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Join Alan and Syrenne from Draknek & Friends as they talk to developers of some of their favorite puzzle games, shedding light onto how games get made and the people behind them!
43 Episodes
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In this episode, while Syrenne was on a much-needed vacation, Alan took the opportunity to chat to Adam deGrandis for an hour about all things game dev!
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Oolimry, the developer behind Glowkeeper. Topics include the development of Glowkeeper, designing a Metroidbrainia, and how to test secrets in game.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by the majority of the development team behind our recently released game Spooky Express. Listen to over an hour of development anecdotes and discussion about how the game came to be! This episode contains minor spoilers.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Priscilla Snow the composer who worked on games like Spooky Express, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, and Patrick's Parabox. Topics include the getting into composing for games, the specifics of working on Spooky Express, and weird bespoke instruments.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Melanie Zawodniak the editor of this very podcast! In this very casual episode, we talk about puzzle games, livestreaming, and Kingdom Hearts.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Adam deGrandis, the art director on Spooky Express and A Monster's Expedition. Topics include the development of the games, his time teaching, a dive through some gaming history, and a surprisingly long tangent about music.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Zach Barth, one of the developers behind Kaizen: A Factory Story and Zachtronics. Topics include the development of Kaizen, making accessible Zach-likes, and systems design.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Ben Wilson the other producer at Draknek & Friends. Topics include his journey through the games industry, crossword puzzles, and card games.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Robin and Jeremy, the developers behind The Roottrees are Dead. Topics include the origins of the game, the remake on Steam, and genre classifications.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Chao Cui, the developer behind Kiko's Apple Adventure. Topics include the development of the game, designing a sokoban with movable stages, and the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Corey Martin the developer behind Bonfire Peaks. Topics include the development of Bonfire Peaks and its DLC sequel, Bonfire Peaks Lost Memories, his other work on games like Tire Boy, and puzzles in non-puzzle games.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Dana Trebella, the founder of Spoke & Wheel Strategy. Topics include best practices for how and when to message your game, common marketing pitfalls, and stories of working with the Draknek team.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lucie Viatgé, the concept artist behind Spooky Express. Topics include the development of Spooky Express, her time at KO-OP, and her relationship with puzzle games.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Joseph Mansfield for his threepeat appearance on the podcast to discuss the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2025 and the recently premiered Thinky Direct!
This episode has a video version that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/RVNMsXXeatk
A copy of each of our shortlist of recommended games, some of which did not get discussed in the episode:
Games Discussed:
Bonfire Peaks - Lost Memories Parts 2+3
Gentoo Rescue
Kiko's Apple Adventure
Spooky Express
Compress(space)
Shape Sender Deluxe
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
Map Map: A Game About Maps
Schrodinger's Cat Burglar
Pup Champs
He Who Watches
Blue Prince
Isles of Sea and Sky
868-BACK
Memory's Reach
The Button Effect
Other recommendations we ran out of time to discuss:
Stuffo the Puzzle Bot
Hiding Spot
SOLAS 128
Linelith
Is this Seat Taken
Headlong Hunt
The Court of Wanderers
Toki Tori 2+
LOK Digital
Echo Weaver
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Zachary Johnson, a developer behind games like Joggernauts and Stage Fright. Zach is also the inspiration for Draknek's next game, Spooky Express - a fact he did not know when the recording started. Topics include an overview of Zach's career, stories from Train Jam, and Zach's hopes for Spooky Express.
The Spooky Express demo is live now, so go ahead and give it a try after listening to this episode!
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Luke Spierewka, the developer behind Pup Champs and Railbound. Topics include the development of Afterburn's games, developing games in shorter turnarounds, and lessons learned across multiple successive puzzle games.
In this special episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lucas Le Slo, a puzzle designer on the newly announced Spooky Express. Topics include the development of Spooky Express and its inception, the project's goals, as well as Lucas' other work on puzzle games such as Lab Rat.
In this episode...
Well, sometimes when you set out to create something, it doesn't actually end up looking at all like what your goal was. That statement applies to both this podcast episode as well as The Electrifying Incident. Syrenne and Alan are joined by Ben and Phoenix from the development team and things go off the rails fast as Syrenne re-experiences the intense scope creep and change that happened on this title.
Please keep in mind that this episode contains FULL SPOILERS for all seven achievements of The Electrifying Incident. And remember folks: this isn't a 3-v-1, this is a 1-v-3 and I'm winning.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Annika Maar the developer behind Duck Detective. Topics include the development of the game, short development timelines, and making approachable and funny games with deep thinky mechanics.
In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Gwen Frey the developer behind Lab Rat. Topics include the development of the game and its large scope, Gwen's long career in games, and the state of funding in the industry.
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