The Short Game

The shocking conclusion to  last week’s episode!   Gary Butterfield of Watch Out For Fireballs joins us for an extra-long episode on the groundbreaking adventure game The Walking Dead by Telltale games. This is a game that we’ve been dying to talk about since we launched the show, and we couldn’t be happier to have Gary on to give his take. A brief programming note about this week’s episode: We ha...

This week, we talk about zombies.   Gary Butterfield of Watch Out For Fireballs joins us for an extra-long episode on the groundbreaking adventure game The Walking Dead by Telltale games. This is a game that we’ve been dying to talk about since we launched the show, and we couldn’t be happier to have Gary on to give his take. A brief programming note about this week’s episode: We had so much fun r...

The Short Game is experimenting with our format this week, and you’re the guinea pig! We’re calling these shortisodes; half-length (or less) episodes in which we break from our regular format of talking in depth about one game per episode and talk instead about… whatever we want! This will allow us to still get something in your feed each week ( cough late cough ) while we move to our bi-weekly-is...

This week, Laura joins us again to discuss Little Inferno, a game so unique that it defies description. Here, we’ll give it a go: Little Inferno is a game in which you order items from catalogs, burn them in a beautiful interactive fireplace, and somehow this earns you more money to buy more things to burn. Sound intriguing? We didn’t think so! Yet somehow, developers Tomorrow Corporation (of Worl...

This week, we talk to the hosts of the incredible retro gaming and game design analysis podcast, Watch Out For Fireballs! Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross chat with us about how they run their excellent show, and give us their recommendations for short games that have stood out to them in terms of quality. This was a lot of fun.   Links Watch Out for Fireballs! Portland Retro Gaming Expo – Classic V...

This week on The Short Game, real life twin brothers Raygan and Shane (plus this other guy) talk about the totally digital brotherhood simulator Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, by Starbreeze Studios. It’s a simple and brisk but really emotionally effecting journey through a fantasy inspired setting. The hook here is the unusual controls; Brothers is a co-op game for one, where you control each broth...

Year Walk, by Swedish indie developer Simogo, is a haunting combination of adventure, puzzle and horror game mechanics, and explores the dark and fascinating territory of Swedish folklore. Players take the role of Daniel, a young Swede in the 1800s about to undertake a Year Walk, or Årsgång , an elaborate divination practice wherein you must contend with many strange supernatural creatures for a c...

This week, we cover Early Access game Crypt of the NecroDancer. This bizarre (yet incredibly smooth) blend of the Rogue-like genre with the the rhythm game genre had us swinging our swords to the beat. This is one of our favorite episodes yet. Returning from our well-received iOS games episode, Laura Nash is here to share her opinions with regular hosts Raygan & Shane, and generally make the s...

Welcome to Aristotska. Cause no trouble. This week on The Short Game, we discuss the weird and thought provoking indie point-and-click “document thriller” Papers, Please. It’s possibly the most unique game we’ve talked about on the show so far. Is it fun? Maybe, sometimes. Is it worth playing? Absolutely. Availability: Humble Indie Bundle 12 – If you act quickly (within about 6 days as of this wri...

A note to our listeners: This episode will be followed by a one week break as we catch up and prepare for “season two” of The Short Game! We have a lot of great games to discuss in the coming months, and we want to hear from you! Let us know which current or upcoming games you would like to hear about on the show, or send us feedback on Twitter or at our website! This week, The Short Game plays To...

This week on The Short Game, we discuss our first fighting game! Or is this a fighting game? Wait, what is this exactly? It’s Nidhogg, a game in which two sabre-wielding duelists with infinite respawns face off in a frenetic, bloody tug of war for the right to throw themselves into the gaping maw of the titular Norse snake god Níðhöggr. Chew on that for a minute. It’s also an incredibly tight and...

This week we delve into our shared Sega heritage with fast paced action platformer Freedom Planet . Launched from a Kickstarter budget of just $25,472 , Freedom Planet from GalaxyTrail is a love letter to the character platformer and Sega nostalgia. One part Mega Man , one part Gunstar Heroes , one part Rocket Knight , and many parts Sonic & Knuckles ; Freedom Planet is a high speed platform g...

This week on The Short Game, we discuss Yacht Club Games incredible debut and love-letter to the NES, Shovel Knight. This is a game we’ve been dying to discuss on the show and it stands out as both faithfully retro and relentlessly innovative and modern. We discuss the ways the game pays homage to its inspirations, from Mega Man to Zelda to Duck Tales to Castlevania, and how it improves upon those...

Edit: We fixed a small editing error at around the 2:00 mark. This week on The Short Game, we bring you an awesome interview with Dr. David Heineman, author of the recent Kotaku article ​How To Beat 400 Games In 4.5 Years. David is a real life scholar of video games. He is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies t Blooksburg University of Pennsylvania and author of the forthcoming book “Th...

iOS Gaming & Leo’s Fortune In this episode, Raygan and Nate are joined by friend of the show Laura Nash as we talk about Leo’s Fortune in particular, and the present and future of iOS smartphones as a gaming platform in general. Leo’s Fortune won an Apple Design Award in 2014 but it’s the one game that none of us had played in time for our Apple Design Award Winners 2014 episode a few weeks ag...

This time on The Short Game, your three hosts unite to discuss Super Giant Games new action RPG for PS4 and Windows PC, Transistor . We discuss the game’s painterly art, its unique setting, and terrific customizable combat system. We also share in depth game tips and strategies, and after the spoiler break (at about 56 minutes in) we speculate about the game’s effecting ending. Transistor is avail...

Towerfall Ascension This week we discuss Matt Thorson( @MattThorson ) of Matt Makes Games multiplayer masterpiece, Towerfall Ascension. Towerfall is an arena multiplayer platform fighting game for two to four players. It draws on inspirations like SNES platformers, the Smash Bros series, and the fighting game genre to weave a simple, elegant, and ridiculously fun and hilarious party-fighting-game....

Apologies in advance for the sound quality of this episode and for its late release. Your intrepid podcast host was moving cross country this week and our equipment and schedule did not cooperate as planned. 2013-14 has been great for iOS gaming, and Apple has picked five great games to honor with Apple Design Awards at this year’s World Wide Developers Conference. We’ve played (nearly) all of the...

In this episode, we discuss a game that probably all of you have played: Valve’s incredibly popular distraction from Half-Life 3 development, Portal . Portal is a game so influential it likely requires no introduction. In this episode, Raygan and Shane break down the qualities that made the game was so successful, and its widespread impact on gaming in general. We command you: GO PLAY PORTAL AGAIN...

This episode was recorded in two parts. In the introduction, recorded just a few days ago, Host and Bro-host discuss the recent announcements at E3, Tom Cruise movies, and a great quick video game about pseudo-nazi-airplane-submarines! In the second half, we wrap up our recent board game special with a lively discussion of Dominion. Links for this episode: The Introduction No Man’s Sky – YouTube T...

In this, our first very special episode, we take a bit of a detour and talk about a gaming passion that has less to do with keyboards and gamepads, and more to do with cardboard and dice. This is our first Board Game Special , and we discuss some of the games that brought us into board gaming as a hobby, with a special focus on games that are both quick to play and quick to teach. We got so carrie...

This week we discuss Terry Cavanagh’s indie gaming masterpiece VVVVVV. Inspired by the Commodore 64 generation of games, this game presents a tough challenge to even the most experienced gamer, while still clocking in at a descent length. Clever level design and a great focused game mechanic make this game shine. The game is available: – Steam for Mac, PC, and Linux – $4.99 – Direct from Develper...

This week, we discuss the silly, silly platform adventure game Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Octodad is a game about controlling a slippery octopus in a suit through levels filed with tons of tiny physics-enabled objects while trying not to attract attention. Nobody can know your secret octopus nature! The trailer is absolutely fantastic. This little game is one of our favorites yet. Octodad is availab...

In our 6th episode, we discuss Thomas Was Alone , Mike Bithell’s game of jumping and friendship. Thomas Was Alone is available for Mac, PC, and Linux, as well as on the Playstation Network for PS3 and PSVita Steam  for Mac, PC, and Linux – $9.99 PSN  for PS3 & Vita – $9.99 or FREE for PS+ subscribers Since the recording of this episode, Thomas Was Alone was also released for iPad! App Store fo...

In our fine fifth episode, we launch into the depths of space with FTL: Faster Than Light. We discuss the qualities that make the game so quick and yet so infinitely re-playable, with digressions into the definition of the roguelike genre. We also determine scientifically that spoilers don’t spoil anything. It’s science! Link to Wired Science article 2011 Nate and Shane also share their secrets to...