No Small Games

Sky: Children of the Light is a cozy MMO, developed by thatgamecompany, the studio behind Journey and Flower. The game places a focus on exploration, discovery, and wholesome player interactions. Consent and cooperation are baked into engagement between players. In the latest No Small Games developer chat, Kate and Emily chatted with Amelia Razinha, Community Manager at thatgamecompany. They discu...

Introducing No Small Games' Indie Game Roundup!! A new monthly series featuring indie games news, plus game demo and new release discussions. This first installment of Indie Game Roundup is almost as jampacked with indie game news from May 2024 as the month itself! Once a month we'll now be featuring all the news that's fit to print about the games and demos we've been playing, indie game events a...

Snufkin returns after a long winter away, only to discover all is not well in Moominvalley... The musical adventure, Snufkin: Memory of Moominvalley by Hyper Games, opens with Snufkin's return, and his single-minded desire to reconnect with his dear friend Moomintroll. During the Moomins' winter hibernation, many changes have impacted the valley. The river has run dry, the grass has wilted, and od...

Henry took a summer job in the wilderness to get away from his life, but he could never have guessed what he was getting himself into... Firewatch, developed by Campo Santo, is a first-person mystery game where you play a brand new fire lookout in the wilds of Wyoming. Our main character, Henry, has left behind the rubble of his old life to pursue the solitude of the forests. His only lifeline is...

There is no problem too great for the sword of Adalia de Volador... except maybe her annoying brother and witty crush! En Garde! is a swashbuckling action adventure game with a huge helping of flourish and panache. Players fight their way through the story as vigilante hero Adalia de Volador as she tries to foil the evil Count Duke's schemes. The combat is smooth, approachable and delightfully pla...

What you see is literally what you get in Viewfinder, where players solve puzzles by bringing photographs to life. Viewfinder is a first-person puzzle adventure game that encourages the player to experiment and explore within its beautiful, surreal environments. You use photographs scattered throughout the world (or that you capture yourself) to manipulate the spaces and create brand new structure...

PAX East 2024 was huge for No Small Games and brought about many firsts for the podcast! Not only was it the team's first time at the expo, it was also Kate and Emily's first time meeting in person and first live event together. And we're bringing you along with us for our highlights from the show!  This episode is packed with our impressions of the demos we played, clips of interviews we recorded...

Trevor Hills just discovered he's the least popular star of the most popular TV show in America... and now he hast to run for his life. American Arcadia follows two protagonists: the unassuming everyman Trevor Hills and the clever, strategic, and mysterious Angela Solano. After a sending a series of shocking and surreptitious messages to get Trevor's attention, Angela reveals a truth that will tur...

Thank you to all of our listeners, guests, and supporters for making it a fantastic first year of No Small Games! In No Small Games' inaugural Yearbook Episode, we are recapping and reminiscing about the first full year of the show. Get a peek behind the curtains as Kate and Emily reflect on each season, their lessons learned and their successes, as they ventured into their first year of podcastin...

In the latest No Small Games developer chat, Kate and Emily talk with Juho about his creative process and the design and development of his latest game, Hyperdrive Inn. Juho describes the facets of his career, from journalism to R&D development, that all ultimately led him to his work in game development. The three discuss his upcoming title, and the non-linear design process behind this non-l...

Starting fresh can be hard to do, especially when your past keeps popping back up to fight you... In Thirsty Suitors, developed by Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive , you play as Jala, a young woman returning to her hometown for the first time in years. Jala is intent on moving forward after a recent big breakup, but first must rebuild the many past relationships she left in t...

Befriend both cute and formidable friends to fulfill the brutal yet rewarding role of Spirit Guide... Explore a forgotten village and it's surroundings as you help bring peace to unsettled spirits, who are longing to move on. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, developed and published by Ember Lab , features intense combat and heartfelt stories of love and loss. On a quest to find and reconnect with her fath...

Imagine a week where being accused of murder isn't the wildest thing that happened to you... because you just discovered every Greek god you had ever heard of is real. That's exactly the week that main character Grace is experiencing in the game Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, developed by Summerfall Studios.  After a chance (or maybe fated) encounter with the muse Calliope, Grace finds herse...

Ho ho ho!! Santa came early this holiday season and he (or she) is brining us indie games! Buckle up for a very special holiday episode of No Small Games!! Kate and Emily are joined for the first ever Secret Santa Games, by guests Bo_Po and DiscoCola, the co-hosts of the indie game podcast Underplayed. The four got together for a festive Secret Santa event where all the gifts were indie games! Thi...

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...