In this week’s episode, we take a wild ride through the Harry Potter franchise in Pottergame, by Kate Barrett. It’s a bizarre, hilarious game about Harry Potter, British pop culture, and J.K. Rowling’s problematic opinions about trans people. All this prompts a discussion about early 2000s media and Jordan’s age-14 disillusionment with the Potter franchise. 

Download the game here: https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/11931

And follow the creator on Twitter: @thewaether

In this episode, we play the precision platformer OCDA, about a… potato who dashes through octagons. We talk about how the use of a spatially-constrained dash mechanic produces new ideas in a familiar genre, as well as why the visual design of this game is so good. We also try to figure out the meaning of the name OCDA, before realizing that it is very obvious, and we are dumb.

Find the game here: https://kirstu.itch.io/ocda

And follow the creator on Twitter: @kirstu__

In this week’s episode, we play “Million Ant Moving Company,” a zany swarm-simulator about ants that run a moving company. We talk about what makes the physics of this game funny, as well as swap strategies for ant movement. Jordan explains why cartoon ants are cute and charming rather than disgusting.

Find the game here: https://andyman404.itch.io/ants

And follow the creator on Twitter: @andyman404

It’s that special time of the year again - this week is the third annual Edgies! Jordan and Blake get together to reflect on all of the games they’ve played  over the course of the last year of podcasting, and grant them weird awards such as “Best Simulated Museum” and “Raddest  Use of Slow Motion”. As always, your hosts find plenty to discuss in the last year of games, and agree that indeed, videogames are good.

In this week’s episode, we talk about Blast Flock, a swarm-based, bullet-hell-esque flying game by Remy Devaux. The premise is intriguing, and we talk about what makes it fun and what makes its premise somewhat contradictory. Jordan falls for the dev’s trolling.

Find the game here: https://trasevol-dog.itch.io/blast-flock

And follow the creator on Twitter:@TRASEVOL_DOG

This week, we “play” a “game” called the Museum of Mechanics: Lockpicking, an essay about lockpicking mechanics in game form. It’s a wonderfully unique idea, part game and part essay. We talk about the strengths and weaknesses of different lockpicking mechanics—but I think we can all agree that Oblivion’s is the worst.

Find the game here: https://dimbulbgames.itch.io/museum-of-mechanics-lockpicking/devlog/170395/update-02

And follow the creator on Twitter: @dimbulbgames

In this week’s episode, we play Mixolumia, a take on the block-clearing arcade puzzler by Dave Makes. We talk about how the game’s primary innovation upends the logic of Tetris, as well as how it disrupts our sense of space. Jordan raves about one song in particular.

Find the game here: https://davemakes.itch.io/mixolumia

And follow the creator on Twitter: @davemakes

This week, we talk about the absurd and wonderful world of Blaseball, an absurdist fake baseball league by The Game Band. The game’s truly unique format and very timely sense of humor prompts a discussion about ARGs, role-playing games, fandoms, obsessive data miners, and the Blaseball commissioner (who is doing a great job). Blake gives us a play-by-play description of one of the most notorious moments in the league’s three-week history. 

You can join in the fun here: https://blaseball.com/

And follow the creators on Twitter: @thegameband

This week, we play Lithium City, a stunning isometric (!) action game by Nico Tuason. In Blake’s words, it’s the game that you get if Hotline Miami, Hyperlight Drifter, and Titanfall 2 had a baby. High praise! Jordan attempts to play a game about multidimensional movement with a keyboard, like an idiot. 

You can buy the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210610/Lithium_City/

And follow the creator on Twitter: @nicotuason

This week, we play Horde, a physics-based zombie horde simulator by bl4st, a.k.a Paul Berne. It’s an incredibly fun and surprising mechanic, one that involves controlling an almost liquid-like horde of walking corpses—or, as Jordan puts it, an “undulating morass,” much to Blake’s amusement. The game prompts a discussion about physics simulation, flocking algorithms, and real-time strategy games of the late 90s.

Find the game here: https://bl4st.itch.io/horde

And follow the creator on Twitter: @Hardcore_c4sual