Four Sided Fantasy is a puzzle-platformer for Steam and PlayStation 4. As with most platformers, the screen scrolls side-to-side and up-and-down — but with the push of a button, players can toggle the scrolling and make the screen wrap, where one side connects to the opposite side. Using this power, players can navigate puzzles and access new areas through the game’s many seasons.

In this interview, I speak with lead designer Logan Fieth, founder of Ludo Land and graduate of DigiPen, about Four Sided Fantasy: the unusual gameplay mechanics that predate Logan; how narrative works in a game without language; how various aesthetic artifacts contribute to this being “a game about the screen”; the use of gender and gender identity as a storytelling device; the relinquishment of creative control in exchange for Kickstarter funding; and pairing with Serenity Forge to publish the game on consoles.

Watch the video above, or download the audio edition below or from Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Disclaimer: a review copy of this game was provided to me by the publisher.