Quest Markers

Antonio Freyre joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey that led him to developing his upcoming title, As Time Surrenders.They delve into topics such as ambient storytelling, using art as a way to engage in conversation, how mechanics and symbols can be used to tell game stories, building appealing worlds, Antonio’s creative process, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * *

TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Intro (00:03:23) How Antonio got into game development(00:08:55) Games that inspire Antonio(00:13:30) Using game mechanics and emotions to tell a story(00:22:43) “The point of art is to share and engage in conversation, not to impose” (00:26:57) Using symbolism to infuse games with meaning(00:30:31) Antonio’s game dev philosophies(00:37:20) Building appealing game worlds (00:44:09) Being a musician & Antonio’s creative process (00:53:40) As Time Surrenders, Antonio’s upcoming title(00:57:00) Advice Antonio would give his younger self(01:00:48) OutroFOLLOW USAntonio’s socials: https://linktr.ee/merlinogames Merlino Games Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/develo... Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠  / marinahascoffee  Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan

Cody Matthew Johnson is back! He joins Marina Ryan to talk about his path into video game music, his recent Grammy nomination, his plans for 2026, and advice he has for new video game composers. 

They also delve into topics such as embracing failure, choosing action over hesitation, and decisive minimalism. 

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Intro 

(00:03:43) Cody’s path into video game music 

(00:10:11) A pivotal moment in Cody’s life

(00:12:14) “Ready” is not a feeling, it’s a decision 

(00:17:55) Action over hesitation

(00:20:07) Cody’s mantra for 2026 

(00:21:59) Cody’s Grammy nomination

(00:26:41) Embracing failure

(00:34:07) New things we want to try this year 

(00:42:00) Cody’s favourite way of landing a gig

(00:44:29) Advice Cody has for new video game composers 

(00:49:00) Advice Cody would give his younger self

(00:55:35) Outro

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FOLLOW US

Cody’s website: https://www.codymatthewjohnson.com/ 

Cody’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codymatthewjohnson/ 

Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠  

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

Cody Matthew Johnson joins Marina Ryan to talk about his creative process in making video game music. Cody has worked on everything from Resident Evil to Bayonetta, to most recently Star Wars: Outlaws, which landed him a Grammy nomination (congrats, Cody!!!). 

They delve into the differences between different music roles, how to balance a project’s needs with our own creative ideas, how limitations can make us more creative, what a great collaboration looks like, imposter syndrome, finding play and gratitude, and more. 

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Intro 

(00:05:17) What’s the difference between a composer vs. a songwriter vs. a music producer?

(00:15:28) Balancing a project’s needs with bringing our artistry into the music 

(00:23:39) What does a good collaborative environment look like?

(00:30:40) Creativity and limitations 

(00:32:20) What does a great collaboration look like? 

(00:37:25) Finding inspiration and flow state  

(00:45:47) Imposter syndrome

(00:47:08) The inevitable failure that is ahead 

(00:48:08) Finding play and gratitude 

(00:57:15) What does success mean to Cody? 

(01:03:05) What advice would Cody give his younger self? 

(01:07:25) Outro

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FOLLOW US

Cody’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codymatthewjohnson/ 

Cody’s Twitter: https://x.com/codymatthewj 

Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠  

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

Ben Lazerbeam joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of Team Lazerbeam’s upcoming roguelike double deckbuilder, Shroom and Gloom. They delve into the game’s design and balancing, art and implementation, and the marketing strategy that led them to 125,000+ wishlists on Steam! Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Intro(00:05:50) Ben’s game development journey(00:10:37) Designing and balancing a deckbuilding game (00:26:29) The art, lightning, and implementation of Shroom and Gloom(00:35:05) Marketing, wishlists, and going viral on TikTok(00:54:52) What advice would Ben give their younger self? (01:02:45) Outro* * * * * * * FOLLOW USShroom and Gloom on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3271280/Shroom_and_Gloom/ Ben’s socials: https://linktr.ee/benlazerbeam Team Lazerbeam’s socials: https://linktr.ee/teamlazerbeam Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan#gamedevelopment #gamedev #gamedeveloper #gamedevpodcast #videogames #indiegames #indiegame #indiegamedev #shroomandgloom

Vincent Adinolfi joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of his survival horror game Heartworm. They delve into the inspiration behind the game, Vincent’s development journey, the game’s OST, visual identity, production, accessibility, and so much more. The episode is chock-full of great development and life advice. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Preview (00:00:36) Intro(00:03:28) Vincent’s path: working on his first game(00:04:47) Overview of Heartworm(00:05:53) The development of Heartworm & taking risks(00:09:25) The inspiration behind Heartworm(00:12:17) Heartworm’s creative direction and visual identity(00:15:35) The making of Heartworm’s music(00:30:15) Building in accessibility options(00:33:55) How difficult is it to get fixed camera angles right?(00:36:18) How Heartworm got published(00:40:10) Heartworm’s production (00:45:15) “Done is better than perfect” (vulnerability and finishing things)(00:49:49) Making games is hard(00:52:25) If Vincent could give his younger self a piece of advice…(00:55:48) Outro* * * * * * * FOLLOW USHeartworm on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257030/Heartworm/ Heartworm: https://heartwormgame.com/ Heartworm’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vadinolfi Heartworm’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adinolfi.bsky.social Heartworm’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heartworm.game Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan

Rachel Heleva (Akupara Games, Spiral Up Games, Strange Scaffold) joins Marina to talk about her games publishing and development journey.They delve into how game publishers work, what it means to be a game scout, the importance of production, and Rachel gives tons of advice for up-and-coming studios seeking their next publishing deal. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

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TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Preview (00:00:22) Intro(00:03:00) Rachel’s path: getting into the industry(00:05:39) What is a games publisher?(00:09:10) What is a games scout?(00:10:40) Rachel’s experiencing helping start a publishing house (00:14:50) What makes an indie studio stand out?(00:18:40) What indicates to a publisher that a studio isn’t ready for funding yet? (00:21:33) What indicates to a publisher that a studio is ready for funding now?(00:24:28) How have Rachel’s production skills helped her in her publishing and scouting work?(00:27:15) How has Rachel’s production experience helped her identify a studio’s ability to deliver on their timelines? (00:32:33) What advice would Rachel give her younger self?(00:34:47) Words of wisdom for studios (00:37:07) Outro(00:37:27) Q&A: How did Rachel first get into her role? (00:39:36) More advice for studios (feedback, playtesting, making games publicly) FOLLOW USRachel’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hlywa.bsky.s... Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinahascoffeeLive Show on Twitch: ⁠  / marinahascoffee  Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan

Kate Gray (Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Moonstone Island, Dimensional Double Shift) joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey.

They delve into what it’s like being a games writer and narrative designer, player agency and dialogue writing, the challenge of writing item descriptions, what it’s like working in VR, narrative procedural generation, Dragon Age, and more. 

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Preview 

(00:00:28) Intro

(00:03:08) Kate’s Intro

(00:04:53) Kate’s path getting into game dev

(00:13:48) What Kate is most proud of

(00:16:30) Writing item descriptions and dialogue 

(00:19:21) Player agency & writing dialogue choices

(00:22:51) Seeing writers’ voices in games

(00:23:55) Narrative design & writers rooms 

(00:28:19) Kate’s creative process  

(00:31:25) Working on VR games

(00:35:28) The fun and chaos of narrative procedural generation

(00:44:16) Dragon Age: Inquisition, branching dialogue systems, & realistic characters

(00:51:34) What advice would Kate give her younger self?  

(00:53:44) Wrap up

(00:57:00) Q&A: Writing about impactful emotions in cute, cozy games

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FOLLOW US

Kate’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hownottodraw.bsky.social 

Marina’s socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠  

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffee

Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

#gamedevelopment #gamedeveloper #gamedev #gamedevpodcast #videogamewriting #narrativedesign #videogames #hellokittyislandadventure #moonstoneisland #dimensionaldoubleshift #dragonage

Anna C. Webster joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey.

They delve into what it’s really like being a games writer, how narrative design roles vary from studio to studio, their love of the Resident Evil series, and much more.

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Preview 

(00:00:40) Intro

(00:04:30) How Anna got into game development

(00:08:30) Training as a performer

(00:10:00) Lesser-known facts & misconceptions about being a video game writer and music composer

(00:19:03) Using theatre techniques in game writing  

(00:21:51) What does a narrative designer do? 

(00:26:33) How narrative designers collaborate with QA 

(00:28:32) Talking freelancing

(00:34:05) How we got into Resident Evil 

(00:38:55) Our favourite Resident Evil games

(00:41:41) Our Resident Evil hot takes

(00:44:26) Our love of Code Veronica and Ada Wong

(00:46:18) Resident Evil hot takes continued 

(00:48:57) Favourite narrative moments in Resident Evil

(00:55:49) Resident Evil 9

(00:58:56) Raid! 

(00:59:39) What advice would Anna give her younger self?  

(01:1:44) Outro

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FOLLOW US

Anna’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/annacwebs.bsky.social 

Anna’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@annacwebs Anna’s Website: https://annacwebster.com/ 

Marina: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠  

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffee

Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

David Kazi (Hollow Knight, ExoOne, Ember League) joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey.

They delve into what it was like working on Hollow Knight, the challenges that came with working on orbital physics for Exo One, and David’s journey in co-founding his own game studio, including what it means to bear the ever-changing role of Creative Director.

Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!

* * * * * * * 

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Preview 

(00:00:30) Intro

(00:02:30) How David got into game development

(00:10:37) What it was like working on Hollow Knight

(00:17:53) What it was like working on Exo One (moving from 2D to 3D development)

(00:23:47) David’s journey starting up Ember League

(00:27:28) Ember League’s debut game 

(00:29:26) Excitement and hope in working on games  

(00:32:10) Overcoming challenges when working on a game 

(00:39:49) The role of Creative Director – what does David work on week-to-week? 

(00:47:33) The importance of curiosity 

(00:52:22) David’s game dev philosophy

(01:01:00) Game engines, indie game development, and player expectations

(01:08:20) What advice would David give his younger self? 

(01:11:56) Outro

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FOLLOW US

David: https://x.com/davidkazidev 

Ember League: https://x.com/ember_league

Marina Ryan: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠  

Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffee

Quest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠

Music by Marina Ryan

Terran joins Marina to talk about writing video game music.They delve into: how they start a new piece of music, overcoming writer’s block, talent vs. skill, iterating and acting on feedback, the importance of music theory, and more.Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(07:04) What games we’re playing (08:50) How Terran got into music composition(12:10) The need to create(15:13) How Marina got into music composition(17:23) How we come up with musical ideas(21:51) The importance of music theory(23:26) “Your chronic mistakes are your style”(25:23) Iterating when writing music(27:53) Making fast decision is a superpower + organizing sessions(30:16) Steps of making music(32:10) Favourite tools for music making(35:52) Learning from reference tracks and song studies(37:38) Do we listen to music differently now? (39:02) Favourite time signature (40:50) What advice we have for our younger selves + the subjectivity of music + translating the ideas we have in our head (45:29) “Talent is a myth; it’s just love over time” (47:05) Terran’s dream project(48:28) Game music we love (56:30) Outro + thank you(57:40) Post-episode chat: coming back to music with fresh ears(58:32) Post-episode chat: the fear of using up ideas (1:00:42) Post-episode chat: writer’s block(1:03:44) Post-episode chat: working on a team + getting feedback + listening sessions + staying organized FOLLOW USTerran: https://bsky.app/profile/terrancam.bsky.socialUnbound Drift: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3339860/Unbound_Drift/Marina: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan