No Small Games

Did you think we were done with b-b-b-b-bonus episodes for 2023? Not quite!! On December 6, Wholesome Games held their Wholesome Snack: The Game Awards Edition 2023, a fun-sized 30 minute direct packed with indie game trailers and news. The showcase featured 20 new and upcoming game announcements, including many games that piqued Kate and Emily's interest! In this bonus episode, Kate and Emily cou...

If the end of the world was right around the corner what would you do? Who or what would matter most to you? Fang and their friends are entering their senior year of high school with big ambitions and some big changes. Biggest of all, they're facing the looming threat of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, threatening all life as they know it. Goodbye Volcano High, developed by indie game studio K...

"When I first moved into the old farm house after living in the city, I was surprised at how dark it got at night..." This is how the instruction manual for the game Bear in the Snow begins. This game, along with the album it accompanies, was created by Dan Goldberg, who performs and publishes his music under the name The Spookfish. Each of the ten levels of the game is played along to the music o...

It's time for yet another b-b-b-b-bonus episode!! Nintendo held their second Indie World Showcase of 2023 on November 14, featuring over a dozen announcements about new and upcoming indie games coming to the Switch. In this bonus episode, Kate and Emily discuss these updates, comparing which of the Switch releases they are most looking forward to and which trailers they found the most captivating....

Will you take on the challenge of discovering the truth about the legendary Nikko, revitalize the Night Market an petting all of the cats? When Mineko and her dad move to a small island town in search of a new life and new opportunities, she has no idea how this town, her new friends, and a giant cat named Nikko will turn her life upside down. It's your task, as Mineko, to help revitalize the town...

You're live on 189.16 - The Scream with Forrest Nash... and someone in town is hunting your listeners! The year is 1987 and Forrest Nash is clocking into his late-night radio slot in a sleepy town in middle America, not knowing what thrills and chills await him and his producer, Peggy. In Killer Frequency, you must use your role as radio DJ to take calls from your frightened callers who are fleein...

Serve up a piping hot cup of tea while your customers spill their tea to you... It's yet another a No Small Games double feature! This episode of No Small Games features a review of both games in the Coffee Talk series, in which you play as a barista at a late night coffee joint in alternate universe Seattle (yes, that Seattle), in which mythical creatures live a bustling modern life alongside hum...

Food and cooking have the ability to connect us across generations, cultures and time itself. Who do you connect with through food? Follow the story of Venba and Paavalan, who leave their home in India to start a new life and new family in Canada. This game provides an intimate view into their lives, as they face the challenges of immigration, parenthood, and all of the nuances in between, Join Ka...

What if the most important renewable resource in your society... was love? Lakeburg Legacies is a social-based village management game where resource generation and progress centers around your townsfolk and their relationships. Grow your town's population through your matchmaking prowess, optimize production with some clever career coaching, and put Lakeburg on the map! In the eleventh episode of...

Wishing Ooblets 1.0 a very happy one-year anniversary!! The quirky, colorful, farming sim, creature collector, card game adventure Ooblets first release in early access in July 2020. Since then, the game has evolved, grown, and developer Glumberland released the official 1.0 version of the game on September 1, 2022. In the last few years, Ooblets has touched the hearts and ignited the imaginations...

Experience postal service Zen while you contemplate the life paths less traveled in this serene lakeside town... In Lake, a narrative postal sim game developed and published by Whitethorn Games, you play as Meredith Weiss: a 39 year-old working in the tech industry in 1986, who has journeyed from the big city back to her hometown of Providence Oaks. Meredith is taking time off work so that her par...

Something sinister is in the air on Edward's Island, very literally... It's a No Small Games double feature, in which Kate and Emily review both Oxenfree and its sequel Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. In Oxenfree, you play as teenager Alex, on a beach trip to Edwards Island with her friends and new step brother, Jonas. The weekend quickly devolves into supernatural chaos as the teens uncover the dark m...

At the end of their days, on their way to the beyond, lost souls can always count on the Spiritfarer... Follow Stella, the brand new Spiritfarer, as she learns the meaning of her role to the many spirits she encounters and befriends on their way to the after life. But a Spiritfarer's job isn't limited to getting to know these new friends, she must also care for them, provide them with food and lod...

Do you have what it takes to build a loyal following, take on the old gods and become the one true cult? Cult of the Lamb bridges multiple genres, bringing farming simulation, base building and resource management together with adrenaline-packed roguelike combat, to create an immersive and addictive gaming experience. Players serve an ominous figure, The One Who Waits, by cultivating a following a...

Experience the tug of nostalgia but be careful, sinister truths await you in the hearts of the analog devices in Stories Untold... Developed by No Code and published by Devolver Digital, Stories Untold is an experimental narrative-driven horror game, told over the course of 4 distinct episodes. In the sixth episode of No Small Games, Kate and Emily welcome their first ever special guest, Krysta Ho...

Wholesome Games held their third annual Wholesome Direct Indie Game Showcase on June 10, 2023, featuring footage and announcements from 70+ cute and cozy indie games. In this episode, the No Small Games hosts recap the direct and discuss the announcements that got them most excited from Saturday's presentation. After recapping their favorite announcements from the Wholesome Direct, our hosts revie...

Happy Pride Month!! No Small Games is celebrating Pride by sharing some of our favorite indie games featuring LGBTQIA+ stories and characters. Indie video games and their developers are uniquely positioned to be able to tell stories that are too frequently left out of the mainstream, and to tell them in authentic ways. Kate and Emily shared their picks for 5 categories including: Favorite Game wit...

Turn the concept of a city builder on its head and revitalize regions stripped of their natural ecosystems... Terra Nil is an environmental strategy game that puts you in charge of an expedition to transform barren, desolate lands and bring them back to life. The game takes the classic UI and gameplay of a city builder and applies them to a natural landscape in desperate need of a little TLC. Terr...

Your voice is a powerful thing, it can foster connection and drive back the darkness... One Hand Clapping takes you on a journey alongside your little purple companion, to discover both your voice and your confidence in using it. Traverse beautiful 2D landscapes. Meet and learn from wise musical mentors. Sing your song to confront and banish the darkness without and within yourself. In the fourth...

Would you leave your whole life behind to go run a winery in Italy? This episode's game protagonist, Emma, turns her whole world on its end when she gets an unexpected letter from an old friend of her grandfather. Through his notes to her and supportive members of her new community, she learns about the seasons on the vineyard, the complex decisions involved in winemaking, and the feeling of pride...

B-b-b-b-bonus episode time!! On April 19, Nintendo blessed us with a slew of indie game announcements in their Indie World Showcase. This week, Kate and Emily recap and react to the news. What game's sequel announcement had Kate saying "it was all worth it"? What 2022 indie game is actually too cozy for Emily? Find out in the very first bonus episode of No Small Games! Looking for the hosts' react...

Something is amiss in the sleepy town of Beacon Pines... They say beauty is more than skin deep, but so is mystery in this game about growing up, learning difficult truths, and taking risks to protect your community. In the second episode of No Small Games, Kate and Emily discuss their experiences playing the cute and creepy narrative adventure Beacon Pines. What was the most disturbing revelation...

Welcome to the very first episode of No Small Games!! When life gets challenging, just tell yourself: at least I'm not a 24 year-old alligator trying to make it in the big city, worrying that his family is going to off him on his own birthday. Kate and Emily discuss their experiences playing the point-and-click adventure game Later Alligator. From the colorful cast of gator relatives, to engaging...

No Small Games is a new indie game recap and review podcast hosted by Kate and Emily ! You may know them online as Katerblossom and aSpecificEgg! Kate and Emily met while streaming on Twitch, and bonded over their interest in astrology, their eclectic careers and their love of indie video games. In each Episode of No Small Games, the two will be discussing a different indie game that they each pla...