The London Games Festival was held between the 13th and 19th of April 2026, and New Game Plus, the festival's indie game showcase event was held on the 16th and 17th of April.

We managed to attend New Game Plus on the 17th, and it was a fun, full day of talking with developers, trying out new games, and meeting familiar faces for the first time.

One of those faces was John Rogers from Gaming in the Wild, and he kindly agreed to hop onto this episode to share his thoughts on the event as a whole. We also highlight a few games that we played that deserve your attention.

While at the event, I also spoke with James Bruce – co-founder of Saltstone Studios – on their game The Pale Beyond as well as their upcoming spiritual successor, The Hearth and the Harbour. We did try to find a quiet spot to talk, but unfortunately some loud people found us, which was picked up on the mics. We did our best to remove them, but they were quite stubborn to leave the audio, unfortunately.

John Rogers Links

BlueSky

Youtube Channel

Podcast

James Bruce Links

Saltstone Studios Website

Wishlist Hearth and Harbour on Steam

The Pale Beyond on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:26] London Games Festival with John Rogers

[59:37] Music Break – Colony from The Pale Beyond Soundtrack

[1:01:13] James Bruce Interview

[1:27:25] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:29:24] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The following tracks were used in this episode.

Unstoppable – Wax Heads soundtrack, composed by Gina Loughlin

Colony – The Pale Beyond soundtrack, composed by James Bruce

Overture – The Pale Beyond soundtrack, composed by James Bruce

Concept art has been used in video game development for years and years, and yet we don't really know much about the role it plays in game development.

It may seem like a question that answers itself, but I asked veteran game developer and concept artist Shaun Mooney to dive more into its role.

While Shaun was here, I took the opportunity to discuss some of his past projects, including his time at TT Games and his work on the LEGO video games, before we transitioned to his current project, Trash City Turbo, the debut game from his new indie game studio, Machinefun.

Shaun Mooney Links

Follow Shaun on BlueSky

Check out the Machinefun website

Wishlist Trash City Turbo on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:51] Shaun Mooney Interview

[35:11] Music Break – Helicopter From the Mortal Kombat X Soundtrack

[35:45] Shaun Mooney Interview

[1:14:38] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:15:59] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The following tracks were used in this episode.

Mechanically Inclined – taken from the GIGASWORD soundtrack composed by Jack Breen

Helicopter from the Mortal Kombat X soundtrack, composed by Dynamedion

Passion for Exploring - taken from the VVVVVV soundtrack composed by Magnus Pásson

This month we had the opportunity to talk to Adam Stjärnljus & Klas Eriksson, the creative director and main writer of Planet of Lana and the sequel Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf.

The conversation was delightful, full of interesting factoids on the development of both games and their many features, including how the idea came to be, the struggles of getting the game noticed, the amazing music and the new features of the latest game.

It's a jam-packed episode, and once you're finished here, please go and give Planet of Lana II a wishlist or go buy it, as this episode drops on the day that it releases on all major platforms.

If you would like to keep up to date with Wishfully and the Planet of Lana series, the best way would be to visit their website or search for Wishfully on all the major social platforms.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Adam and Klas for agreeing to join me and for sharing so much knowledge on the games.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[03:01] Adam & Klas Interview Part 1

[35:48] Music Break

[36:39] Adam & Klas Interview Part 2

[1:12:43] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:14:17] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Planet of Lana and Planet of Lana II soundtracks, composed by Takeshi Furukawa.

Clips from the following tracks were used in this episode:

Tailo Village from Planet of Lana

Utopia From Planet of Lana II

Wemari Village from Planet of Lana II

Many thanks to Wishfully Studios for their kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

Tom Eastman from Trinket Studios joins us for this month's episode to discuss their recently released deck-builder, narrative adventure Battle Suit Aces.

Tom shared some fascinating insights into the game's development, and I was thrilled to learn of all the different elements, ideas, and time that went into creating such a well-thought-out game.

If you would like to keep up with Tom and Trinket Studios, the best way would be through Tom's or Battle Suit Aces' BlueSky, becoming a member of the Trinket Studios Discord server or by visiting their website.

Please visit Battle Suit Aces Steam page

We also have a written review of Battle Suit Aces on So Many Games.

Many thanks to our patrons, John, Kammy, Antonia, Ruzzh, Shyguy and Cerys, who we are incredibly lucky to have. If you would like to see what we offer and support independent video game coverage, then please take a look at our Patreon.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[03:08] Tom Eastman Interview

[36:30] Music Break

[37:07] Tom Eastman Interview Part 2

[1:05:56] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:07:25] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Battle Suit Aces soundtrack, composed by Carlos "insaneintherain" Eiene. Clips from the following tracks were used in this episode:

To the Battle Line

Cosmic Rendezvous

StarBall Match

Many thanks to Jake for his kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

Jakefriend is a solo developer from Canada. The first act from his debut game, Scrabdackle, has recently been released, and Jake was very kind in spending some of his rare spare time to talk to us about the game.

Jake shared some really interesting details about the development of the game, from the concept to how he landed on the locations to how he ended up with the episodic release idea.

If you would like to keep up with Jake and Scrabdackle, then you can follow him on BlueSky, or he is very active in his Discord server.

Please visit Scrabdackle's Steam page

We also have a written review of Scrabdackle on So Many Games.

Many thanks to our patrons, John, Kammy, Antonia, Ruzzh and Cerys, who we are incredibly lucky to have. If you would like to see what we offer and support independent video game coverage, then please take a look at our Patreon.

Correction: I mention the game is published by Fellow Traveller in the intro, but this is not entirely accurate, as Fellow Traveller is co-publishing the game alongside Jakefriend.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:14] Jakefriend Interview

[29:23] Music Break

[29:50] Jakefriend Interview Part 2

[1:01:57] Final Thoughts & Outro

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Scrabdackle soundtrack, composed by Jakefriend. The following tracks were used in this episode:

House of Beak and Blade

Land of pride and Plumage

One Bat Attitude

Many thanks to Jake for his kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

We are back with part 2 of our AdventureX coverage.

This episode is very much an Old Skies special, as we talked with the composer of the game, Thomas Regin, and the writer, Dave Gilbert, while at AdventureX.

We round off this episode with part 2 of our Sally Beaumont interview (who voiced Fia, the main protagonist in the game), where we delve into her recent BAFTA breakthrough achievement and what part Old Skies played in that success.

A huge thank you goes to Thomas, Dave and Sally for their time and also to the organisers of AdventureX for being such great organisers and hosts.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[01:54] Thomas Regin Interview

[15:46] Dave Gilbert Interview

[55:12] Sally Beaumont Interview

[1:29:25] Final Thoughts

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Old Skies soundtrack, composed by Thomas Regin The following tracks were used in this episode:

Old Skies Main Theme

The 80's Called

Night at the Club

Twist in Time

You Can Play That Game

AdventureX is a narrative adventure gaming event held annually in London, and we took ourselves along for this year's offering.

Find out how we found the event and how we found the game selection, and we report on the panels that were held throughout the weekend.

We also took the opportunity to interview some of the attendees and for part one of our coverage, you can find interviews with The Dark Queen of Mortholme developer Mosu, the Séance of Blake Manors Narrative Director Dave McCabe and the developer behind the 2022 coming-of-age point-and-click game Meridith Gran and to cap off the episode, I had a wonderful chat with Saly Beaumont about AdventureX and her role as Olivia D'arcy from The Séance of Blake Manor.

A huge thank you goes to everyone that I talked to at the event for their time and to the organisers for being so open and welcoming.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:51] AdventureX Impression

[05:02] Mosu Interview

[16:13] More AdventureX Impressions

[17:29] Dave McCabe Interview

[39:48] Meridith Gran Interview

[56:50] Sally Beaumont Interview

[1:25:18] Final Thoughts & Outro

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The Dark Queen of Mortholme – Main Theme Composed by Mosu

The Dark Queen of Mortholme – Enraged Dark Queen Composed by Mosu

The Séance of Blake Manor – Title Screen Composed by Clement Panchout

The Séance of Blake Manor – Vincent Varley Composed by Clement Panchout

Perfect Tides – Main Theme Composed by Daniel Kobylarz

Perfect Tides – Mainland 1 Composed by Daniel Kobylarz

The Séance of Blake Manor – Evelyn's Theme Composed by Clement Panchout

Heartspell – Notes Passed Composed by Dire Kitten Games

Episode 9 of The So Many Games Podcast finally brings not only one of the best video games created to the podcast but also its Creator Director, Remy Siu.

We have an insightful conversation on the game, from Remy's goals at the start of development to its incredible narrative, visuals and soundtrack.

We finish up with some wonderful questions from the community, with much thanks to Matt, Dave and Steven for submitting them.

We would also like to thank Fellow Traveller for arranging the interview with Remy. We are very grateful for all their help and assistance.

Remy Siu Links

BlueSky

Sunset Visitor Website

1000xRESIST on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:36] Remy Siu Interview

[1:00:36] Outro

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Join our Discord server

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clips used in this episode come from the 1000xRESIST soundtrack by Line Katcho, Drew Redman, and guest songwriter Alex Mah.

We break from the usual format to bring you a deep discussion on one of this year's biggest games, Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Jason is joined by fellow So Many Games writers Matt and Erik to share their experiences of their playthroughs of the game. We delve into most aspects of the game in our discussion, from our expectations. coming into the game to our favourite locations, mechanics, its difficulty level and a meaty chat on the game's bosses.

Although we split this episode into two, with the second part dedicated to a heavy spoilery discussion, some very light spoilers did creep into the first part; such was our enthusiasm for the game.

Make sure to stick around to the very end of the podcast, as this episode debuts us playing adverts from our content creator friends. You may discover your next favourite podcast!

Check out our written review of Hollow Knight: Silksong

Take a look at Matt's podcast, Bit Harmony and Erik's podcast, Pages of Play

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[06:34] Hollow Knight: Silksong

[43:49] Musical Break – Moss Grotto Composed by Christopher Larkin

[44:30] Music Break – Hollow Knight: Silksong Spoilers Chat

[1:36:31] Outro

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Join our Discord server

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clip used in the break is Moss Grotto from the Hollow Knight: Silksong soundtrack composed by Christopher Larkin

This month we sat down with Game Director and Co-Founder Oli Clarke Smith, Technical Director and Co-Founder Phil Crabtree and Art Director Rachel Noy from Kaizen Game Works to discuss their latest video game, Promise Mascot Agency.

We go into the game's origins, how the team found designing an open-world game, the struggle to not overbear a player, the collectables, how the van was implemented and much more! 

A huge thank you goes out to Oli, Phil and Rachel for taking time out to talk to me but also for being as open as they were.

Follow Kaizen Game Works on BlueSky

Take a look at their website

If youd like to read our review of Promise Mascot Agency, you can do so here

Promise Mascot Agency is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S

We’d Also like to thank Rach Macpherson for helping to organise the interview. If you need any PR for your video game, then Rachel is certainly worth considering.check out her website for more info:

https://rach-macpherson-freelance.prezly.com/

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[01:22] Guest Intros & Game Development Histories

[08:20] Promise Mascot Agency

[36:33] Music Break – Straight To The Sea Composed by Ryo Koike

[37:18] More Promise Mascot Agency

[1:03:06] Outro

So Many Games Links

Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

Check out our ⁠website⁠

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clip used in the break comes from the Promise Mascot Agency soundtrack co-composed by Ryo Koike. Permission to use the track was kindly granted by Kaizen Game Works.