguignaga, designer shaping narrative and player flow. They discuss making an approachable programming puzzle game, blending coding with classic puzzle mechanics, pacing and optional challenges, designing a helpful hint system, and how playtesting shaped clarity and difficulty.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by José Hernández, the developer behind Draknek & Friends' Sokobond Express. Topics include how Jose started making games, how Draknek & Friends discovered and signed the game, and the long iteration process to making Sokobond Express the game you can play today.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Jason Newman, the developer behind Isles of Sea and Sky. Topics include how Jason started making games, designing an open world puzzle game, and blending different genres together.

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lenophie, the developer behind games like Pâquerette Down the Bunburrows. Topics include how Lenophie started making games, packing a cute game full of secrets, and "chaos vs structure" when designing games.Please note that this episode contains spoilers for the game Pâquerette Down the Bunburrows.