Indie Game International

Here is my personal top 22 indie games of 2022. It was a solid year for indie games. I'm joined by my sister, Amy, who created my logo and introduced me to a little game called Crash Bandicoot back in 1999. I'm sorry that this episode is so long... Here's the list: Source of Madness Scorn FAR: Changing Tides Stray The Entropy Centre Islets Onde Teardown Q.U.B.E 10th Anniversary Silt City Limits A...

Anders Westin is the CEO of Might and Delight , developers of many games, including Pid (2011). I played Pid on my Switch and I have since also played it on Steam. Pid is a 2.5D puzzle platformer with very clever mechanics that are fun to learn but difficult to master. I highly recommend this game! In today's episode we will discuss working in AAA, developing and releasing indie games in 2011, sel...

Clemens Ruh is Bleakmill Games ' sound designer, having done audio direction and sound design for the team's 2021 game INDUSTRIA. INDUSTRIA is an atmospheric, story-driven, sci-fi FPS game and I have featured two other Bleakmill members on IGI. I played INDUSTRIA on Steam but you can also get it on PS5 and Xbox.  In this episode we will discuss the differences between film and game sound design, g...

Brandon Rodriguez is the Owner and Game Designer at Salt & Pixel , developer of the upcoming Outer Terror. Marc Rodriguez is the Co-Founder and COO at VoxPop Games , a P2P gaming distribution platform geared toward indie developers. VoxPop is the publisher and co-developer of Outer Terror. Outer Terror is a top-down bullet hell action/horror game with a definitive edition being released exclusivel...

Jenny Windom is a Producer at Soft Not Weak, an Advisor at Kowloon Knights, and the Senior Influencer Manager at Kepler Interactive. She is also a YouTube content creator and a Twitch Streamer! We will be discussing her roles with Sifu and Scorn mostly. Scorn is my favorite game of 2022 so I was very excited to speak to someone who worked on it in any capacity. Jenny was called out by my past gues...

Philipp Stellenmayer is a game designer and developer who releases games under the name kamibox. He has released many mobile games but today's conversation focus on o k a y ?, CMPLT, Bacon, and Song of Bloom. I really enjoyed all four games, but Bacon is probably my favorite. Philipp was called out by my past guest Thomas Waterzooi. In today's episode we will discuss mobile game development, devel...

Badru is a game developer from Seattle, WA. He is one of the founding members of the Ice Water Games collective and developer of Tenderfoot Tactics (2020), Viridi (2016), Eidolon (2014), and others. Badru was called out by my past guest Ozzie Sneddon, developer of Existensis . Tenderfoot Tactics is a 3D, open world, turn-based tactics game set in a fantasy world. The game is gorgeous, has great mu...

Gregorios Kythreotis is the Creative Director at Shedworks , based in North London. Shedworks developed Sable over 4 years and released it in 2021. Sable is a non-combat, 3D, open world coming-of-age story where you play as a young girl named Sable. I have played a lot of this game on PC, but you can also get it on Xbox and PS5. Sable is a great game with a gorgeous and distinct art style. In this...

Daniel Peterson is the founder of Baka Bros. Entertainment , developers of Chaos Kart . Chaos Kart is a kart races with hero shooter elements. The game is in development currently, and I was able to play an early build that Dan kindly sent to me. Dan also worked on a game called Abyss of Neptune , which free on Steam, that we will also discuss. The small amount of Chaos Kart that I was able to pla...

Gabriele Caruso is the Creative Director of Paper Cut Mansion, developed by Space Lizard Studio. Paper Cut Mansion is a 3D horror roguelite set in a world made out of paper. I first encountered Gabriele and his game at PAX East 2022. There I played the demo, and now I've played the released game and it's great! Paper Cut Mansion is currently available on PC. In this episode we will discuss game sh...

John Saba is the developer of Mushroom Mountain, a brand new PICO-8 game. PICO-8 is a fantasy concolse for sharing and playing tiny games and computer programs. Mushroom Mountain is a very clever and deep puzzle game with cute pixel art graphics. You can find Mushroom Mountain within the PICO-8 console, as well as on John's itch.io page. This is John's second time on IGI.  In this episode we will...

Dan Seamans is the co-founder of Sliced Kiwi Studios , developers of Check x Mate . Sliced Kiwi Studios was called out by my past guests from In The Snow Studios. Check x Mate is a mix between a visual novel and a puzzle game, with a chess theme in both the narrative and puzzle design. The game currently has a demo on Steam which I have played and really enjoyed.  In this episode we will discuss t...

Victoria Tran is the Community Director at Innersloth, developers of Among Us. Among Us is a phenomenally popular PvP science fiction game available on mobile, PC, and consoles. Victoria is also a speaker and writer. She has many useful resources and articles on her website: https://www.victoriatran.com In today's episode we will discuss how to make better community spaces, how to foster productiv...

Chad Hadzinky is the Founder of Green Valley Games, developer of Yerr Out! Yerr Out is a cute, funny, and arcade-syle baseball game where the players are animals. Yerr Out is currently free on Steam while it is in Early Access. I had a lot of fun with Yerr Out because it reminds me of the good ol' days playing NBA Street Vol. 2 on my PS2.  In today's episode we will discuss scope control, Early Ac...

Ben Ridge is a game score composer and sound designer. His work has been featured in three games that we will be discussing today: Cavity Busters (2022), Thymesia (2022), and Marauders (currently in Early Access). I have played Cavity Busters and Thymesia and they are both great games with stellar music. The developer of Cavity Busters, Space My Friend, has been featured on IGI twice. In this epis...

Emily Cheng, aka GISULA, is a video game score composer, producer, musician, and singer. Her work has appeared in many games, including the brand new The Spirit and the Mouse (2022). The Spirit and the Mouse is a 3D, non-violent, exploration and collectathon game where you play as an adorable mouse with magical powers. The game was developed by Albune. I really enjoyed the game and I completed it...

Matthew White is the CEO of Whitethorn Games and Brian Wilson is their Lead Business Developer and Scout. Whitethorn Games is an indie game publisher based in Erie, PA. They publish cozy, non-stressful games that are easy to pick up, don't take much time, and can be played by a wider audience than your average gamers. They call themselves "the defenders of easy games." I have played only a few gam...

Ozzie Sneddon is the Founder of Librarium Studios, developer of Existensis (2021). Existensis is a hand-drawn, story-driven, 2D platformer. The game's art, story, music, and gameplay are all fantastic. Ozzie is also a freelance illustrator. He is multi-talented! In today's episode we will discuss freelance illustration, key art, thoughts on your very first game, collaboration vs solodev, creating...

Mike Bodie is an actor for films, TV, commercials, and video games. He provides the voice of Callum in 2021's Ghost on the Shore from developer like Charlie . Ghost on the Shore is a supernatural, narrative-driven walking simulator. Mike has also provided voices for games such as Control, The Division 2, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Undecember, and the upcoming Giants Uprising, among others. In today'...

Dave Gilbert is the Founder of Wadjet Eye Games, developers of many games, including The Shivah, Unavowed, and the upcoming Old Skies. Dave has been making indie games since 2006, when The Shivah was released. I have played The Shivah, Unavowed, and the demo for Old Skies and I enjoyed all of them immensly. The Old Skies demo is currently available on Steam! In this episode we will discuss writing...

Philipp Zybkovets is the Creative Director and Game Designer at Caligari Games, developers of The Great Perhaps and, most recently, Whateverland. Whatever land is a non-linear, not-so-classic point and click game. I absolutely love Whateverland. It's funny, gorgeous, fun, and clever. I highly recommend it! In today's episode we will dicuss non-linear PAC games, writing in games, voice acting, mini...

Thomas Waterzooi is a solo game developer and Founder of Studio Waterzooi, developer of Please, Touch the Artwork. Please, Touch The Artwork is a humorous puzzle game with touch controls and gorgeous visuals. I played it on Switch, but you can also get it on PC and mobile. In today's epsidoe we will discuss solo dev, working in AAA, self-doubt in game dev, procedural generation, UI and UX, story e...

Patrick Merklee is a designer and programmer at In The Snow Studios and Josh Shoenfelt is a developer and programmer at In The Snow Studios. In The Snow Studios is the developer of Mason and Strings, a free game on Steam, as well as the upcoming The Newton Mystery, which has a demo currently available on Steam. This team was called out by my past guest Michael Strollart, developer of the upcoming...

Dave Hall is the Creative Director at Toxic Games, developers of Q.U.B.E. (2012), Q.U.B.E. Director's Cut (2014), Q.U.B.E. 2 (2018), and now, Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary (2022). I played this game back in 2016 on my PS4, when it was only available as the Director's Cut. It was then and still is now one of my all-time favorite video games. It is a first person puzzle game with fantastic visuals, puzz...

Sam Barlow is the founder of Half Mermaid, developers of IMMORTALITY (2022). IMMORTALITY is a video game that uses video and real actors in its gameplay. The game is a mystery about Hollywood, fame, and being an artist. Sam also worked in AAA on series like Silent Hill and Legacy of Kain. In this episode we will discuss what is an FMV game?, are Half Mermaid games FMV games?, AAA game development,...