Indie Game International

Rodrigue Duperron is the Marketing and Communications Director at Thunder Lotus Games. Méd Bélair is the Community Manager at Thunder Lotus Games. Thunder Lotus is the developer of Sundered (2017) and Spiritfarer (2020), in addition to Jotun (2015), which I have not played. I have played both Sundered and Spiritfarer and these are exceptional games. I highly recommend both! In today's episode we w...

Nickolas Jaques is the composer, sound designer, and associate producer on Aspire: Ina's Tale (2021), developed by Wondernaut Studio and published by Untold Tales. Aspire: Ina's Tale is a non-combate, 2D, narrative-driven, puzzle platformer with sci-fi and fantasy elements in its setting, characters, and lore. I absolutely loved the game. I bought and completed it on both PC and Switch. In today's...

Troisnyx is a game score composer. She has worked on many games, including Ley Lines, Revita, Mythic Meetup, and others. We will mostly be discussing Ley Lines because that's the game that I have played with Troisnyx's work. She is also a graphic designer for album covers. Ley Lines is free on Steam! In this episode we will discuss creating album art for fellow composers, the tech behind music com...

Sam Houghton is the Audio Director at Awe Interactive , developer of BPM: BULLETS PER MINUTE . Sam also composed the score for 2016's The Turing Test , developed by Bulkhead . BPM is a rhythm-based FPS game and The Turing Test is a sci-fi first person puzzle game. Both games are excellent and available on all major platforms.  In this episode we will discuss the game The Turing Test, the science f...

Adrian Reidman is the developer of City Limits, a casual strategy/puzzle game released in August of 2022. Adrian was previously featured on IGI for his game Cavity Busters. City Limits is one of my biggest surprises of 2022. The visuals, puzzle mechanics, and music are all exceptional.  In this episode we will discuss game jams, tutorials, UI and UX, menu creation, solo development, and much more....

Bradley Lovell is the Founder of Subcreation Studio, developer of The Looker. The Looker is a hilarious parody of The Witness (2016). It is a comedic first person puzzle game. The game is free on Steam and has been reviewed by over 8,000 users. The game is very, very fun and has clever puzzle mechanics. I would recommend this game whether you have played The Witness of not. In this episode we will...

Zi Li is the Founder of Ammil, developer of Relumine. Relumine is a 3D logic-based puzle game. It was released on mobile in 2021 and on PC in August, 2022. I played the Steam version and I really enjoyed this game. The puzzles, art, music, and story were all excellent. Zi also works in AAA game developement.  In this episode we will discuss logic-based puzzle mechanics, working in AAA, game design...

Grhyll is one of the developers of Onde, a 2D platformer/puzzle game released in 2022. Grhyll was responsible for Onde's technical art and sound. Onde is one of my top 5 favorite games of 2022. It is a stunning experience. You can get it on Steam. In this episode we will discuss indie game marketing, selling an unmarketable game, how to create an excellent and effective demo, acquiring a publisher...

Pedro Esteves is the co-founder of MagnaPlay , a brand new subscription service for indie games. Magnaplay launched in late August of 2022 and offers users a currated selection of indie games available to play for an affordable monthly subcription fee. I am a MagnaPlay user and I have very much enjoyed exploring the platform and playing the games that are currently available there. Pedro and I dis...

Jeremiah Costello is the founder of Gamma Minus. Gamma Minus is currently developing Rough Justice: '84 which currently has a demo available on Steam. The game is aiming for a Q1 2023 release. I played the demo and very much enjoyed it. Rough Justice: '84 is a management game where you play as a police investigator trying to solve crimes and uncover a criminal conspiracy in your city.  In this epi...

Lukas Meinardus and Alex Binderer are the co-founders of Syndrone, a video game sound design and music composition studio based in Germany. They have provided music and sounds for many games, but today we will be focusing mostly on the recently-released Hell Pie (2022). Hell Pie is a great game, and the music and sound design are fantastic. We will also discuss Lonely Mountains: Downhill (2019), f...

Alexey Nechaev is a video game score composer and sound designer. His music has appeared in two games that I have played and absolutely love: INMOST (2019) and Unbound: Worlds Apart (2021). INMOST and Unbound: Worlds Apart have stunningly beautiful ochestral scores.  In this episode we will discuss composing orchestral soundtracks, the importance of getting the composer involved early in developme...

BONUS SATURDAY EPISODE!!! Alex Harding is the founder of The IndiEXP, a PR and marketing company based in Australia and focusing on indie games. Alex is also the Chief Writer and Editor at Switchaboo, an online resource for Switch news, reviews, guides, and more. Alex has joined us to talk about what The IndiEXP can offer you as an indie dev, and indie game marketing in general. You can email Alex...

Michael Molinari is the founder of Studio Bean and developer of many games, including Overpass (2019). Overpass is a rhythm adventure game with amazing music by past guest Makeup And Vanity Set, stunning visuals, and really fun gameplay. You can get Overpass on PC. In this episode we will discuss working in AAA, rhythm games, earning money from games made at the age of 17, UI and UX, player feedba...

Julien Ribassin is the Founder of Dejima Games. He is the Lead Developer on Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX (2021), currently available on PC, Switch, Playstation, and Xbox. I have featured 3 other individuals involved in the development of Firegirl here on IGI. Gabe Miller (Lead Artist), Philippe Wyart (composer), and Aubrey Serr (additional artist) have all been featured previously. I love Fi...

Hans Bömhe is the Lead Artist on BTF's Trüberbrook (2019). Trüberbrook is a point-and-click adventure game with a sci-fi/mystery plot and amazing visuals. You can get the game on PC, Switch, Xbox, and Playstation. In this episode we will discuss going to school for game design, animation, streamlining PAC genre mechanics, photo grametry, Kickstarter, the importance of a first impression in a narra...

Michael Strollart is the Lead Artist and Director for Below The Stone, an upcoming pixel art roguelike. Karam Bharj is the game's composer and sound designer. Below The Stone is developed by Strollart Studios. Strollart Studios was called out by my past guest Eric Kesterson, developer of Super Marxist Twins. I played an early build of Below The Stone and it is so far an absolutley fantastic game....

George Remus is the founder of Darkania Works, developer of Grey Dawn and Last Days of Lazarus. Catalin Marcu is the founder of GrimTalin, developer of Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale and The Adventures of Elena Temple, and publisher of Last Days of Lazarus. Last Days of Lazarus (2022) is a first person narrative scifi/horror game. It is available on PC with current-gen console ports on the way. I highly...

Andrei Olaru is the Studio Lead at Critique Gaming , based in Romania, and developer of Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived . Interrogation is a conversational puzzle game. You play as an interrogator who is up against a secretive terrorist organization. The game is in beautiful black and white and utilizes rotoscoping for its visuals. I really enjoyed my time with it.  In today's episode we will...

Davy Normand is the Founder of Red Sorel Games , developers of Until The End , a visual novel about palliative care. The game is set to be released in Q3 of 2022. I played the demo on Steam and very much enjoyed my time with the game. I will be picking it up when the full release is available! In this episode we will discuss the visual novel genre, palliative care, game jams, the consequences of u...

A.W. Miller is a voice actor, author, teacher, and audiobook narrator. We are here today to discuss mostly his work as the title character in the brand new Last Days of Lazarus (2022) and for his voice work in the excellent CLOUDPUNK (2020). This is the very first voice actor to appear on the IGI podcast. In today's episode we will discuss creative writing, narrating audiobooks, auditioning advice...

Pascal Cammisotto is the writer and director at Draw Me A Pixel, developers of There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension (2020). Pascal was called out by my past guest Dennis Gustafsson, developer of Teardown (2022). There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension is a story-driven, ultra-humorous, 4th wall-breaking, point and click adventure. It is one of the most unique gaming experiences I have ever had.  In this ep...

David Jungnickel and Steve Chapman are the Co-Founders of Bleakmill Games , developers of INDUSTRIA (2021). INDUSTRIA is a narrative FPS game with science fiction, mystery, and drama elements. The game is fantastic. I played it on Steam, but it is also available on current-gen consoles. In this episode we will discuss achieving historical accuracy in environment design, level design, voice acting,...

Sara Calzada is the Founder of Bocata Games , developer of Puerto Viejo (2021). Sara was called out by my past guest Kate Rabel, developer of Behind The Beyond. Puerto Viejo is a short, narrative-driven collection of minigames. Music, visuals, and story are exceptional here, and the mini games are fun and challenging. In this episode we will discuss games with undefinable genres, creating the visu...

Marina Kittaka is co-founder at Analgesic Productions, developers of Sephonie (2022). Sephonie is a 3D platformer with exploration, puzzles, and a strong narrative emphasis. It's a very fun and beatiful game with a unique control scheme. In this episode we will discuss blending genres, key art creation, gamedev partnerships, Steam Greenlight, why make a sequel?, video game art, open world game des...